Drug-related problems and associated factors among adult psychiatric inpatients in Northwest Ethiopia: Multicenter cross-sectional study.

Objective: To determine the prevalence of drug-related problems and the factors influencing them among adult psychiatric inpatients. Methods: A multi-centre cross-sectional observational study was conducted from April to July 2021 at five randomly selected hospitals in Northwest Ethiopia. A total of 325 consecutively sampled patients participated in the study. Clinical pharmacists assessed the drug-related problems based on clinical judgement supported by updated evidence-based disease guidelines. We used the Medscape drug-interactions checker to check drug-to-drug interactions. The results were summarised using descriptive statistics, including frequency, mean, and standard deviation. For each variable, an odds ratio with a 95% confidence interval was calculated, as well as the related p-value. The value of p ⩽ 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: From the total number of 325 study participants, more than half of them (52.9%) were females, and the mean age ± (standard deviation) was 30.8 ± 11.3 years. At least one drug-related problem was recorded by 60.9% to 95% confidence interval (55.7-65.8) of study participants, with a mean of 0.6 ± 0.49 per patient. Additional drug therapy was the most common drug-related problem (22.8%) followed by non-adherence to medicine (20.6%) and adverse drug reactions (11%), respectively. Factors independent associated with drug-related problems were rural residence (adjusted odds ratio = 1.96, 95% confidence interval: 1.01-2.84, p-value = 0.046), self-employed (adjusted odds ratio = 6.0, 95% confidence interval: 1.0-36.9, p-value = 0.035) and alcohol drinkers (adjusted odds ratio = 6.40, 95% confidence interval: 1.12-37.5, p-value = 0.034). Conclusion: The prevalence of drug-related problems among adult psychiatric patients admitted to psychiatric wards was high. Healthcare providers give more attention to tackling these problems. Being a rural resident, self-employed, and alcohol drinkers were associated with drug-related problems.

Potentially inappropriate prescribing for adults living with diabetes mellitus: a scoping review.

BACKGROUND: People living with diabetes often experience multiple morbidity and polypharmacy, increasing their risk of potentially inappropriate prescribing. Inappropriate prescribing is associated with poorer health outcomes. AIM: The aim of this scoping review was to explore and map studies conducted on potentially inappropriate prescribing among adults living with diabetes and to identify gaps regarding identification and assessment of potentially inappropriate prescribing in this group. METHOD: Studies that reported any type of potentially inappropriate prescribing were included. Studies conducted on people aged < 18 years or with a diagnosis of gestational diabetes or prediabetes were excluded. No restrictions to language, study design, publication status, geographic area, or clinical setting were applied in selecting the studies. Articles were systematically searched from 11 databases. RESULTS: Of the 190 included studies, the majority (63.7%) were conducted in high-income countries. None of the studies used an explicit tool specifically designed to identify potentially inappropriate prescribing among people with diabetes. The most frequently studied potentially inappropriate prescribing in high-income countries was contraindication while in low- and middle-income countries prescribing omission was the most common. Software and websites were mostly used for identifying drug-drug interactions. The specific events and conditions that were considered as inappropriate were inconsistent across studies. CONCLUSION: Contraindications, prescribing omissions and dosing problems were the most commonly studied types of potentially inappropriate prescribing. Prescribers should carefully consider the individual prescribing recommendations of medications. Future studies focusing on the development of explicit tools to identify potentially inappropriate prescribing for adults living with diabetes are needed.

