Knowledge, attitude, practices and associated factors of family planning among women living with hiv at the university of Gondar specialized hospital: a cross sectional study.

INTRODUCTION: HIV/AIDS poses a significant health challenge in sub-Saharan African countries, with a disproportionate impact on women of reproductive age. The disparities in knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to family planning among women living with HIV can be intricate and multi-faceted. This study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitude, practice, and associated factors regarding family planning among the women living with HIV at the University of Gondar specialized hospital, Gondar, Ethiopia. METHOD: A cross-sectional study was carried out at the University of Gondar Teaching Referral Hospital, focusing on HIV-positive women of reproductive age who visited the ART unit from July 8-28, 2022. Data collection involved the use of pre-tested, structured questionnaires administered through interviews. The gathered data were entered into the electronic Kobo Collect platform and subsequently exported for analysis using SPSS version 26. Descriptive summaries, including frequencies, means, and percentages, were presented through tables and figures. Logistic regression was employed to identify potential predictors, presenting adjusted odds ratios with a 95% confidence interval and a significance level set at a P-value of 0.05. RESULTS: A total of 328 study participants were included. About 93% of the study population had good knowledge about modern contraceptives, and about 94% of the study population had good knowledge about safer conception. Only 30.2% of the study population had knowledge of the dual contraceptive method. The attitude and practice of women towards family planning (FP) were 71.0% and 55.8%, respectively. The study revealed that the most commonly employed contraceptive method was injectable contraceptives, constituting 34.2% of usage. Having one and a greater number of children (AOR = 2.25, 95% CI: 1.10, 4.49), having discussions on fertility plans with healthcare providers (AOR = 2.20, 95% CI: 1.02, 4.761), and having good family planning practices (AOR = 2.15, 95% CI: 1.19, 3.87) were significantly associated with the attitude toward family planning. Married women (AOR = 1.88, 95% CI = 1.11, 3.1), able to read and write (AOR = 2.12, 95% CI:1.04,4.32), college and above educational level (AOR = 4.51, 95% CI:1.93,10.87), had discussion on fertility plan with healthcare providers (AOR = 5.09, 95% CI: 1.96, 13.24), knowledge about dual method (AOR = 1.95, CI: 1.08, 3.50), and knowledge about modern contraceptive methods (AOR = 7.24, 95% CI: 1.56, 33.58) were significantly associated with good practice of family planning. CONCLUSION: Women living with HIV exhibited notably high levels of knowledge regarding modern contraceptive methods and safer conception. The knowledge of the dual method was low. More than half of the study population had good practice in family planning. More than two-thirds of HIV-positive reproductive-age women had a good attitude about family planning. Having one or a greater number of children, having a discussion on a fertility plan with a healthcare provider, and having a good practice of family planning were significantly associated with a good attitude toward family planning. Married women, education status, discussions on fertility plans with healthcare providers, knowledge about dual methods, and knowledge about modern contraceptive methods were significantly associated with good family planning practices. The stakeholders should design interventions based on the aforementioned factors to improve the attitude and practice of family planning.

COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among health professionals in a tertiary care center at the University of Gondar Specialized Hospital, Ethiopia: A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 is a highly communicable disease that can be transmitted from animal-to-human and human-to-human contacts. It is still now a major global threat for which vaccination remains the ultimate solution to protect it, especially healthcare professionals are the first frontiers to fight against the COVID-19 virus which makes them at higher risk of this disease. Therefore, to reduce the spread of COVID-19, we need to improve the acceptance of COVID-19 vaccines is crucial. The aim of this study was to assess the vaccine hesitancy of the COVID-19 vaccine among health professionals who worked at the University of Gondar Specialized Hospital. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted between 1 May and 10 June 2021. And the data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 26. A chi-square test was conducted and to assess the associations between socio-demographic characteristics, perceived risk of COVID-19, attitude, and acceptance of COVID-19 vaccine, a p-value of less than 0.05 was considered to declare statistical significance. RESULTS: We surveyed 319 health professionals with a response rate of 67.87%. Of these, 74.9% (239) were male, and 81.2% (259) of health professionals were perceived exposed to COVID-19 without testing. 87.7% of respondents would like to vaccinate their parents. 66.2% (208) of them have accepted the COVID-19 vaccine. 54.85% (175) of health professionals had a good attitude and 45.8% (146) of health professionals were received the first-round COVID-19 vaccine. CONCLUSION: This study showed that more than 60% of health professionals had good acceptance of COVID-19 vaccination during the pandemic period. Regarding vaccine safety profile may reduce the vaccination in the future. To increase vaccine uptake in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, COVID-19 vaccination programs should be redesigned to remove barriers to vaccine acceptance. Knowledge and attitude toward the COVID-19 vaccine should be promoted.

