Social interactions within the Sudanese healthcare system: traditional healers and psychiatrists.

From a cultural perspective, traditional healing has had a substantial impact on psychiatric management in rural African communities, but the services provided by traditional healers are not integrated with the mental health services provided by primary healthcare. In Sudan, modern psychiatry has seen minimal development beyond the capital city of Khartoum. In rural communities, traditional health practitioners (THPs) are the first point of entry to mental health services. Effective collaboration between THPs and consultant psychiatrists should be encouraged by the introduction of health education that targets THPs, especially in rural communities. This would facilitate the integration of mental health services into primary healthcare and help achieve universal health coverage for psychiatric disorders in Sudan.

Perception and practice of self-medication with antibiotics among medical students in Sudanese universities: A cross-sectional study.

INTRODUCTION: The benefits of antibiotics are under threat by self-medication, which culminated in economic burdening of developing countries, treatment failures, the emergence of antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria and an increased probability of exposure and infection of the general population by antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to evaluate the knowledge and attitude of medical students in Sudan towards the use of antibiotics, the prevalence of self-medication with antibiotics among medical students in Sudan and to identify risk factors which promote self-medication with antibiotics. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a cross-sectional, descriptive and institution-based study, between November 2020 and May 2021. 1,110 medical students were selected by multistage cluster sampling. Logistic regression was used to identify risk factors of self-medication with antibiotics among the study participants. RESULTS: The median knowledge score was 7 out of a maximum of 10 (IQR: 5-8). A moderately positive attitude was observed among the participants (Median: 7/10; IQR: 6-8). Knowledge and attitude scores were significantly associated with academic year and monthly allowance (p < 0.05). 675 (60.8%) self-medicated with antibiotics within the previous 12 months, mostly from community pharmacies (321/675; 47.5%). Antibiotics were most commonly used to treat respiratory tract infections (38.1%) and cough (30.4%). Chi-square analysis demonstrated that self-medication with antibiotics was significantly associated with gender, year of study and monthly income. CONCLUSIONS: Undergraduate medical students had moderate knowledge and attitude towards antibiotic use and antibiotic resistance, and an alarmingly high prevalence of self-medication with antibiotics. This highlights the urgent need for tighter legislation regarding the sales of antibiotics in community pharmacies by the state and federal health ministries.

Knowledge, attitude, and practice of breast cancer and breast self-examination among female detainees in Khartoum, Sudan 2018.

INTRODUCTION: Breast cancer is the common cancer among females and a leading cause of mortality among them globally, its rates are three times higher in developing countries. Breast self-examination (BSE) had an important role in early detection, increasing the survival rate of breast cancer patients, despite these benefits, the rates of practicing BSE are low, especially in developing countries. OBJECTIVE: To assess the levels of awareness about breast cancer, and BSE among the detainees of Dar-Altaebat facility, a female's detention facility in Khartoum, Sudan. METHODS: A cross-sectional study conducted at Dar-Altaebat a female imprisonment facility in Khartoum, Sudan. 354 participants were randomly selected from the total population of the facility. Data was collected using a self-administered structured questionnaire, which was composed of socio-demographic section, knowledge section, attitude section, and breast self-examination section. Data was analyzed using statistical package for social sciences(SPSS) software. RESULTS: 330 participants responded to the questionnaire, their mean age was (31, SD: 11.2) years, 126 (38.2%) of them were illiterate, 196 (59.4%) were married, and the majority of them 177 (76.3%) were housewives. their overall knowledge score revealed that 185(56.2%) of them had poor knowledge about breast cancer. 218 (66.3%) of them had poor knowledge about breast self-examination, however 314 (95.3%) thought that it was important. 315 (95.5%) of the participants had poor practice towards breast self-examination. CONCLUSION: Poor levels of knowledge about breast cancer were reported among the detainees. Additionally, their level of knowledge and practice of breast self-examination was also low, thus more health education campaigns are recommended in such facilities.