Development and validation of explicit criteria to identify potentially inappropriate prescribing for adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

BACKGROUND: Early detection and timely resolution of potentially inappropriate prescribing (PIP) prevents adverse outcomes and improves patient care. An explicit tool specifically designed to detect PIP among people with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) has not been published. OBJECTIVES: This study aims to develop and validate the Inappropriate Medication Prescribing Assessment Criteria for Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (IMPACT2DM); an explicit tool that can be used to identify PIP for adults with T2DM. METHODS: Current national and international guidelines for the management of T2DM and drug information software programs were used to generate potential items. The content of the IMPACT2DM was validated by 2 consecutive rounds of Delphi method. Physicians and clinical pharmacists experienced in providing care for people with diabetes and authors of selected diabetes guidelines were invited to participate in the Delphi panel. Consensus was assumed if 90% (first round) and 85% (second round) of expert panelists showed agreement to include or exclude an item. RESULTS: A total of 95 potential items were generated from selected diabetes guidelines and drug information software programs. After the first Delphi round 27 items had ≥90% agreement and were included in the tool; 19 items were considered not PIP and were excluded from the tool. The second round contained 49 items; of these 43 were included and 6 were excluded from the tool. The final IMPACT2DM contains 70 items categorized by type of PIP and arranged in terms of medical conditions and medication classes. IMPACT2DM can be applied using information on medical charts and requires minimal or no clinical knowledge to assess quality of diabetes care and improve medication selection. CONCLUSIONS: IMPACT2DM has been developed from current quality evidence and undergone content validation. It is the first explicit tool specifically designed to identify PIP for adults with T2DM.

The COVID-19 pandemic and healthcare systems in Africa: a scoping review of preparedness, impact and response.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has overwhelmed health systems in both developed and developing nations alike. Africa has one of the weakest health systems globally, but there is limited evidence on how the region is prepared for, impacted by and responded to the pandemic. METHODS: We conducted a scoping review of PubMed, Scopus, CINAHL to search peer-reviewed articles and Google, Google Scholar and preprint sites for grey literature. The scoping review captured studies on either preparedness or impacts or responses associated with COVID-19 or covering one or more of the three topics and guided by Arksey and O'Malley's methodological framework. The extracted information was documented following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension checklist for scoping reviews. Finally, the resulting data were thematically analysed. RESULTS: Twenty-two eligible studies, of which 6 reported on health system preparedness, 19 described the impacts of COVID-19 on access to general and essential health services and 7 focused on responses taken by the healthcare systems were included. The main setbacks in health system preparation included lack of available health services needed for the pandemic, inadequate resources and equipment, and limited testing ability and surge capacity for COVID-19. Reduced flow of patients and missing scheduled appointments were among the most common impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Health system responses identified in this review included the availability of telephone consultations, re-purposing of available services and establishment of isolation centres, and provisions of COVID-19 guidelines in some settings. CONCLUSIONS: The health systems in Africa were inadequately prepared for the pandemic, and its impact was substantial. Responses were slow and did not match the magnitude of the problem. Interventions that will improve and strengthen health system resilience and financing through local, national and global engagement should be prioritised.

Risk factors for COVID-19 infection, disease severity and related deaths in Africa: a systematic review.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to provide a comprehensive evidence on risk factors for transmission, disease severity and COVID-19 related deaths in Africa. DESIGN: A systematic review has been conducted to synthesise existing evidence on risk factors affecting COVID-19 outcomes across Africa. DATA SOURCES: Data were systematically searched from MEDLINE, Scopus, MedRxiv and BioRxiv. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA: Studies for review were included if they were published in English and reported at least one risk factor and/or one health outcome. We included all relevant literature published up until 11 August 2020. DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS: We performed a systematic narrative synthesis to describe the available studies for each outcome. Data were extracted using a standardised Joanna Briggs Institute data extraction form. RESULTS: Fifteen articles met the inclusion criteria of which four were exclusively on Africa and the remaining 11 papers had a global focus with some data from Africa. Higher rates of infection in Africa are associated with high population density, urbanisation, transport connectivity, high volume of tourism and international trade, and high level of economic and political openness. Limited or poor access to healthcare are also associated with higher COVID-19 infection rates. Older people and individuals with chronic conditions such as HIV, tuberculosis and anaemia experience severe forms COVID-19 leading to hospitalisation and death. Similarly, high burden of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, high prevalence of tobacco consumption and low levels of expenditure on health and low levels of global health security score contribute to COVID-19 related deaths. CONCLUSIONS: Demographic, institutional, ecological, health system and politico-economic factors influenced the spectrum of COVID-19 infection, severity and death. We recommend multidisciplinary and integrated approaches to mitigate the identified factors and strengthen effective prevention strategies.