The Weekend Drug; Recreational Use of Sildenafil Citrate and Concomitant Factors: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: Men who use erectile dysfunction medications for recreational purposes may be at increased risk of becoming psychologically dependent, which in turn could lead to psychogenic-based erectile dysfunction symptoms. Sildenafil has become one of the most commonly prescribed and abused drugs available today. Objectives: This study aimed to describe the utilization pattern and associated factors of sildenafil citrate among its users visiting community pharmacies in Gondar, Ethiopia. Methods: A facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted from March 20, 2017 to May 10, 2017, among male clients who visited community pharmacies in Gondar town, North West Ethiopia. A self-administered, structured questionnaire was used to collect data from Sildenafil users older than 18 years, that started using the drug (Sildenafil) for at least 6 months before the data collection period. A regression analysis was conducted to determine the association between study variables, and a P-value of <0.05 was considered to declare statistical significance. Results: A total of 65 men participated in the study. Of the total study participants, 33.8% were aged 25-34 years and about 40% of them had multiple sexual partners. The use of sildenafil for recreational purposes was 66.2% and was found to be higher than its use for medical purposes 33.8%. Use of the drug for <1-year duration (AOR = 34.086, 95% CI [2.90, 401.37]) and 2 years duration (AOR = 21.42: 95% CI [2.10, 218.82]) were significantly associated with its use for recreational purpose. Non-recreational use of sildenafil includes erectile problems associated with diabetes mellitus (27.1%), heart disease (9.2%), hyperlipidemia (4.2%), and relationship problems due to stress and poor communication (3.1%). Conclusion: Most men who use sildenafil citrate do so for recreational purposes, and use of sildenafil citrate for 2 years or less was associated with recreational use. There should be a collaborative effort among pharmacists, health professionals, and policymakers to improve the rational use of sildenafil.

Health professional's exposure, attitude, and acceptance of drug promotion by industry representatives: A cross-sectional study in Ethiopia.

Interactions between pharmaceutical companies and health care providers have long been an area of interest from ethical as well as scientific grounds. The information provided by those companies must be scientifically accurate and fair. The current study aimed to investigate the exposure, attitude, and training background of medical doctors and pharmacy professionals regarding drug promotional activities, and assess their acceptance of promotional gifts provided by pharmaceutical sales representatives. A cross-sectional study was conducted on medical doctors and pharmacy professionals working at Bahir Dar and Gondar cities, Amhara regional state, Ethiopia. Data were collected using a self-administered structured questionnaire and Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 26 was used for analysis. A Chi-square test was computed to investigate the presence of an association between the dependent and independent variables. A p-value of less than 0.05 was considered to declare significance at a 95% Confidence Interval (CI). A total of 105 health professionals, 81 pharmacy professionals, and 24 medical doctors have participated in the study. Above two-thirds of the respondents (69.5%) agreed that most talks sponsored by drug companies were helpful and educational. On the other hand, 39% of the respondents agreed and 47.6% disagreed that receiving gifts from pharmaceutical representatives will increase the chance that they will eventually sell or recommend the drug company's products. The majority of the study participants (81%) preferred drug samples and stationery as appropriate gifts by pharmaceutical sales representatives. Significant gaps were found regarding the training of health professionals about the ethics of drug marketing and how to deal with pharmaceutical representatives. Policies aiming at restricting health care provider's contacts with pharmaceutical companies during residency training along with incorporating gift restriction policies could bring significant improvements.

Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice on Over-the-Counter Drugs Among Pharmacy and Medical Students: A Facility-Based Cross-Sectional Study.

BACKGROUND: Self-medication with over-the-counter (OTC) medications is common among medicine and health science students. For safe use of OTC medications, students are expected to have proper knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) towards OTC medications and subsequent adverse drug reactions (ADRs). OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess KAP of OTC medications use and related factors among medical and pharmacy students at the University of Gondar, Gondar, Northwest Ethiopia. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire and analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 24. Chi-square analysis was conducted and multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to determine the association between KAP and OTC use and its related adverse effects. A P value of less than 0.05 was used to declare statistical significance. RESULTS: A total of 380 students (229 medical students and 151 pharmacy students) participated in the study. The majority of the respondents 303 (79.7%) reported that they have the practice of self-medication. Fever 69 (80.2%), headache 21 (24.4%), and abdominal cramp 20 (23.3%) were the most common conditions for which the students go for self-medication while paracetamol 51 (59.3%) followed by non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) 44 (51.2%) were the most commonly used classes of drugs. An intention for time-saving caused by the waiting time due to crowds in medical consultation rooms 212 (77.4%) and a desire for quick relief 171 (62.4%) were the main reasons for the self-medication practice with OTC medications. CONCLUSION: Self-medication is widely practiced among medical and pharmacy students. Significant problems and malpractices were identified, such as sharing of OTC medications, the use of expired medicines, doubling the dose of medications when they were ineffective, storage of OTC medications, and not reading labels and expiry dates.