Coronavirus disease 2019 vaccination acceptance and associated factors among residents of Dire Dawa Administration, Eastern Ethiopia: a community-based cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an extremely contagious viral infection caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. Understanding the willingness of the community to receive the COVID-19 vaccine will help in the development and implementation of effective COVID-19 vaccination promotion programs. Therefore, we aimed to assess the level of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance and associated factors among residents of Dire Dawa Administration, Eastern Ethiopia. METHODS: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 840 residents in Dire Dawa Administration from May 18th to June 18th, 2021. Multistage cluster sampling followed by systematic random sampling was used to select respondents. A pretested interviewer-administered structured questionnaire was used to collect the data from respondents. Bivariable and multivariable logistic regression were used to identify predictors of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance. The odds ratio (OR), along with a 95% confidence interval (CI), was used to estimate the strength of the association. RESULTS: Out of 840 respondents recruited, the proportion of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance was found to be 54.4% (457/840); (95% CI: 51.0%, 57.7%) Being male [AOR = 1.85, 95% CI: (1.35, 2.54), P < 0.001], not having a current habit of substance use [AOR = 2.38, 95% CI: (1.73, 3.26), P < 0.001], having a monthly income of less than 51.31 USD [AOR = 0.19, 95% CI: (0.04, 0.88), P = 0.001]; and not having a prior history of vaccination experience [AOR = 0.40, 95% CI: (0.29, 0.54), P < 0.001] were significantly associated with COVID-19 vaccine acceptance. CONCLUSION: This study reveals that the proportion of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance among residents of Dire Dawa Administration, Eastern Ethiopia, was 54.4%. Factors like being male and not having a current habit of substance use were positively associated, whereas having a monthly income of less than 51.31 USD and not having a prior history of vaccination experience were negatively associated with COVID-19 vaccine acceptance. Health information dissemination and economic empowerment are crucial to improving COVID-19 vaccine acceptance among the community. This study provides valuable data for policymakers to plan early vaccination programs and tackle the challenges identified in the study.

BabyWASH and diarrhea prevention practices following multimedia educational intervention in hard-to-reach areas of the Afar and Somali regions of Ethiopia: a mixed-method endline evaluation.

BACKGROUND: Water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) interventions, which are specifically targeted towards young children-known as "BabyWASH"-reduce exposure to environmental contamination and prevent microbial burden in their play and feeding environments. The purpose of this endline study was to evaluate the effectiveness and potential sustainability of a multimedia educational intervention in influencing key BabyWASH and diarrhea prevention practices in four hard-to-reach woredas (i.e. administrative districts) of the Afar and Somali regions of Ethiopia. METHODS: A mixed-method, comparative cross-sectional study was conducted, which included 457 household surveys, 16 key informant interviews, and 8 focus group discussions. The multimedia educational intervention comprised: broadcasting radio talk shows and radio spot messages, capacity-building training for community health workers and community leaders, community mobilization campaigns, and the distribution of promotional print media materials. Propensity score matching analysis was used to estimate the effect of the multimedia educational intervention on key BabyWASH and diarrhea prevention attitudes and practices, which was then triangulated with qualitative findings. RESULTS: The multimedia intervention had a significant positive impact on good BabyWASH and diarrhea prevention practices, including appropriate practices of child feces disposal (t-test = 5.17; p < 0.001), handwashing with soap or ash (t-test = 8.85; p < 0.001), maintaining separate playgrounds for young children (t-test = 2.83; p < 0.001), washing of child's body, hands, and faces (t-test = 15.78; p < 0.001), and food hygiene practices (t-test = 2.74; p < 0.05). The findings of the qualitative assessment also revealed that the multimedia intervention packages and the approaches used were successful in influencing key BabyWASH and diarrhea prevention behaviors in the intervention implementation woredas. In addition, providing capacity building training to local actors and community leaders and recording radio talk shows and sharing them with community members were recognized as effective intervention implementation strategies. CONCLUSION: The endline evaluation found that the multimedia educational intervention improved awareness, perception, and practice of BabyWASH and diarrhea prevention behaviors in intervention woredas compared to control woredas. Sanitation and hygiene promotion interventions in pastoralist settings can be effective when using locally and contextually appropriate intervention strategies. However, considerations for integrating both behavioral and structural components in WASH interventions is essential.