Medication-Related Needs and Humanistic Impact of Patient-Centered Pharmaceutical Care at University of Gondar Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, North-West Ethiopia.

PURPOSE: To assess patients' medication-related needs and the humanistic impact of patient-centered pharmaceutical care. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted using self-administered structured questionnaires from February 4 to 28, 2019, on patients attending ambulatory care for chronic non-communicable diseases at the University of Gondar specialized teaching hospital, North-west Ethiopia. Data were entered to SPSS version 22 for analysis. Descriptive statistics was used to describe the socio-demographic characteristics and medication-related needs of study participants. Independent sample t-test and one-way ANOVA analysis were performed to check for possible associations between dependent and independent variables. RESULTS: Information about what to do if patients missed doses and the potential side-effects or abnormal conditions caused by the prescribed medicines were not explained for most of the 425 patients studied. The majority of the study participants reported that they felt worried about adverse medicine effects, drug interactions, and long-term medicine use. Patients who were older than 50 or those receiving two or more medications were less satisfied with the effect of their medicine as compared to younger ones and those on monotherapy, respectively. People who were illiterate or had attended only primary schools thought that they received less disease and medicine information from health professionals than people who attended tertiary education. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION: Most of the participants were particularly unhappy with the amount of information received about side-effects and what to do if doses were missed. Special emphasis should be given to patients with a low level of education as they were not satisfied with medicine and disease information obtained from health professionals, experienced more psychological impacts of medicine use, and had poor overall quality-of-life.

Patient Reported Central Nervous System Adverse Events of Efavirenz-Based Antiretroviral Therapy in People Living with HIV in Northwest Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND: Central nervous system (CNS) toxicities from regimens containing efavirenz are the main reasons for non-adherence, switch and discontinuation of antiretroviral therapy (ART). We aimed to assess prevalence of CNS adverse events and associated factors among HIV patients taking efavirenz-based regimens at the University of Gondar Comprehensive and Specialized Hospital (UoGCSH), Northwest Ethiopia. METHODS: A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted from March 15 to May 15, 2018 on 345 patients living with HIV who were taking efavirenz-based regimens. Information on sociodemographic and clinical characteristics was taken from medical records and patient interview. Binary logistic regression analysis was done to determine association. Statistical significance was declared at P value of ≤ 0.05. RESULTS: About 52.8% of participants experienced CNS adverse events. Vivid dreams, confusion, insomnia and somnolence were the most frequently reported adverse events. Most of the CNS adverse events occurred in the first year of treatment initiation and resolved within 1-4 weeks. Age, economic status, CD4 count, disease stage, presence of comorbidities and concurrent use of other medication had a significant association with the occurrence of CNS adverse events. CONCLUSION: More than half of HIV patients taking efavirenz-based regimens at UoGCSH experienced CNS adverse events. Health-care providers should give attention to patients on efavirenz therapy to monitor for CNS adverse events, especially for patients who have low CD4 count, advanced disease, comorbidities, low income and are older in age.

Assessment of Quality of Life of Epileptic Patients in Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND: Patients with epilepsy are at an increased risk of poor quality of life. PURPOSE: We aimed at assessing the quality of life and its determinants among epileptic patients at University of Gondar Referral Hospital (UoGRH), Ethiopia. METHODS: Institution based cross-sectional study was conducted on epileptic patients on follow up at UoGRH from January 15 to April 15, 2017. Information including socio-demographic profile and diagnosis was extracted from medical records and patients. Quality Of Life In Epilepsy-10 (QOLIE-10) tool was used to measure the quality of life. Independent t-test and one-way analysis of variance were used to look for factors associated with quality of life. The level of statistical significance was declared at P-value ≤ 0.05. RESULTS: A total of 354 patients were included in the study and mean age was 29.1 ± 11.7 years. The mean QOLIE-10 score was 19.85. One hundred ninety-four (54.8%) of participants had a good quality of life. Being illiterate, unemployment, and presence of co-morbid medical condition were associated with poorer quality of life. CONCLUSION: Nearly half of the participants had a poor quality of life. Patients with co-morbidity, illiteracy, and unemployment should be given special emphasis in order to improve their quality of life.

