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Fikadu Ejeta,1 Diriba Feyisa,1 Oliyad Kebede,1 Temesgen Aferu,1 Jafer Siraj,2 Desalegn Feyissa,3 Emebet Wodajo,3 Alemu Tamiru3 1Department of Pharmaceutics and Social Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Mizan-Tepi University, Mizan-Aman, Ethiopia; 2Department of Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Mizan-Tepi University, Mizan-Aman, Ethiopia; 3Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacy Practice, School of Pharmacy, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Mizan-Tepi University, Mizan-Aman, EthiopiaCorrespondence: Fikadu Ejeta Tel +251910136034Email fikaduejeta@gmail.comObjective: The objectives of this research were to investigate pharmacy professionals’ counseling practices as well as to evaluate pharmacy professionals’ counseling skills and the content of counseling services provided to patients visiting medicine retail outlets.Methods: A facility-based observational cross-sectional study was used to assess medication counseling practice by pharmacy professionals. Data were gathered through an observation and a semi-structured questionnaire. Epi data version 4.0.2 was used to enter data, which was subsequently exported to SPSS version 21.0 for analysis. ANOVA and post hoc statistical analyses were used to investigate the association between independent and dependent variables; and a 0.05 p-value was considered.Results: This study has a total of 105 pharmacy professionals that were included in the analysis. The majority of those who responded were between the ages of 25 and 29. The most common drug information offered by pharmacy staff to patients was frequency of administration (90%), length of therapy (90%), and unit dose dispensed, according to the current study (86%). Pharmacy professionals’ age was significant on components of counseling practice as on mentioning the name of drugs during dispensing the medication (p=0.000), the route of administration (p=0.000), a drug dose (p=0.003), frequency of drug administration (p=0.016), proper medicine storage (p=0.024), type of dosage form (p=0.025), and duration of treatment (p=0.012). In comparison with the other age groups, an age greater than 40 years was significant on components of counseling practice (p=0.001) as a factor associated with penurious counseling practice than the other groups.Conclusion: This study shows that counseling practice is still quite low in comparison to what is expected. Some of the issues that affect counseling include a high patient load, the lack of a private counseling room, a lack of updated drug knowledge, and a lack of experience were factors that influence counseling.Keywords: counselling, counselling practice, medication, pharmacy professionals, Mizan-Aman, Southwest Ethiopia

Background The World Health Organization and UNAIDS estimated that 36.9 million people were living with HIV in 2017 globally. In the same year, 1.8 million people became newly infected with HIV and 940,000 people died of AIDS-related illnesses. This study aimed to assess patient satisfaction with HIV and AIDS services in Mizan-Tepi University Teaching Hospital (MTUTH), Southwest Ethiopia. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted from December 01/2018 to January 31/2019 among 348 people living with HIV who were on highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). A systematic random sampling technique was applied to select the study participants. Face to face interview was employed using structured questionnaires. The questionnaire consisted of socio-demographic factors, clinical factors, and patient satisfaction indicators for HIV and AIDS services. Level of satisfaction was assessed based on 24 Likert-scale items. Logistic regression analysis was carried out to identify the independent predictors of patient satisfaction with the services given. Results A total of 348 respondents completed the interview, of which 213 (61.20%) were male. The mean age of the respondents was 35.67 (SD=8.40). The overall level of clients' satisfaction with HIV and AIDS services was 55.2%. Educational status of secondary school and above [AOR 2.41, 95% CI: 1.24-4.69], duration of advice above 10 min [AOR 1.74, 95% CI: 1.09-2.79], CD4 count >500 [AOR 2.20, 95% CI: 1.37-3.54], and duration of treatment of 2 years and above [AOR 1.93, 95% CI: 1.07-3.49] were identified as factors significantly associated with client satisfaction. Conclusion Overall, 55.20% of patients were satisfied with HIV and AIDS services given at the ART clinic of MTUTH. Educational status, CD4 count, duration of advice, and duration of treatment were found to be independent predictors of patient satisfaction with ART services. Increasing client satisfaction is important through patient counseling and care.