Pregnancy and sexual related problems among women living on the street in dire Dawa City, Eastern Ethiopia, 2021: qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: The problem of women and youths living on the street is a global phenomenon. It has created countless problems while they lived on the street; such as unwanted pregnancies, sexual exploitation and prostitution. It is a frequent observation to see women begging on the streets of major cities in Ethiopia having one or two babies by their sides. This study will give an in-depth understanding of the distressing and highly challenging problem among women on the street regarding pregnancy and related problems. OBJECTIVE: To explore pregnancy and sexual-related problems among women living on the street in Dire Dawa city, Eastern Ethiopia 2021. METHODS: A community-based phenomenological qualitative study was conducted at Dire Dawa city. Data was collected from homeless women and Key informants through focus group discussion and in-depth interviews using a semi-structured tool aided by a voice recorder. Data were analyzed thematically using computer-assisted qualitative data analysis software Atlas.ti7. The thematic analysis with inductive approach goes through 6 steps; Familiarization, Coding, Generating themes, Reviewing themes, Defining and naming themes and Writing up. RESULT: Women living on the street are more likely to experience physical abuse, sexual harassment, Sexual transmitted infection, unprotected sex and unwanted pregnancy. As a result, the fate of this pregnancy is abortion leads to high risk of getting health complications as most abortions are made in illegal and unsafe ways. CONCLUSION: Teen pregnancy, STI, rape and unsafe abortion are the major concerns as it accompanied by their homelessness situation and abusive lifestyles. The regional health bureau needs to understand the extent of problem and plan to organize an awareness creation program on STI, risk of pregnancy and SRH services.

Nutritional status and associated factors among lactating women in Dire Dawa, Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND: Lactating women's nutritional status is critical since it influences the health of their infants. However, there was a scarcity of data on maternal nutrition in low-income countries such as Ethiopia, particularly in the study area. METHODS: Institutional-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 401 lactating women in Dire Dawa town health facilities from February 10, 2019 to March 30, 2019. The sum of the number of food categories consumed by each respondent over the 24-h recall period is the women's diet diversity score. To identify factors linked to undernutrition, all variables with a p-value of less than 0.25 were included into multivariate logistic regression. RESULT: Prevalence of undernutrition was 22%. Women who age 15-25 years were four times more likely undernourished than older (adjusted odd ratio [AOR] = 4.04; confidence interval [CI]: [1.74, 9.40]). Unable to read and write women were almost five times more likely to be undernourished than formal education (AOR = 4.76; CI: [2.31, 9.81]). Women who have family size >7 were six times more likely to be undernourished than family size <3 (AOR = 5.53; CI: [1.15, 26.53]). Women not take additional food during lactating were 4.5 times more likely undernourished than take additional food (AOR = 4.56; CI [1.50, 13.9]). DD score <5 were four times more likely to be undernourished than (≥5) DD (AOR = 4; CI: [2.02, 7.90]). CONCLUSION: Prevalence of undernutrition in the study area was high. Factors associated with undernutrion were: age of lactating women, education status, family size, additional food during lactation and DD score. Thus, multisectoral collaboration targeted at improving women's educational status and increasing food during lactation need to be emphasized.

Pharmaceutical Supply Chain Practices and Its Associated Factors in Public Health Facilities, West Gojjam Zone, Ethiopia: Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: Effective pharmaceutical supply chain practices help to minimize stockout, losses due to expiry, and pilferage. Besides, it helps to ensure the availability of the pharmaceutical in an adequate quantity and improving the quality of services provided. This study aimed to assess the status of the pharmaceutical supply chain practices and associated factors from the healthcare professional's perspective in public health facilities. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study design, complemented with a qualitative study, was conducted in public health facilities between April 30 and June 30, 2018. The data were collected with self-administering questionnaires and face-to-face interviews. Epidata and SPSS version 20 was utilized for quantitative data entry and analysis, respectively. Simple and multiple linear regressions were done. A variable with a P-value less than .05 was considered as significantly associated. Twenty-seven key informants were interviewed for qualitative study and the data were analyzed using the thematic analysis method. Result: A total of 425 questionnaires were distributed to respondents and 413 questionnaires were filled and returned successfully. Supplier relationship management and information sharing and technology were underperformed supply chain practices with a mean value of 2.64 and 2.39, respectively. On the contrary, inventory management was a better-performed supply chain practice with a mean of 3.22. The linear regression analysis revealed that the Integrated Pharmaceutical Logistics System [IPLS] skill of the staff and management support were the factors significantly associated with the performance of most supply chain practices. Additional, in-depth interviews exposed that the shortage of budget, poor management support, and lack of staff commitment were the major challenges for most supply chain practices. Conclusion: Generally, the study revealed that most of the supply chain practices were poorly executed in public health facilities. Besides, the pharmaceutical supply chain practices were compromised by budget constraints, staff ignorance, and lack of administrative support.