Drug Related Hospital Admissions; A Systematic Review of the Recent Literatures.

OBJECTIVE: To derive findings from different studies done on drug related hospital admissions and comprehensively express the incidence and preventability of drug related hospital admissions; identify the common types of drug related problems that caused hospital admission, and identify factors associated with drug related hospital admission. METHODS: Literatures that assessed hospitalization due to drug related problems were searched online using Pub Med and Google Scholar databases. The relevant reference lists of retrieved articles were also searched manually on Google. Prospective and retrospective studies conducted anywhere in the world on drug related hospitalization, published from January 2012 to January 2017 as an original article and written in English language were included. RESULT: The prevalence of drug related hospital admission varies from 1.3% to 41.3% with the average rate of 15.4%. Among hospitalized patients 2.7% were died due to drug-related problems (DRPs). Drugs that were frequently reported as causing drug related admission were antithrombotic drugs, antihypertensive drugs, analgesics, anti-diabetics, antipsychotics, and anti-neoplastic drugs. Poly pharmacy, old age and female sex were mentioned as determinants for drug related hospitalization by a number of studies. About one third of drug related hospital admissions were definitely preventable and more than 40% were also potentially preventable. CONCLUSION: Drug related problems contribute for more than 15% of hospital admissions. Higher risk of admission due to DRPs was observed in patients who were on poly pharmacy and those who were old. As most of drug related hospital admissions were preventable an emphasis should be given for preventive strategies to avoid complications and costs associated with admission.

Medication regimen complexity and its impact on medication adherence and glycemic control among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus in an Ethiopian general hospital.

Background: Different studies reported that higher diabetes-specific Medication Regimen Complexity Index (MRCI) has a negative impact on glycemic control potentially by decreasing medication adherence. However, information about regimen complexity and its association with adherence and glycemic control in Ethiopian patients with diabetes is unknown. Aim: To evaluate medication regimen complexity and to assess its impact on medication adherence and glycemic control among patients with type 2 diabetes Mellitus (T2DM). Methods: A hospital-based cross-sectional design was conducted at Debre Tabor General Hospital from 1 May 2018 to 30 June 2018. Medication regimen complexity was evaluated using the 65-item validated tool called Medication Complexity Index (MRCI). Adherence was measured using Morisky Medication Adherence Scale while patients were classified as having poor or good glycemic control based on the recent record of their fasting blood glucose. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was applied to determine the association between predictive variables and outcome variables. Results: A total of 275 patients with T2DM who meet the inclusion criteria were included in the final analysis. About 22.2% of the participants were classified as having high diabetes-specific MRCI, whereas 35.6% of the participants were classified as having high patient-level MRCI. The majority (70.5%) of the respondents were adherent to their medications, and 42.9% of the total population were categorized as having good glycemic control. According to the result of the multivariate analysis, patients with low-level and moderate-level MRCI of both diabetes-specific and patient-level MRCI were more adherent to their medication compared with patients with high MRCI. High diabetes medication regimen complexity was associated with poor glycemic control in the adjusted analyses (adjusted OR = 0.276; 95% CI = 0.100 o 0.759). Conclusion: The prevalence of high MRCImedication regimen complexity index is high among patients with T2DM. Patients with low and moderate regimen complexity had improved adherence. High diabetes-specific medication regimen complexity was associated with poor glycemic control. Simplification of a complex medication regimen for patients with diabetes should be sought by physicians and pharmacists to improve medication adherence and subsequent improvement in glycemic control.

