Search

Background: Community pharmacy professionals are essential for healthcare delivery, particularly for administering vaccination services. However, there is a lack of substantial evidence documenting their role in vaccination within Ethiopia., Objectives: This study aimed to assess community pharmacy professionals' readiness to provide vaccination services, identify barriers hindering the implementation of these services, and determine factors influencing the provision of vaccination services by community pharmacy professionals., Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among community pharmacy professionals in Debre Markos and Injibara Town from April 15 to May 13, 2024. The data were collected using a structured questionnaire, and descriptive statistics were used to analyze the findings., Results: The study revealed that a significant majority of community pharmacy professionals perceived that they had adequate vaccine knowledge and were easily accessible to the community. However, barriers such as lack of regulation, time constraints, workload concerns, patient trust issues, and infrastructure challenges hinder the implementation of vaccination services. Factors influencing the provision of vaccination services included the need for enhanced education and training, financial reimbursement, patient demand, infrastructure improvements, collaboration with other healthcare providers, and pharmacists' special interest in vaccination., Conclusions: Community pharmacy professionals exhibit readiness to provide vaccination services. However, significant barriers such as regulatory constraints, time pressures, workload concerns, patient trust issues, and infrastructure challenges hinder their full participation. Addressing these barriers and leveraging pharmacists' expertise is essential for optimizing service delivery and improving public health outcomes. Advocating for policy changes, developing comprehensive training programs, establishing clear guidelines, investing in infrastructure improvements, conducting public awareness campaigns, and fostering collaboration with other healthcare providers are recommended to facilitate the provision and implementation of vaccination services by community pharmacy professionals in Ethiopia., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Introduction: Antibiotic self-medication is a global public health concern contributing to antibiotic resistance. This systematic review and meta-analysis aim to assess the prevalence of antibiotic self-medication and its associated factors in Ethiopia., Methods: A comprehensive search of electronic databases was conducted from MEDLINE (PubMed), Scopus, Google Scholar and Web of Science to identify relevant studies published between 2000 and 2024. Adult households, undergraduate university students and health care professionals who had taken antibiotics without a prescription in the household setting were included in this review. The primary outcome of this review is antibiotic self- medication. The random-effects model was used to estimate pooled prevalence rates. The outcome measure was analyzed with STATA version 17 software., Results: A total of nine studies were included in the Meta-analysis, comprising a sample size of 5908 participants. The pooled prevalence of antibiotic self-medication among Ethiopians was found to be 46.14 with 95% Confidence Interval [35.71, 56.57]. The most frequently used classes of self-medicated antibiotics were penicillins, followed by tetracyclines. Community pharmacies were the source of information that individuals utilized. The most common reported reasons for antibiotic self-medication include previous experience of treating a similar illness, to save cost, lack of time and avoiding waiting time for medical services. Participants having less than high school educational level was the most commonly reported factor associated with self-medication antibiotics., Conclusion: Antibiotic self-medication is a prevalent practice in Ethiopia. This underscores the need for targeted interventions such as educating people about the risks associated with using antibiotics without medical guidance, which results in a reduction in antibiotic resistance., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

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., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: Refugee populations are forcibly displaced from their homes as a consequence of natural disasters and armed conflicts. Eritreans, initially displaced to the Maiayni camp within the Tigray region, have faced further relocation to Dabat town due to the conflict between the Tigray People Liberation Front (TPLF) and Ethiopian government forces. Subsequently, another conflict has arisen between the Amhara Popular Force (Fano) and Ethiopian government forces in Dabat town, disrupting its stability. These collective challenges in the new environment may contribute to the development of symptoms such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, and depression. Currently, there is a lack of available data on these symptoms and their associated variables in Dabat Town. Thus, the objective of this study was to assess the prevalence of PTSD, anxiety, and depression symptoms, along with associated factors, among Eritrean refugees in Dabat town, northwest Ethiopia. This will provide significant evidence for developing and implementing mental health intervention strategies that specifically address the particular difficulties faced by refugees., Method: A community-based cross-sectional study was carried out from July 25 to September 30, 2023, in the Eritrean refugee camp in Dabat town. A systematic random sampling method was employed to select a total of 399 Eritrean refugees with 100 response rate. Data were collected using the standard validated Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21) questionnaire, which included socio-demographic characteristics. Summary statistics such as frequency and proportion were utilized to present the data in tables and figures. Binary logistic regression was employed to identify associated factors, and variables with a p-value (p ≤ 0.05) were considered statistically significant factors., Result: The findings of this