Evaluation of logistics management information system and availability of non-program tracer drugs in public health facilities in Bahir Dar City, Northwest Ethiopia.

The logistics management information system (LMIS) plays a crucial role in effective record-keeping and reporting, ensuring efficient management of stock status and consumption data. A proficient LMIS improves accountability and supports informed logistic decisions in healthcare. Conversely, a subpar LMIS negatively affects essential medicine availability, compromising overall healthcare service efficiency. This study aimed to evaluate the status of the logistics management information system and the availability of non-program tracer drugs (NPTDs) in public health facilities within Bahir Dar City. This study employed an institutional-based cross-sectional study. Data were collected from February 20 to April 30, 2022 in 12 public health facilities located in Bahir Dar City. Structured questionnaire and data abstraction formats were used to gather pertinent data. After checking for completeness, the data were analyzed using Microsoft Excel and SPSS version 23. The primary analytical outcomes involved descriptive statistics, encompassing frequencies, averages, and percentages, which were subsequently presented in tables and figures. Bin card and Internal Facility Report and Resupply Form were the only blank LMIS tools available in all health facilities, while stock-record card was the least available, present in only 2(16.7%) facilities. Nine health facilities (75%) used self-prepared forms to request NPTDs from the Ethiopian Pharmaceutical Supply Agency (EPSA) at the end of the review period, whereas 7(58.3%) used official letters for emergency orders. Additionally, seven health facilities (58.3%) used the Health Commodities Management Information System On the day of the visit, 78.68% of NPTDs were available. Tetracycline eye ointment 1% had the longest stock-out duration, lasting for a mean 69.64 days. Rather than using the RRF, most of facilities opted for their own forms to request NPTDs from EPSA. While it is advisable for all health facilities to maintain continuous availability of tracer drugs, this study revealed that the current state of non-program tracer drug availability falls short of meeting this expectation.

Assessment of knowledge, attitude, and practice on substandard and counterfeit pharmaceutical products among pharmacy professionals in Gondar City, North-West Ethiopia.

INTRODUCTION: The circulation of substandard and counterfeit pharmaceutical products on the national and international markets has increased. Different studies revealed that there is limited information about pharmacy professionals' awareness of substandard and counterfeit pharmaceutical products. Therefore; the aim of the present study was to assess the pharmacy professionals' knowledge, attitude, and practice of substandard and counterfeit pharmaceutical products. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice of pharmacy professionals about substandard and counterfeited pharmaceutical products in Gondar City, North-West Ethiopia. Data were collected through a self-administered, structured questionnaire using the Kobo tool. SPSS version 27 was used for the analysis. To assess the association of factors with pharmacy professionals' practice towards substandard and counterfeit medicines, we conducted univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: A total of 170 respondents participated in the study. The highest numbers of participants (71.8%) were in the age group of 18-30 years. Only 10.6% of them reported purchasing medicines regularly. Of total, 31 (18.24%) of respondents had a good knowledge and more than one-third 60 (35.29%) of the respondents had a good level of practice. Multivariate logistic regression analysis results revealed that some socio-demography and attitude (AOR = 0.473 (0.225-0.995) were associated with the practice of pharmacy professionals towards substandard and counterfeit medicines. CONCLUSION: In general, less than one-quarters of the respondents had a good knowledge and more than one-thirds of the respondents had a good level of practice. However, half of the respondents had a positive attitude.

Home drug utilization, storage practice and associated factors among people living in Bahir Dar city, Ethiopia.

