TIME TO DISCHARGE AND ITS PREDICTORS AMONGCHILDRENAGED 6 - 59 MONTHS WITH SEVERE ACUTE MALNUTRITIONADMITTED TO THE THERAPEUTIC FEEDINGCENTERATWOLKITE UNIVERSITY SPECIALIZED HOSPITALINSTITUITIONBASED RETROSPECTIVE FOLLOW-UP STUDY, 2026

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Under nutrition is a major public health concern, especially in low-incomesettings. It includes wasting and nutritional edema, stunting and underweight and micronutrient deficiency. Undernourished children, particularly those with severe acute malnutrition, haveahigher risk of death from common childhood illness. Children with severe acute malnutritionhave a nine-fold risk of mortality compared to well-nourished children hence the need for appropriate management. While the treatment of severe acute malnutrition is well established, achieving desired outcomes has proven to be challenging. OBJECTIVES: To assess the time to discharge and its predictors among children aged 6- 59months with SAM admitted to the therapeutic feeding center at Wolkite University Specialized Hospital (WUSH) ,Wolkite, Central Ethiopia from June 1, 2020 - May 31,2025. METHOD: Institution-based retrospective follow-up study was conducted in Wolkite University Specialized Hospital among children aged 6 - 59 months admitted to inpatient Therapeutic Feeding Center from June 1, 2020 - May 31, 2025. Participants were selected using computer generated random numbers. Time to discharge from inpatient treatment was estimated usingKaplan-Meier procedure and Log rank test was used to test observed difference between covariates. Multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression analysis model was used to identify predictor of time to discharge. RESULTS: The discharge rate was 75.8% and the median time to discharge from stabilizationcenter was 14.00 days with 95%: CI (13.35,14.65). Children who were transferred-in fromother health facilities and return from default, Hospital acquired infections, presence of de hydrationand who had vaccinated fully were predictors of time to discharge from stabilization center. CONCLUSIONS: The median time to discharge and the discharge rate fromstabilizationcenterwere within the SPHERE of standards.Transferred-in from other facilities ,return fromdefault , Hospital acquired infections , dehydration were significant predictors of time to discharge.