study indicated that 45% (95% CI: 35.6-48.23), 33.6% (95% CI: 31.66-37.45), and 37.3% (95% CI: 35.56-40.34) of the participants had symptoms of depression, anxiety, and PTSD, respectively. Sex, age, employment status, lack of food or water, experience of torture or beating, and imprisonment emerged as statistically significant predictors of depression. Employment status, murder of family or friends, rape or sexual abuse, torture or beating, and lack of housing or shelter were statistically significantly associated with anxiety. PTSD was found to be significantly associated with sex, length of stay at the refugee camp, lack of housing, shelter, food, or water, experience of rape or sexual abuse, abduction, employment status, and murder of family or friends., Conclusions and Recommendation: The results of this study revealed that more than one-third of Eritreans living in the refugee camp in Dabat town had symptoms of PTSD, anxiety, and depression. This prevalence is higher than the previously reported studies. Various factors, including age, gender, monthly income, unemployment, experiences of rape or sexual abuse, witnessing the murder of family or friends, being torched or beaten, imprisonment, and deprivation of basic needs such as food, shelter, and water, were identified as contributors to the development of depression, anxiety, and PTSD. This research underscores the need for both governmental and non-governmental organizations to secure the provision of essential necessities such as food, clean water, shelter, clothing, and education. This study also suggested that Eritrean refugees be legally protected from rape, sexual abuse, arson, detention without cause, and kidnapping. Moreover, the study calls for health service providers to develop a mental health intervention plan and implement strategies to deliver mental health services at healthcare facilities for Eritrean refugees in the Dabat town Eritrean refugee camp., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Introduction: The majority of maternal and newborn deaths take place during the first few hours and days after birth and thus postnatal contacts should begin as early as possible, especially within the first 24 h, then again within two to three days after delivery. Globally, early postnatal discharge has increased over the past 50 years and currently too. Even if Ethiopia has very low PNC coverage, there is no evidence on who is discharged early. Hence, the aim of this study was to determine the magnitude and the predictors for early postnatal discharge in Ethiopia., Methods: This study was based on the secondary data analysis using the Ethiopian Demographic and Health survey (EDHS) 2016 data set. The weighted sample of 2,225 delivered mothers were included for the final analysis. The model was best fitted as assessed by Hosmer-Lemeshow test (p value = 0.1988). The variables with P-value ≤ 0.2 in the bi- variable binary logistic regression analysis were included in to the multi-variable binary logistic regression analysis. The Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) with 95% confidence interval (95% CI) was computed to assess the strength of association between the outcome and independent variables. The variables with a P-value of less than 0.05 in the multi-variable binary logistic regression analysis were declared as statistically significant predictors of the outcome variable., Result: The overall magnitude of early discharge was 70.41% (CI: 68.48, 72.30). Residence (rural; AOR: 0.61, 95% CI: 0.46, 0.80), educational status (No education; AOR: 1.87, 95% CI: 1.19, 2.94), religion (Muslim; AOR: 0.69, 95% CI: 0.55, 0.87, Others; AOR: 0.24, 95% CI: 0.10, 0.57), wealth index (Poor; AOR: 0.77; 95% CI: 0.59, 0.99), marital status (Not married; AOR: 0.29; 95% CI: 0.13, 0.67), ANC visits (No ANC visits; AOR: 0.63; 95% CI: 0.46,0.86), parity (3rd parity; AOR: 1.48; 95% CI: 1.03, 2.11), and size of the child (larger size; AOR: 0.63;95% CI: 0.50,0.79, (smaller size; AOR: 0.72; 95% CI: 0.56,0.92) were independent determinants of early discharge., Conclusion: A substantial proportions of mothers in Ethiopia had been discharged early (before 24 h). Residence, education, wealth index, religion, marital status, ANC follow up, parity and size of the child were predictors of early discharge. Adequate hospital stay should be promoted. Since the early discharge in Ethiopia is very high, home based postnatal visit should be strengthened focusing the identified predictors., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Introduction: The role of community pharmacy professionals has been expanded to patient care and health promotion service globally. However, in Ethiopia, there is a scanty of data on the issue, although the country is dealing with a double burden of non-communicable and communicable diseases., Objectives: This study aimed to assess community pharmacy professionals' willingness, involvement, beliefs, and barriers to offer extended services for health promotion in Injibara town, Amhara, Ethiopia., Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among licensed and registered community pharmacy professionals working in Injibara town from June 25 to July 10, 2022. A structured self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data. The data were presented using descriptive statistics. The data were analyzed using STATA version 16 software., Results: A total of 24 community pharmacy professionals were involved in the study, with a response rate of 92.3%. Approximately 91.7% of them were involved in health promotional services. Of them, 54.1% were willing and strongly believed that their involvement in health promotion services would have a positive impact on promoting health. A total of 60.9% of the community pharmacy professionals reported that they were very involved in family planning and alcohol consumption counseling. Different barriers to not providing health promotion services were also cited., Conclusions: Majority of community pharmacy professionals in this study is involved in health promotional services but there are also barriers on their involvement. Therefore, governmental strategies to overcome the barriers that hamper their involvement should be designed., (© 2022. The Author(s).)