AI Insight
This national study of 1,245 Ethiopian public healthcare facilities examined how two digital systems—an electronic Logistics Management Information System (eLMIS) and an Auditable Pharmaceutical Transactions and Services system (APTS)—affect essential medicine availability. Facilities using both systems simultaneously showed a synergistic effect with 4.32 times higher odds of optimal commodity availability compared to facilities using neither, substantially exceeding the benefits of either system alone. The analysis also identified functional cold chains, qualified staffing, proximity to distribution hubs, and urban location as additional positive predictors of medicine availability.
Why it matters
The findings suggest that integrated digital inventory and financial management systems could significantly reduce chronic medicine shortages in low-resource healthcare settings. If these results hold after peer review, synchronized nationwide implementation of both systems could be a cost-effective strategy for improving pharmaceutical supply chain resilience in Ethiopia and similar contexts pursuing universal health coverage.
Understand the Science
⚠️ Preprint – Noch nicht peer-reviewed
Dieser Artikel wurde noch nicht von unabhängigen Experten begutachtet. Die Ergebnisse sind vorläufig und sollten mit Vorsicht interpretiert werden.
Background: Chronic pharmaceutical stock outs hinder Universal Health Coverage in Ethiopia. To address this, the Ministry of Health introduced the electronic Logistics Management Information System for inventory visibility and Auditable Pharmaceutical Transactions and Services for financial management. However, no national study has tested their combined impact. This study evaluated the individual and synergistic effects of electronic Logistics Management Information System and Auditable Pharmaceutical Transactions and Services on essential commodity availability across Ethiopian public healthcare facilities. Methods; We conducted a secondary analysis of the 2024/2025 Ethiopian Service Provision Assessment dataset utilizing 1245 public facilities nested within 125 clusters. The primary outcome was optimal essential commodity availability (zero stock outs and 100% tracer commodity presence). A two-level mixed-effects logistic regression model with an interaction term evaluated synergy, reporting Adjusted Odds Ratios with 95% Confidence Intervals. Results; Overall optimal availability was 54.2% (95% CI; 51.4%-57.0%). Implementation rates were 41.2% for eLMIS, 38.2% for APTS and 26.5% for dual implementation. Facilities using eLMIS alone (AOR = 2.15; 95% CI: 1.52-3.04) and APTS alone (AOR = 1.82; 95% CI; 1.28-2.58) showed higher security. Dual implementation showed a profound synergistic effect (AOR = 4.32; 95% CI; 3.25-5.74, p < 0.001). Positive predictors included functional cold chains (AOR = 2.08), qualified staffing (AOR = 1.68), hub proximity (AOR = 1.58) and urban settings (AOR = 1.95). The model explained 66.2% of regional variance. Conclusion; Dual implementation of electronic Logistics Management Information System and Auditable Pharmaceutical Transactions and Services creates a powerful synergistic impact on pharmaceutical availability. Synchronized national scale-up and cold chain investments are urgently needed to achieve supply chain resilience and Universal Health Coverage in Ethiopia.