Background: Medicines are maintained at home for several reasons. However, irrational household storage of medicines is a universal public health problem, causing significant harm to health and the healthcare system. Objective: This study aimed to assess home drug use and storage practices among the residents of Bahir Dar. Town, Ethiopia. Method: A cross-sectional household study was conducted in three sub-cities of the town of Bahir Dar from July to October 2022. Multistage stratified sampling was used to select the households included in the study. Data on the prevalence of home drug storage, storage place, and self-medication practice, among others, were collected using a semi-structured questionnaire and analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Science version 20. Results: More than half (57.9%) of the respondents stored medicines at home, mostly in drawers (35%). In this study, the widespread use of self-medication (44.6%) and drug-sharing practices (25%) were observed. Most of the leftover medicines (67.3%) were disposed of in the trash. Education status (AOR=3.8, 95% CI: 1.6-9.1), occupation (AOR=2.9, 95% CI: 1.2-7.2), income (AOR=1.73, 95% CI: 1.01-3.0), and the presence of chronic disease (AOR=3.2, 95% CI: 1.7-5.9) showed a significant association with home drug storage. Conclusion: Many study participants stored medications at home and bought them from pharmacies without consulting physicians. Disposing of medications into waste and practice of medication sharing were found to be high in the current study, suggesting that there is a lack of home drug utilization and storage practices by the general public.

Community Pharmacists' Knowledge and Attitude Towards Opioid Pain Medication Use in Bahir Dar City, North-West Ethiopia.

Background: Opioid use is a major global public health problem, affecting 16 million individuals worldwide. According to a 2023 WHO report, out of the 600,000 substance-related deaths worldwide, 80% were attributed to opioid use. Pharmacists play a vital role in reducing unnecessary opioid exposure while facilitating access to non-opioid alternatives. To do so, pharmacists should have sufficient knowledge regarding opioid-containing medications and a positive attitude about opioid use problems. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate community pharmacists' knowledge of opioid-containing medications and their attitude toward opioid use problems. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using a self-administered, structured questionnaire distributed to 105 community pharmacists from July 1-30, 2023 in Bahir Dar City, Ethiopia. The tool included demographic information and questions designed to assess participants' knowledge and attitudes. Results: Out of the 105 pharmacists included in this study, majority were males (54.3%), nearly half held a bachelor's degree (49.5%), and slightly above one-third had over a decade experience (39%). Regarding knowledge and attitude towards opioids, 62 individuals (59%) exhibited good knowledge, and 64 (61%) demonstrated less stigma toward opioid usage. Factors affecting knowledge include: education level (AOR (95% CI): 8.43 (1.76-40.35) and 9.93 (1.04-85.33) for bachelors and postgraduates respectively and age 1.45 (1.20-1.77)]. Meanwhile, experience [AOR (95% CI): 4.64(1.20-17.90) and 4.29 (1.23-15.05)] for 5-9 years and ≥10 years respectively and education level [AOR (95% CI): 4.08 (1.40-11.93) for bachelors and 6.40 (1.42-28.96)] for postgraduates were linked to attitude. Conclusion: A gap in knowledge and more stigmatizing behavior was observed among community pharmacists. These findings imply the importance of tailored educational interventions to address knowledge gaps and promote positive attitudes toward opioid usage among community pharmacists. Therefore, it is imperative to deliver up-to-date information on opioids, emphasizing their high addiction potential, to ensure pharmacists are well-equipped with the latest information.

Unintended Pregnancy and Associated Factors among Pregnant Women Attending Antenatal Care Unit in Public Health Facilities of Dire Dawa City, Eastern Ethiopia, 2021.

Background: Unintended pregnancy refers to a pregnancy that is either mistimed or unwanted. Unintended pregnancy has been a troubling public health and reproductive health issue, which imposes appreciable adverse consequences on the mother, child, and the public in general. Globally 121 million unplanned pregnancies occurred from 2015 to 2019. A significant proportion (61%) of these pregnancies ended in abortions each year. In Ethiopia, the challenges of unintended pregnancy and its related complications still exist because of the high rate of unmet need for contraceptives. In addition, no research has been conducted on unintended pregnancy among pregnant women in Dire Dawa city administration. Objective: To determine the prevalence of unintended pregnancy and associated factors among pregnant women attending antenatal care public health facilities in Dire Dawa in 2021. Methods: A facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted. After being chosen randomly, 382 pregnant women were interviewed at 9 urban public health facilities. A pretested questionnaire was used to collect data, entered into Epi Info 7, and exported into SPSS version 25 for analysis. The variables, which were significant at P ≤ 0.25 in bivariate analysis, were included in multivariable analysis. Statistical significance was declared at a P value <0.05 and a 95% CI. Results: In this study, the prevalence of unintended pregnancy was 23.8% at 95% CI (19.8-28.3). The following factors were associated with unintended pregnancy: single women (AOR = 10.93, 95% CI 3.65-32.74), low family income (2000 ETB) (AOR = 4.01, 95% CI 1.73-9.28), parity 3 (AOR = 10.3, 95% CI 4.07-25.84), no history of family planning use (AOR = 5.91, 95% CI 2.46-14.21), and husband decision-making role on reproductive health (AOR = 2.956, 95% CI 1.048-8.340). Conclusion and Recommendations. The prevalence of unintended pregnancy was relatively high in this study. Efforts should be made to scale up women's decision-making power on family planning services and give support to empower women economically. There is the need to promote family planning services to minimize unintended pregnancy and to decrease parity and family size.

