Assessment of traditional healers' knowledge and utilization of pharmaceutical equipment and medical supplies in the Amhara region, North West Ethiopia.

Context: Although pharmaceutical equipment and medical supplies play a vital role in the quality of traditional medicines, they have not received much attention from stakeholders and researchers nationally and internationally. Objective: this study assesses traditional healers' knowledge and utilization of pharmaceutical equipment and medical supplies in the amhara region, North West ethiopia. Materials and methods: A quantitative cross-sectional study was conducted on 70 traditional healers. the data were collected using an interview-based questionnaire. the collected data were checked and entered into statistical Package for social sciences version 25.0 for analysis. the results were presented as percentages. the association between socio-demographic characteristics and traditional healers' knowledge of pharmaceutical equipment and medical supplies was examined using Pearson's chi-squares test. Results: About 90% of traditional healers had information about pharmaceutical equipment and medical supplies, and currently 80% of them used different pharmaceutical equipment and medical supplies individually and in combination with traditional equipment. although most traditional healers used different pharmaceutical equipment and medical supplies, only 13.3% of them used equipment and supplies a day. Only 15% of traditional healers continuously cleaned their equipment. None of the socio-demographic variables were significantly associated to the knowledge of pharmaceutical equipment and medical supplies. Discussion and Conclusions: Pharmaceutical equipment and medical supplies used by traditional healers was inconsistent, mainly associated with their habit of using self-prepared and home-available equipment. Moreover, the checkup status of compounding equipment was poor. as traditional healers provide high-patient care services, emphasis should be given to improving their preparation and treatment strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]