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Article History

Received: 25 April 2025

Accepted: 31 January 2026

First Online: 7 February 2026

Declarations

:

: The authors declare no competing interests.

: Ethical approval for this study was granted by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) of Addis Ababa University’s College of Health Sciences (Protocol No. 073/23/SPH). The study adhered to the Declaration of Helsinki, the ICH-GCP guidelines, the WHO Operational Guidelines for Ethical Review Committees, and Ethiopia’s National Guidelines for Research Ethics. Formal permission was obtained from the relevant administrative bodies before data collection. Written informed consent was obtained from all patients after the aims, methods, and risks of the study were explained. The participants were allowed to withdraw or refuse to answer the questions at any time. To maintain confidentiality and anonymity, pseudonyms (e.g., P1, P2, P3) were assigned to participants in the transcripts, coding (using MAXQDA 2020), and analysis. Instead of exact ages, age ranges, and sex were provided along with quotes. Additionally, the names of the specific health facilities and places were anonymized. All information, including audio files and transcripts, was kept secure, with access limited to the research team. The participants were reimbursed for transportation and communication costs, but did not receive financial incentives to prevent coercion.