Background: Adolescence/youth is a continuum of physical, cognitive, behavioral, and psychosocial development. Due to a lack of comprehensive knowledge regarding sexual and reproductive health, adolescents face a number of problems. Clear family communication of reproductive health issues often leads to increased awareness of reproductive health matters and reduces risky behaviors and its consequences in adolescent populations. Objective: To assess parent-adolescent/youth communication and associated factors among students attending secondary and preparatory schools in Fiche town, Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia. Methods: An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted from March 27 to 30,2017, using a structured self-administered questionnaire. Two schools in the town were included in the study. Data were entered using epidata manager version 4.0.2.101 and exported to SPSS version 21 for analysis. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed, and variables with a p-value of less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant. Results: The number of students who had ever discussed sexual and reproductive health issues with their parents was 118 (31.2%). Mothers’ educational status of diploma [adjusted odds ratio (AOR)=3.52, 95%CI=1.13-10.95], fathers’ educational status of diploma [AOR=3.84, 95%CI=1.29-11.41], students’ perceived importance of sexual and reproductive health issues discussion [AOR=6.69, 95%CI=2.04-22.00], students’ knowledge about sexual and reproductive health issues [AOR=4.80, 95%CI=2.56-9.01], and students’ attitude towards sexual and reproductive health issues [AOR=3.13, 95%CI=1.76-5.57] were identified as independent predictors of parent-student sexual and reproductive health communication. Conclusion: The level of parent-student sexual and reproductive health communication is low among secondary and preparatory schools in Fiche town. Therefore, school administration, in collaboration with stakeholders, should facilitate adolescent-friendly services to enhance sexual and reproductive health-related awareness.

Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a major public health, social, and economic problem in Ethiopia. Even though the government is working to scale up Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART) services, patient loss to follow-up and ensuring adherence to ART regimens remain major challenges of the ART program in the country; little has also been done on the assessment of patient satisfaction on different HIV/AIDS service dimensions. This study aimed at assessing patient satisfaction with HIV/AIDS services in health centers of East Shoa Zone, Oromia region, Ethiopia. The study employed a cross-sectional survey between February and May 2017. Data was collected through exit interviews using five-point Likert scale-based questions and analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20. The overall mean patient satisfaction score was 3.16 (SD = 0.87) on a 1 to 5 scale. Availability of anti-Tuberculosis (anti TB) drugs in pharmacy was an item with the highest mean satisfaction score (4.18 ± 0.61) while waiting time to get pharmacy service was ranked least by the patients (mean score of 1.92, SD = 0.81). Merchants and students were more likely to be satisfied compared to other occupational groups. Overall, there was a wider gap in the study facilities concerning patient satisfaction and, therefore, health facility managers, Zonal and Woreda health offices, and Oromia Region Health Bureau should work in collaboration with other stakeholders to improve patient satisfaction with items for which the satisfaction score was low.

Nanati Legese,1 Temesgen Aferu,2 Tsehay Kassa3 1School of Pharmacy, College of Health and Medical Sciences, Haramaya University, Harar, Ethiopia; 2School of Pharmacy, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Mizan Tepi University, Mizan Aman, Ethiopia; 3Teklehaimanot health center, Addis Ababa, EthiopiaCorrespondence: Nanati Legese Email nanatilegese@yahoo.comIntroduction: Amoebiasis is one of the world’s most prevalent and fatal infectious diseases. Several surveys revealed that amoebiasis is one of the most widely distributed diseases in Ethiopia. The combination of metronidazole with diloxanide furoate represents a new approach for the treatment of the infection.Objective: This study aimed to analyze the cost-effectiveness of diloxanide plus metronidazole compared with metronidazole alone in the treatment of amoebiasis in Ethiopia.Methods: An analytical decision model was used to analyze costs and effectiveness from a societal perspective by taking adult amoebic patients as the study population with a time horizon of two months. The potential impacts of uncertainty in single parameters were explored in one-way sensitivity analyses.Results: Metronidazole with diloxanide had a higher cost and effect compared to metronidazole alone with an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of 8 US$ per amoebic case cured. The result was sensitive to the decrease in the effectiveness of metronidazole with diloxanide.Conclusion: This study revealed the addition of diloxanide to standard treatment to be a more effective and more costly treatment strategy. Therefore, a decision for choosing the medication should be based on the ability of patients to pay for the treatment.Keywords: amoebiasis, metronidazole, metronidazole with diloxanide, cost-effectiveness analysis, Ethiopia

