Search

BackgroundSuboptimal knowledge and attitude of healthcare professionals about generics reduce utilization of these drugs. The objective of this study was to assess the knowledge gap, attitude and p...

BackgroundDiabetes mellitus is a common health problem worldwide. Proper insulin administration plays an important role in long term optimal blood sugar control. Adequate knowledge and attitude about insulin self-administration could also improve the management of diabetes and eventually improve the quality of life. This study aimed to assess knowledge, attitude and practice towards insulin self-administration and associated factors among diabetic patients at Zewditu Memorial Hospital (ZMH), Ethiopia.MethodsAn institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 245 diabetic patients who were selected by systematic random sampling during follow-up at ZMH. The data was collected using an interviewer-administered structured questionnaire and analyzed by SPSS v.20. Binary logistic regression was used to identify associated factors of patients’ knowledge andP < 0.05was used to declare the association.ResultsAmong 245 patients enrolled, 53.9% were male with a mean age of 53.26 ±13.43 years and more than 84% of the patients can read and write. The overall patients’ knowledge was 63.4%. Better knowledge was observed concerning timing (78.4%) and site of insulin injection (89.4%), while knowledge on the angle of inclination during insulin administration (43.3%) and complications of insulin therapy (49%) were low. Patients who were male gender, never married, government or NGO employees, urban residents, who completed elementary and higher education had a higher knowledge than their comparators. The majority (62%) of the study patients had a favorable attitude on insulin self-administration. Although the majority 177(72.2%) of the study patients have administered insulin themselves, only 120(49.0%) of the patients injected insulin appropriately at 450. Frequent repetition of the injection site was practiced among 176(71.8%) patients and 139(56.7%) injected insulin before or immediately after food intake.ConclusionPatients’ knowledge and attitude seem suboptimal and malpractice of insulin self-administration was reported. Therefore, the gaps should be addressed through patient education and demonstration of insulin injection during each hospital visit.

Eshetie Melese Birru,1 Miftah Shafi,2 Mestayet Geta11Department of Pharmacology, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia; 2Department of Pharmacy, Health Science College, Mizan-Tepi University, Mizan Aman, Ethiopia Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the practice of pharmacotherapy of epilepsy and its treatment outcomes in adult epileptic outpatients at the University of Gondar Referral and Teaching Hospital, Gondar, North West Ethiopia.Methods:An institution based, retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted from the medical charts of 336 adult epileptic patients at the outpatient epileptic clinic of Neurology Department of University of Gondar Teaching Hospital from May 2014 to April 2015. Reviewing follow-up information from the medical charts was used to evaluate antiepileptic drug (AED) prescribing patterns and treatment outcome. Data were collected by using data collection format and analyzed using SPSS software version 16.Results: The most common type of seizure diagnosed was generalized tonic–clonic seizure (n=245, 72.91%). Monotherapy with an AED accounted for 80.35% of the cases, whereas dual therapy and polytherapy with three AED combinations accounted for 16.37% and 3.28%, respectively. The most frequently prescribed AED was phenobarbitone (62.47%) followed by carbamazepine (17.91%). From the total epileptic cases, 277 (82.4%) had well-controlled seizure status in the last three consecutive months.Conclusion: Most of the patients were maintained by monotherapy, and largely this was by the older antiepileptic drug, phenobarbitone. Considering the development of pharmacotherapy of epilepsy and other patient related factors, the standard treatment guideline for Ethiopia needs to be revised periodically.Keywords: antiepileptics, epilepsy, treatment outcomes, prescription patterns