Assessment of pharmacologic prophylaxis use against stress ulcer in the medical wards of University of Gondar Hospital.

BACKGROUND: Critically ill patients with moderate-to-severe physiologically stressful event are at high risk of developing stress ulcers. The use of pharmacological prophylaxis significantly reduces the incidence of stress ulcer in high-risk patients. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess the use of pharmacological prophylaxis for stress ulcer in the medical wards of University of Gondar Hospital. METHODS: A cross-sectional study design was used. In total, 234 patients were selected through simple random sampling technique. The risk of stress ulcer development was assessed using Evidence-Based Medicine Guideline for stress ulcer prepared by Orlando Regional Medical Center. SPSS version 21 was used for data analysis. RESULT: The most common acute risk factor to stress ulcer was coagulopathy (18.4%), followed by hypoperfusion (9.8%). The concomitant non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug use (16.7%), mild-to-moderate brain or spinal cord injury (11.1%), and concomitant or recent corticosteroid use (9.4%) were frequently seen risk factors that necessitate administration of a prophylaxis. In total, 82 (35%) study participants were given stress ulcer prophylaxis, among which 52 (63.4%) were given without indication. The most commonly used drug class in the prevention of stress ulcer was proton pump inhibitors (76/82, 92.7%). In total, 43 (18.4%) study subjects were not given stress ulcer prophylaxis while there was clear indication. Patients with a long hospital stay and a diagnosis of central nervous system disorders had significant risk for inappropriate stress ulcer prophylaxis use. CONCLUSION: In this study, inappropriate use of prophylaxis for stress ulcer was common. The higher proportion of inappropriateness was due to the use of stress ulcer prophylaxis while there was no enough indication. We recommend future researchers to assess the cost and impact of inappropriate stress ulcer prophylaxis use, and the physicians should be adherent to the standard guidelines.

Assessment of drug related problems among type 2 diabetes mellitus patients with hypertension in Hiwot Fana Specialized University Hospital, Harar, Eastern Ethiopia.

OBJECTIVE: This study was conducted to assess magnitude and pattern of drug related problems among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and hypertension. RESULTS: This study identified 364 drug related problems (DRPs) across the three categories of drug related problems, giving an average of 1.8 DRPs per patient. The effect of drug treatment being not optimal 179 (49.2%), untreated indication and symptoms 77 (21.1%), unnecessary drug-treatment 39 (10.7%) and adverse drug reactions 69 (19%) were the most frequent categories of DRPs identified. In general, high prevalence of drug-related problems was identified among patients with T2DM hypertension. The effect of drug treatment being not optimal, untreated indication and symptoms, unnecessary drug-treatment and adverse drug reactions were the most frequent categories of drug related problems identified. Therefore, the clinicians should work to improve patient care through prevention and resolving drug related problems since it can affect the quality of the care significantly.

Drug-susceptible tuberculosis treatment success and associated factors in Ethiopia from 2005 to 2017: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVES: The main aim of this study was to assess the overall tuberculosis (TB) treatment success in Ethiopia and to identify potential factors for poor TB treatment outcome. DESIGN: A systematic review and meta-analysis of published literature was conducted. Original studies were identified through a computerised systematic search using PubMed, Google Scholar and Science Direct databases. Heterogeneity across studies was assessed using Cochran's Q test and I2 statistic. Pooled estimates of treatment success were computed using the random-effects model with 95% CI using Stata V.14 software. RESULTS: A total of 230 articles were identified in the systematic search. Of these 34 observational studies were eligible for systematic review and meta-analysis. It was found that 117 750 patients reported treatment outcomes. Treatment outcomes were assessed by World Health Organization (WHO) standard definitions of TB treatment outcome. The overall pooled TB treatment success rate in Ethiopia was 86% (with 95% CI 83%_88%). TB treatment success rate for each region showed that, Addis Ababa (93%), Oromia (84%), Amhara (86%), Southern Nations (83%), Tigray (85%) and Afar (86%). Mainly old age, HIV co-infection, retreatment cases and rural residence were the most frequently identified factors associated with poor TB treatment outcome. CONCLUSION: The result of this study revealed that the overall TB treatment success rate in Ethiopia was below the threshold suggested by WHO (90%). There was also a discrepancy in TB treatment success rate among different regions of Ethiopia. In addition to these, HIV co-infection, older age, retreatment cases and rural residence were associated with poor treatment outcome. In order to further improve the treatment success rate, it is strategic to give special consideration for regions which had low TB treatment success and patients with TB with HIV co-infection, older age, rural residence and retreatment cases.