Zufan Asaye,1 Temesgen Aferu,2 Adane Asefa,3 Desalegn Feyissa,2 Tolcha Regasa,2 Oliyad Kebede,2 Diriba Feyisa,2 Mulugeta Feyisa4 1Department of Statistics, College of Natural Sciences, Mizan-Tepi University, Mizan-Aman, Ethiopia; 2School of Pharmacy, College of Health Sciences, Mizan-Tepi University, Mizan-Aman, Ethiopia; 3School of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, Mizan-Tepi University, Mizan-Aman, Ethiopia; 4Department of Midwifery, College of Health Sciences, Selale University, Fiche, EthiopiaCorrespondence: Temesgen AferuSchool of Pharmacy, College of Health Sciences, Mizan-Tepi University, Mizan-Aman, EthiopiaEmail temesgenaferu@gmail.comBackground: Hepatitis B virus(HBV) infection is a global public health problem, even though its prevalence is disproportionately high in low- and middle-income countries. Mother-to-child transmission is a major route of HBV transmission in endemic areas. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of HBV and its determinants among pregnant women attending antenatal care at Mizan-Tepi University Teaching Hospital and Mizan Health Center, Southwest Ethiopia.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted between January 13th 2020 and February 5th 2020 among 370 pregnant women. The sample size was proportionally allocated to each health institution according to the total pregnant women on antenatal care at the respective health institution and a consecutive sampling technique was used to select study participants. Serum hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) was tested using a rapid diagnostic test. Data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software version 22. Multiple logistic regression analysis was done to identify the independent predictors of HBsAg serostatus at p-value < 0.05.Results: Three hundred seventy of the total 375 pregnant women participated in the study resulting in a response rate of 98.7%. Twenty-two (5.9%) of the pregnant women screened were found positive for HBsAg (prevalence=5.9%; 95% CI: 3.9– 8.80%). History of contact with jaundice patients (AOR=9.87; 95% CI: 2.98– 32.65), sharing sharp materials (AOR=3.96; 95% CI: 1.23– 11.08) and history of multiple sexual partners (AOR=6.77; 95% CI: 2.44– 18.78) were significantly associated with Hepatitis B Virus infection.Conclusion: The endemicity of hepatitis B virus seroprevalence is intermediate in the study settings. Factors associated with hepatitis B virus serostatus were behavioral; hence, modification of these factors may help to prevent the infection.Keywords: hepatitis, hepatitis B, hepatitis B surface antigen, pregnant women

Background. Effective and efficient cold chain management maximizes utilization of healthcare resources, reduces cold chain products wastage, and improves the quality of health services. It eventually guarantees that clients receive cold chain products they need at service delivery points. The objective of this study was to evaluate cold chain management performance for temperature-sensitive medicines at public health facilities in Southwest Ethiopia supplied by the Jimma Pharmaceuticals Fund and Supply Agency hub. Method and Materials. The study used an institution-based cross-sectional study design. Forty-seven (47) public health facilities in Southwest Ethiopia were evaluated using checklists adopted from the Logistic Indicators Assessment Tool, Vaccine Management Assessment Tool, and Logistic System Assessment Tool. Results. The study revealed that the mean availability of essential cold chain products was 72.1 ± 14.8% while the average stock-out rate was 26.2 ± 8.6%. The median stock-out duration was 23 ± 21 days for all visited public health facilities. Two hundred and sixty-three (43.06 ± 15.3%) of the public health facilities’ stock records were found accurate, and the wastage rate due to expiration was 9.2 ± 7.8% for all visited health facilities. Thirty public health facilities (63.8 ± 36.2%) had acceptable storage conditions. Conclusions and Recommendations. Supply chain performance at the study facilities was not adequate overall, and focused efforts need to be directed at managing the availability of critical cold chain medicines. Some cold chain management challenges demand the attention of the top management, while the rest can be addressed by operational management at the facilities through provision of appropriate training and supervision of the cold chain pharmaceutical handlers.