Health-related quality of life and its determinants among patients with diabetes mellitus: a multicentre cross-sectional study in Northwest Ethiopia.

OBJECTIVES: This study assessed the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and its determinants in patients with diabetes. DESIGN AND SETTING: An institutional-based multicentre prospective cross-sectional study design was conducted in diabetes follow-up clinics of selected hospitals in Northwest Ethiopia from April to July 2022. PARTICIPANTS: All eligible adult patients with diabetes at the selected facilities. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: HRQoL was measured using EuroQol 5-dimensions 5-levels (EQ-5D-5L) and the EuroQol-Visual Analogue Scales (EQ-VAS) instruments. A lower EQ-5D-5L utility mean score for each dimension and/or an overall lower utility score of EQ-5D-5L and EQ-VAS scores are intended to show poor HRQoL. Linear regression analysis was used to identify the association of HRQoL and other variables. RESULTS: Out of the 422 samples approached, 402 (95.3%) participated in the study. Most of the participants (>85%) reported having moderate-to-severe problems in all five EQ dimensions. The overall EQ-5D-5L utility and EQ-VAS scores were 0.56 (±0.11) and 56.7 (±10.1), respectively. A higher body mass index (BMI) (p < 0.001), a higher number of medications (p = 0.037), a high level of blood glucose (p < 0.001), the presence of comorbidities and/or complications (p = 0.031), hypoglycaemia (p = 0.043) and taking insulin (p < 0.001) were associated with worsened HRQoL, whereas practicing self-monitoring of blood glucose (p = 0.002) and taking aspirin (p = 0.008) had a significant association with increased HRQoL. CONCLUSION: This study concluded that the HRQoL of patients was compromised in all five measuring dimensions. The EQ-5D-5L utility and EQ-VAS scores were far lower than other findings. Clinical and medication-related variables, such as a higher BMI, a higher number of medications, the presence of comorbidities and/or complications, hypoglycaemia and insulin use were associated with poor HRQoL in patients with diabetes. As a result, interventions should be individualised and focused on determinant factors.

Characteristics and Quality Appraisal of the Economic Evaluations Done in Ethiopia: A Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND: Health economic evaluation identifies, measures, values, and compares alternative strategies to efficiently allocate scarce resources. The validity, methodological quality, and generalizability of economic evaluations must be assessed, as poorly designed studies can lead to incorrect conclusions. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the quality and characteristics of published economic evaluations done in Ethiopia, using the Quality of Health Economics Studies (QHES) and Consolidated Health Economic Evaluation Reporting Standards (CHEERS) instruments. METHODOLOGY: Various electronic databases were searched using different keywords. We included only original studies conducted in Ethiopia that evaluated the cost and consequences of at least two health interventions. Abstracts, treatment guidelines, reviews, expert opinions, and studies that included other countries were excluded. Two reviewers independently evaluated each study using the QHES and CHEERS instruments and any disagreements were then resolved by a third reviewer. RESULT: The study included 21 studies published between 2002 and 2021. HIV was the most frequently evaluated medical condition, examined in four (19.06%) of the 21 studies. Seventeen of the studies (80.95%) compared healthcare services or programs, while the other four examined pharmaceutical products. Cost-utility analysis was the economic evaluation technique used in 14 studies (66.67%). Of the studies that disclosed their funding sources, foreign institutions were involved in funding 71.43% of them. Disability-adjusted life-year (DALY) was an outcome metric used in nine (42.86%) studies. The average QHES score of the studies was 82%. Fourteen studies had QHES scores of ≥75% and two had scores of <50%. The studies evaluated using the CHEERS instrument ranged in quality from 42.9% to 92.9%, with an average of 78.23%. CONCLUSION: Our study revealed that Ethiopia lacks health economic evaluations, particularly on non-communicable diseases. This indicates that the economic evaluation of healthcare interventions in Ethiopia is still in its early stages. Additionally, Ethiopian institutions have played a very limited role in funding research, highlighting the importance of active participation from local institutions.