Appropriateness of Pharmacologic Prophylaxis against Deep Vein Thrombosis in Medical Wards of an Ethiopian Referral Hospital.

BACKGROUND: Most of hospitalized patents are at risk of developing deep vein thrombosis (DVT). The use of pharmacological prophylaxis significantly reduces the incidence of thromboembolic events in high risk patients. The aim of this study was to assess appropriateness of DVT prophylaxis in hospitalized medical patients in an Ethiopian referral hospital. METHODS: Cross-sectional study design was employed. Patients with a diagnosis of DVT, taking anticoagulant therapy, and those who refused to participate were excluded from the study. Two hundred and six patients were included in the study using simple random sampling method. Modified Padua Risk Assessment Model was used to determine the risk of thromboembolism. SPSS (version 21) was used for analysis. RESULT: The total risk score for the study subjects ranged from 0 to 11 with a mean score of 3.41 ± 2.55. Nearly half (47.6%) of study participants had high risk to develop thromboembolism. Thrombocytopenia (platelets < 50 billion/L) or coagulopathy, active hemorrhage, and end stage liver disease (INR > 1.5) were the frequently observed absolute contraindications that potentially prevent patients from receiving thromboprophylaxis. Thromboprophylaxis use in nearly one-third (31.6%) of patients admitted in the medical ward of UoGRH was irrational. Patients who had high risk for thromboembolism are more likely to be inappropriately managed for their risk of thromboembolism and patients with thrombocytopenia or coagulopathy were more likely to be managed appropriately. CONCLUSION: There is underutilization of pharmacologic thromboprophylaxis in medical ward patients. Physicians working there should be aware of risk factors for DVT and indications for pharmacologic thromboprophylaxis and should adhere to guideline recommendations.

Patient reported adverse events among epileptic patients taking antiepileptic drugs.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess patient reported adverse events and associated factors among epileptic patients taking antiepileptic drugs on follow-up at University of Gondar Referral Hospital. METHODS: Cross-sectional study was done on 354 adult epileptic patients. Patients who were on antiepileptic drugs for epilepsy treatment for less than a year, those who were below 18 years old, patients with incomplete information on the chart and those who were involuntary or uncooperative were excluded from the study. Data were entered in to SPSS version 20.0 for analysis. Bivariate and multivariate binary logistic regression analysis was done to see factors associated with antiepileptic drugs adverse effect. Level of statistical significance was declared at p ≤ 0.05. RESULT: Generalized tonic clonic seizure was the most common (86.2%) type of epilepsy. A total of 79 adverse events were reported. The most frequently encountered adverse events were fatigue (5.08%), gastrointestinal disturbance (4.24%) and sedation/depression (4.24%). Adverse drug effect of antiepileptic drugs was significantly associated with illiterate educational status, increased number of antiepileptic drugs, no seizure during last follow-up and last year, and 1-5 seizures for the last year. CONCLUSION: About one-sixth of epileptic patients reported adverse drug effects. Adverse drug effects were more commonly seen in patients with low educational status, increased number of antiepileptic drugs, absence of seizure during last follow-up and last year, and 1-5 seizures for the last year. So clinicians should give emphasis for patients with these characteristics to counsel on how to minimize or prevent adverse drug events from antiepileptic drugs or giving reassurance about it if it is minor.