Background. Stroke is a public health problem in Ethiopia. Despite the high prevalence of stroke in Ethiopia, there is a paucity of data with regard to drug treatment, treatment outcome, and risk factors of poor treatment outcome of stroke. Hence, this study is aimed at assessing treatment outcome and its determinants among patients admitted to stroke unit of Jimma University Medical Center (JUMC). Methods. A two-year hospital-based retrospective cross-sectional study was employed to analyze the medical records of patients admitted with stroke to stroke unit of Jimma University Medical Centre from February 1st, 2016 to March 30th, 2018. Data was entered by Epidata manager version 4.0.2 and analyzed by SPSS version 24. Multivariable logistic regression analysis with the backward stepwise approach was done to identify independent predictors of poor treatment outcome of stroke. Variables with P value less than 0.05 were considered as statically significant determinants of poor treatment outcome. Results. Of 220 patients with stroke admitted to the Jimma University, 67.30% were male. Nearly two thirds (63.18%) of them had poor treatment outcomes. Dyslipidimics were administered to 60% of the patients, and the most popular antiplatelet used was aspirin, which was prescribed to 67.3% the patients. Age ≥ 65 adjusted odd ratio ((AOR): 2.56; 95% CI: 1.95-9.86, P = 0.001 ), presence of comorbidity (AOR: 5.25; 95% CI: 1.08-17.69, P < 0.001 ), admission with hemorrhagic stroke (AOR: 18.99; 95% CI: 7.05-42.07, P < 0.001 ), and admission to the hospital after 24 hour of stroke onset (AOR: 4.98; 95% CI: 1.09-21.91, P = 0.03 ) were independent predictors of poor treatment outcomes. Conclusion. Substantial numbers of stroke patients had poor treatment outcomes. Elderly patients, patients diagnosed with hemorrhagic stroke, patients with comorbidity, and those with delayed hospital admission were more likely to have poor treatment outcome. Hence, frequent monitoring and care should be given for the aforementioned patients. Awareness creation on the importance of early admission should be delivered particularly for patients who have risk factors of stroke (cardiovascular diseases).

Background: Adolescents who have communication about sexual and reproductive health (SRH) with their parents are less likely to participate in risky sexual behaviors and to utilize modern contraceptives. However, communication on SRH issues between adolescents and their parents continues to be below the desired goals in low- and middle-income countries. Objective: To assess SRH communication between adolescent girls and their mothers among students in secondary and preparatory schools in Fiche town, Oromia, Central Ethiopia. Method: An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted from March 27 to March 30, 2017, using a structured self-administered questionnaire. A total of 181 adolescent female students selected from 2 schools in the town participated in the study. Data were collected on sociodemographic characteristics, student-mother communication, and knowledge about and attitudes toward SRH issues. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed, and variables with a P value less than .05 were considered statistically significant. Results: A total of 103 (56.9%) of the students had discussed SRH issues with their mothers. The mothers’ educational status (ie, primary school and above, adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 10.01, 95% CI = 3.55-28.19; the student living with friends, AOR = 5.29, 95% CI = 1.09-25.47; the students’ knowledge about SRH issues, AOR = 8.57, 95% CI = 3.61-20.35; and students’ attitude toward SRH issues, AOR = 2.79, 95% CI = 1.26-6.15) were identified as independent positive predictors of student-mother communication on selected SRH issues. Conclusion: More than half of the study participants had communication on SRH issues with their mothers. SRH communication was positively associated with maternal educational status, the students’ living with friends, and the student’s knowledge of and attitude toward SRH issues.

Background: The introduction of highly active antiretroviral therapy has not only improved longevity in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)–infected individuals but in addition has had a significant impact on the rate of mother-to-child transmission of the infection. Objective: To assess antiretroviral therapy adherence among HIV-positive pregnant women on follow-up at antiretroviral therapy clinic of Mizan Tepi University Teaching and Tepi General Hospitals. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was undertaken in antiretroviral therapy clinics of Mizan Tepi University Teaching and Tepi General Hospitals from April to May 2018. Data were collected through face to face interview using structured and pretested questionnaires and analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 20. Results: Majority of the patients had good adherence to their antiretroviral therapy, 68 (66.00%). Medication side effects, 12 (34.00%) and forgetfulness and distance of the hospital from home, each accounting 11 (31.00%) were the main reasons for nonadherence among nonadherent patients. Frequency of counseling ( P = .000), CD4 count (χ2 = 37.529, P = .000), World Health Organization’s clinical stage (χ2 = 17.515, P = .000), stigma (χ2 = 70.426, P = .000), and family support (χ2 = 46.383, P = .000) were found to be associated with patients’ medication adherence. Conclusion: The overall patient adherence to antiretroviral therapy in the study facilities was good. Collaborative work among patients, health care organizations, and the public are necessary to tackle the adherence obstacles and enhance patient adherence to the prescribed medication.