Babesiosis in cattle and ixodid tick distribution in Dasenech and Salamago Districts, southern Ethiopia.

Babesiosis, caused by protozoan parasites of the genus Babesia, and ixodid ticks are considered to be one of the most important causes that result in significant economic losses in cattle production worldwide, including in Ethiopia. A cross-sectional study was undertaken in the Dasenech and Salamago Districts of South Omo zone Ethiopia to determine the prevalence and associated risk factors of babesia infection and ixodid ticks of cattle using Giemsa-stained thin and thick film techniques and morphological identification keys for babesia species and tick identification, respectively. Out of 470 examined cattle, 102 (21.7%) were infected by Babesiosis (15.53% Babesia bigemina and 6.17% Babesia bovis). A statistically significant association (p < 0.05) was observed between babesia infection and season and tick infestation. However, cattle that were infected with the Babesia parasite revealed a lower mean PCV value (21.49%) than noninfected cattle (28.29%) and showed a statistically significant (p < 0.05) difference with the occurrence of Babesia infection. The overall prevalence of ixodid ticks was 53.8% (253/470) and revealed a statistically significant association (p < 0.05) between the season and origin of the animal. However, no statistically significant association (p > 0.05) was observed between sex, age, and body condition score of the animal with the occurrence of ixodid tick. A total of 8040 adult ticks belonging to four tick genera, Amblyomma, Rhipicephalus (Boophilus), Hyalomma, and Rhipicephalus, were collected from various body parts and identified. The high prevalence of Babesia infection and ixodid ticks in cattle at the study sites requires seroprevalence and molecular studies to identify the predominant Babesia species and to detect Babesia in tick hemolymph for the identification of tick genera responsible for the occurrence of Babesia infection. Additionally, tailoring suitable and coordinated tick management methods using chemotherapy as well as strategic treatment to overt clinical cases of bovine babesiosis is critical.

Availability and stock-out duration of essential medicines in Shegaw Motta general hospital and Motta Health Centre, North West Ethiopia.

Essential medicines are those that meet the population's most pressing healthcare needs. As a result, they should always be available in sufficient quantities and the proper dosage forms within health facilities. The study aimed to determine the availability and stock-out duration of essential medicines in Shegaw Motta General Hospital and Motta Health Centre. Descriptive study was conducted at Shegaw Motta General Hospital and Motta Health Centre. The data were collected from June-20 to July-20, 2021 G.C. Fifteen essential medicines from both health facilities' tracer drug lists were reviewed. The frequency and percentage of availability and stick-out duration were calculated, and the results were briefly described in the text and displayed in tables. The average availability of essential medicines on the day of the survey was 80% and 93.3% in Shegaw Motta general hospital and Motta health center, respectively. Besides, 60% and 20% of the essential medicines were stocked out at least once in the last six months (before the data collection period) in the hospital and health center, respectively. The average stock-out duration in the last six months period (before the data collection period) was 38.8 days (ranges from 10 days to 157 days) in the hospital and 11.2 days in the health center. Ferrous salt + folic acid 150mg + 0.5mg and Medroxy Progesterone injection were the medicines with the longest stock-out duration in Shegaw Motta general hospital and Motta health center, respectively.The average availability of essential medicines was fairly high both in the hospital and health center. In comparison to the hospital, the health center had better availability and a shorter stock-out duration. Over the last six months, a significant percentage of essential medicines were stocked out at the hospital.