Therapeutic efficacy of artemether-lumefantrine in the treatment of uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria in Ethiopia: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: As Ethiopia is one of the sub-Saharan countries with a great burden of malaria the effectiveness of first line anti-malarial drugs is the major concern. The aim of this study was to synthesize the available evidence on the efficacy of artemether-lumefantrine in the treatment of uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria in Ethiopia. This was done by performing a meta-analysis of recent studies conducted in the country on this topic. METHODS: Studies published between January 2010 and January 2017 that reported on the efficacy of artemether-lumefantrine in the treatment of P. falciparum malaria in Ethiopian patients were searched for using the PubMed and Google Scholar databases. Ten prospective single-arm cohort studies that followed patients for 28-42 days were included in this analysis. All of the included studies were deemed to be of high quality. RESULTS: Ten studies involving 1179 patients that were eligible for meta-analysis were identified. At recruitment, the average parasite count per patient was 1 2981/µl of blood. On the third day of treatment, 96.7% and 98.5% of the study subjects become fever-free and parasite-free, respectively. Based on the per protocol analysis, the cure rate after use of artemether-lumefantrine was 98.2% (polymerase chain reaction corrected) and 97.01% (polymerase chain reaction uncorrected) after 28 days of follow-up. The reinfection rate within 28 days was 1.1% and the recrudescence rate was 1.9%. CONCLUSIONS: This review found that the cure rate for uncomplicated P. falciparum malaria using artemether-lumefantrine in Ethiopia is still high enough to recommend the drug as a first-line agent. There should be careful periodic monitoring of the efficacy of this drug, as treatment failure may occur due to resistance, sub-therapeutic levels that may occur due to non-adherence, or inadequate absorption.

Patient safety attitudes of pharmacy students in an Ethiopian university: a cross-sectional study.

INTRODUCTION: Patient safety is a major health care concern and is being included in an undergraduate curriculum as it plays a major role in lessening harm. Therefore, we aim to assess the attitude of pharmacy students toward patient safety. METHODS: A cross-sectional study using a self-administered questionnaire containing 21 items was conducted at the University of Gondar among fourth and fifth year students. Data analysis was performed to calculate mean, standard deviation, percentages, and logistic regressions using SPSS software version 22 (IBM Corporation, Armonk, NY, USA). Statistical significance was set at P<0.05. RESULTS: A total of 83 pharmacy students (fourth year groups=50, fifth year groups=33) participated in the study with response rate of 92%. Majority of the students 70/83 (84.33%) had the overall positive attitude of patient safety. Most of the respondents (80.7%) agree or strongly agree that after an error occurs, an effective strategy is to work hard to be more careful. Most of them (79.6%) believe that pharmacists should routinely spend part of their professional time working to improve patient care. About half (48.2%) of pharmacy students disagree or strongly disagree that pharmacists should discuss and report errors to an affected patient and their family even if the patient is not harmed. No significant association between the attitude of pharmacy students toward patient safety and their age, sex and year of study was found. CONCLUSION: Pharmacy students have the overall good attitude to patient safety. However, they claimed the culture and attitude within the pharmacy workplace lacked for patient safety. Moreover, standardized patient safety course should be considered in the curriculum for junior pharmacy students to improve their attitude toward patient safety.

