Document is current

Article History

Received: 14 May 2025

Accepted: 13 April 2026

First Online: 21 April 2026

Declarations

:

: Ethical clearance was obtained from the Institutional Review Board (Health Research Ethics Review Committee) of Wolkite University. Afterward, a formal letter was drafted by the College of Health Sciences to the relevant office and submitted to the Kembata Zone Public Hospital administrative office prior to the commencement of data collection. The National Research Ethics Review Guideline (2014) emphasizes that all research protocols, including retrospective studies, must undergo an ethical review to ensure the protection of participants’ rights and confidentiality. Specifically, the guideline mandates that researchers secure approval from an Institutional Review Board before starting their study. Our research indicated that, for minimal-risk studies, a retrospective chart review was necessary. Data were extracted from the charts of the clients’ records without direct patient contact, ensuring the confidentiality of the information was maintained. “This retrospective study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of Wolkite University, which also waived the requirement for informed consent due to the use of anonymized data. The study was conducted following the Declaration of Helsinki.”

: Not applicable.

: The authors declare no competing interests.