Integrated Pharmaceutical Logistics System Implementation in Chagni Primary Hospital and Injibara General Hospital, Awi Zone, Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND: Integrated Pharmaceutical Logistics System is the primary mechanism through which all public health facilities in Ethiopia get essential pharmaceutical products from their main supplier. Pharmaceuticals should be managed appropriately because they are part of the link between the patient and health services and account for up to half of the healthcare budget. This study aimed to assess the status of Integrated Pharmaceutical Logistics System implementation at both Chagni Primary Hospital and Injibara General Hospital. METHODS: Facility-based descriptive study design supported with a qualitative study design was used. Face-to-face interviews, observation of practices, and document review were conducted to gather quantitative data. Besides, the qualitative data were collected through in-depth face-to-face interviews. Frequency and percentage were computed, and the results were briefly described in text and displayed in tables and graphs. The qualitative data were transcribed manually, and thematic analysis was done. RESULTS: All IPLS materials were available in both hospitals, but the stock recording card was not available at Injibara General Hospital. About 90% and 100% of the dispensing units in Chagni Primary Hospital and Injibara general hospital were utilizing bin-cards, respectively. Besides, 50% and 80% of the bin-cards in Chagrin Primary Hospital and Injibara General Hospital were regularly updated, respectively. About 80% and 75% of the IFRRs in Chagni Primary Hospital and Injibara General Hospital reported valid data, respectively. Besides, 66.67% and 50% of the RRFs reviewed at Chagni Primary Hospital and Injibara General Hospital reported valid data, respectively. Medicine stockouts, poor staff commitment, and workload were the major bottlenecks for IPLS execution. CONCLUSION: The status of most of the IPLS implementation indicators in both hospitals was good. Especially, the availabilities of IPLS materials and the calculation accuracy of both RRFs and IFRRs were encouraging in both hospitals. However, the validity of the data reported in IFRRs and RRFs, and the status of the storage conditions in both hospitals need some improvement during the implementations of IPLS.

Evaluation of drug prescription pattern using World Health Organization prescribing indicators in public health facilities found in Ethiopia: systematic reviews and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Drug use evaluation is a structured, methodological, and criteria-based drug assessment system that helps to evaluate the actual trend of drug use in a particular setting. If drug prescription practices are inappropriate, need to examine the patterns of drug use is necessary to change prescribing patterns accordingly. Therefore, this review aimed to determine the drug prescription pattern in public health facilities found in Ethiopia using prescribing indicators developed by the World Health Organization. METHODS: This review was conducted as per the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guideline. Extensive searching to identify articles was conducted in PubMed, Medline, Web of Science, Research Gate, Africa Journal of Online, and Google scholar. Finally, 10 eligible articles were selected for analysis based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. The median value, as well as the 25th and 75th percentiles for each WHO prescribing indicator, were computed. RESULT: The pooled median value of WHO prescribing indicators was reported as follows: the average number of drugs prescribed per encounter = 2.14 (IQR 1.79-2.52), the percentage of encounters with antibiotics prescribed = 43.46% (IQR 30.01-58.67), the percentage of encounters with an injection prescribed = 13.20% (6.47-40.7), percentage of drugs prescribed by generic name = 93.49% (89.13-97.96), and the percentage of medicines prescribed from essential medicines list = 92.54% (85.10-97.7). The forest plots determined for each prescribing indicator indicated that there is a high degree of heterogeneity across articles. CONCLUSION: All of the prescribing indicators were not consistent with the standard values recommended by the World Health Organization. Therefore, public health facilities should take appropriate measures for improving the prescription patterns as per the recommendation set by the World Health Organization.

Evaluating Inventory Management Practice of Antiretroviral Drugs in Public Health Facilities of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND: The right to safe and effective treatment is an exclusive right that depends on the robustness of the domestic health care system. METHODS: A facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted from January 01 to February 01, 2020. Ten eligible hospitals and 12 randomly selected health centers were parts of this study. A total of 66 RRFs and 308 bin cards were reviewed. Data were collected through observation, record and report review, and physical count using an observational checklist. In addition, 44 semi structured interviews were conducted. The collected data were entered to MS Excel sheet and analysed using SPSS (version 20) software. The correlation test result was determined statistically significant at p<0.05. RESULTS: Twenty-two public health facilities were included in the study of which 16 (72.72%) health facilities had at least one stock out. Availability of ARVs had very strong positive correlation ship with bin card updating practice (r=0.9 1, P<0.01), inventory accuracy rate (r=0.912, P<0.015) and very strong negative correlation ship with wastage rate (r = -0.66, P<0.001). The wastage rate due to expiration and loss was 3.9%. The mean bin card accuracy was 90.6%. RRF reports were accurate 17 (77.3%), complete 7(32%) and reported on time 14 (63.64%). Only 8 (36.36%) health facilities met acceptable storage conditions. CONCLUSION: The availability of bin cards and reports and resupply forms was promising, but the data quality remains low. The majority of health facilities did not meet acceptable storage conditions and had frequent stock-outs.