Self-medication practice in Ethiopia: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Self-medication patterns vary among different populations, and are influenced by many factors. No review has been done that comprehensively expresses self-medication practice in Ethiopia. The aim of this study was to provide an overview of the literature on self-medication practice in Ethiopia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Databases (PubMed, Google Scholar, ResearchGate, and Hinari) were searched for published studies on the practice of self-medication in Ethiopia without restriction in the year of publication or methodology. Some studies were also identified through manual Google search. Primary search terms were "self medication", "Ethiopia", "self care", "non-prescription", "OTC drug use", "drug utilization", and "drug hoarding". Studies that measured knowledge only or attitude only or beliefs only and did not determine the practice of self-medication were excluded. RESULTS: The database search produced a total of 450 papers. After adjustment for duplicates and inclusion and exclusion criteria, 21 articles were found suitable for the review. All studies were cross-sectional in nature. The prevalence of self-medication varied from 12.8% to 77.1%, with an average of 36.8%. Fever/headache, gastrointestinal tract diseases, and respiratory diseases were the commonest illnesses/symptoms for which self-medication was taken. The major reasons for practicing self-medication were previous experience of treating a similar illness and feeling that the illness was mild. Analgesics/antipyretics, antimicrobials, gastrointestinal drugs, and respiratory drugs were the common drug classes used in self-medication. Mainly, these drugs were obtained from drug-retail outlets. The use of self-medication was commonly suggested by pharmacy professionals and friends/relatives. CONCLUSION: Self-medication practice is prevalent in Ethiopia and varies in different populations and regions of the country. Some of the self-medication practices are harmful and need prompt action. Special attention should be given to educating the public and health care providers on the types of illnesses that can be self-diagnosed and self-treated and the types of drugs to be used for self-medication.

Patients'/Clients' Expectation Toward and Satisfaction from Pharmacy Services.

OBJECTIVE: Satisfaction is becoming a popular health-care quality indicator as it reflects the reality of service or care provided. The aim of this study was to assess the level of patients' expectation toward and satisfaction from pharmacy service provided and to identify associated factor that might affect their expectation and satisfaction. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 287 patients, who were served in five pharmacies of Gondar University Hospital in May 2015. Data regarding socio-demographic characteristics and parameters that measure patients' expectation and satisfaction were collected through interview using the Amharic version of the questionnaire. Data were entered into SPSS version 21, and descriptive statistics, cross-tabs, and binary logistic regressions were utilized. P < 0.05 was used to declare association. FINDINGS: Among 287 respondents involved in the study, 149 (51.9%) claimed to be satisfied with the pharmacy service and setting. Two hundred and twenty-nine (79.4%) respondents have high expectation toward gaining good services. Even though significant association was observed between the pharmacy type and patients level of satisfaction, sociodemographic characteristics of a patient were not found to predict the level of satisfaction. There is a higher level of expectation among study participants who earn higher income per month (>(2000 Ethiopian birr [ETB]) than those who get less income (<1000 ETB). CONCLUSION: Although patients have a higher level of expectation toward pharmacy services, their satisfaction from the service was found to be low.

Knowledge and attitude of health care professionals regarding hepatitis B virus infection and its vaccination, University of Gondar Hospital, Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND: Hepatitis B is a global public health problem affecting approximately 10% of the world population. Health care professionals (HCPs) are at an increased risk of acquiring hepatitis B infection due to occupational exposure. Having enough knowledge and proper attitudes toward the infection and its vaccination is crucial in preventing the infection. This study aimed to assess knowledge of and attitudes toward hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection as well as its vaccination among HCPs working in University of Gondar Hospital. METHODS: An institution-based cross-sectional study design was employed from April 1 to May 1, 2016 on 297 HCPs working at University of Gondar Hospital. A self-administered questionnaire prepared in the English language was used to collect the data. The questionnaire contained sociodemographic characteristics, knowledge, and attitude-related questions. Data were entered and analyzed using SPSS software version 20.1. Descriptive statistics, cross-tabs, and binary logistic regression were utilized. P<0.05 was used to declare association. RESULTS: From a total of 297 HCPs participated in the study 73.1% have good knowledge of HBV transmission, progress, and its vaccination. The majority (91.3%) of the respondents believe that their job puts them at risk of HBV infection. The majority of study participants (94%) believe vaccination is necessary. Medical doctors have 8.4 times better knowledge of HBV and its vaccination than other professionals (adjusted odds ratio =8.399, CI =1.536-45.936). CONCLUSION: The majority of HCPs working in University of Gondar Hospital have good knowledge of HBV transmission, progress, and its vaccination. The majority of HCPs believe that their job puts them at greater risk for HBV and vaccination is necessary. Knowledge of the HCPs significantly varies across professions.