Purpose: This study was launched to assess COVID-19-related knowledge, attitude and practice among hospital and community pharmacists in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Methods: Self-administered questionnaire was distributed to pharmacists working in hospitals and community pharmacies by physically delivering the questionnaire to study subjects. Data collected were entered into and analyzed by IBM SPSS Statistics^® Version 25. Binary logistic analysis was used to determine the association between independent and outcome variables. Results: All 295 participants who completed the survey stated that they had heard about COVID-19. Almost all of the participants were aware of the causative agent, the clinical manifestations and the ways of transmission of COVID-19. Most participants (92.2%) identified elderly individuals as one of the high-risk groups for severe complications and death while 89.5% identified supportive therapy and life support as recommended management options to date. More than half (53.2%) of the respondents were found to have adequate knowledge about COVID-19. Among respondents, 89.8% had a positive attitude on the importance of following WHO recommendations in reducing the transmission of COVID-19. Only 9.8% had confidence in the capacity of healthcare facilities in the country to properly handle potential COVID-19 pandemic. Inadequate protective measures were taken to protect the staff from COVID-19 in the institutions of 70.2% of the participants. Among the WHO recommended prevention measures, hand washing was exercised by 97.3% of the study participants. Conclusion: The study findings confirmed that there is a high level of knowledge on each specific aspect of COVID-19 among the study participants. However, only about half of the participants had adequate knowledge about the disease. The pharmacists showed a predominantly positive attitude towards the importance of WHO recommendations and predominantly negative attitude towards the country’s capacity to deal with the pandemic. The practice related to COVID-19 was inadequate at institutional level. Nevertheless, most of the pharmacists individually exercised self-protective measures against COVID-19. All stakeholders should work on ensuring the adequate supply of materials and services that aid in controlling the pandemic.

Background. Even though medications play a major role in the cure, palliation, and inhibition of disease, they also expose patients to drug-related problems. Drug-related problems are frequent and may result in reduced quality of life, morbidity, and mortality. Objectives. The study was aimed to identify, characterize, and resolve drug-related problems in the Pediatric Hematology/Oncology ward of Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Methods. A prospective observational study was conducted from 25 June to 25 October 2018 to assess DRPs on patients admitted at the pediatric hematology/oncology ward of Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital, which is the highest level governmental tertiary care hospital in Ethiopia. Data were obtained from patients’ medical charts, physicians, patients/caregivers, pharmacists, and nurses. All the collected data were entered and analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 25e. Descriptive statistics were used to represent the data. Results. Among the total 156 participants, DRPs were identified in 68.6% of the study subjects. Dosing problems which include dosage too low and high were the top ranking (39.3%) of all DRPs followed by needs additional therapy (27.2%) and nonadherence (14.0%). Systemic anti-infectives were the most common class of drugs involved in DRPs. Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, methotrexate, vincristine, ondansetron, and metoclopramide were frequently involved in DRPs. The addition of drugs and change in drug dose were the two most proposed intervention types. Among the proposed interventions, 223 (92.15%) were fully accepted, 9 (3.72%) partially accepted, and 10 (4.13%) not accepted. Conclusion. DRPs are common among Pediatric Hematology/Oncology ward patients. The hospital should develop a pediatric dosing chart for the commonly prescribed medications to prevent drug-related morbidity and mortality. The integration of clinical pharmacists can mitigate risks associated with DRPs.

Purpose: Benzathine penicillin G (BPG) monthly administration is the most effective method for secondary prophylaxis against acute rheumatic fever (ARF). BPG’s efficacy largely depends on adherence to treatment. This study was aimed at assessing adherence to BPG prophylaxis and its determinants among adult patients with rheumatic heart disease. Patients and Methods: An institutional cross-sectional study design was used. One hundred and forty-five patients receiving monthly BPG at the Adult Cardiac Clinic of Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital (TASH) were interviewed. Their 1-year BPG prophylaxis administration record was also reviewed. The rate of adherence to BPG injection was determined by calculating the percentage of the administered drug from the total expected doses. Data were entered and analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software version 25. Both descriptive and logistic regression analyses were computed to describe different variables and assess factors associated with adherence, respectively. A p-value < 0.05 was used to declare association. Results: Among a total of 145 study participants involved, the majority (76.6%) of them had been receiving BPG for the last 10 years. The average adherence rate to monthly BPG injection was 80.60% with a range of 0% to 100%. However, only 101 (69.7%) of participants were taking ≥ 80% of their prescribed monthly BPG prophylaxis doses. Study participants with informal education 1.10 (0.023– 46.96) and secondary school education 0.89 (0.10– 8.11) were more and less likely to adhere to BPG injection, respectively, when compared with those who attended higher education programs. The regression analysis showed patients who were not admitted to the hospital (AOR: 26.22; CI: 2.55– 269.70; p=0.006) and once admitted patients (AOR: 50.08; CI: 2.87– 873.77; p=0.007) were more likely to adhere to their BPG injections than those admitted twice or more. The study participants who waited until the next appointment were also less adherent (AOR: 0.02; CI: 0.00– 0.13; p=0.000) than those who went a few days later for receiving the missed/late dose. Conclusion: The adherence rate to BPG injection among RHD patients was found to be high (80.60%). Patients’ admission status and their action on missed and/or late doses were found to be important determinants of adherence in this study.

Background: Irrational prescribing of antibiotics leads to the emergence of resistant bacteria. Despite this fact, antimicrobial agents are commonly prescribed in the inpatient setting, especially in infants and children. Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the pattern of antibiotic prescription, appropriateness, and associated factors in pediatric wards of Tibebe Ghion Specialized Hospital (TGSH), Bahir Dar, North West Ethiopia, September 11th, 2021 to October 12th, 2021 GC (Gregorian Calendar). Methods: An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted in the pediatric wards of TGSH from September, 2020 to August, 2021 GC. Data were collected using a structured checklist containing each patient’s socio-demographic characteristics, clinical information, list of prescribed drugs, and reason for prescription. A systematic random sampling technique was used to select pediatric patients’ medical records containing prescribed antibiotics. The collected data were entered and analyzed using SPSS version 25 software. Results: A total of 279 pediatric patients’ medical cards including at least one antibiotic were reviewed. The study revealed that antibiotics were prescribed for most of the patients (88.9%) for empiric treatment purposes. The main medical conditions for which antibiotics were prescribed were pneumonia (16.8%) and early-onset neonatal sepsis (14.0%). Ceftriaxone was the most widely used (84.9%) antibiotic among the monotherapeutic antibiotics, while ceftriaxone plus metronidazole (23.5%) was the most frequently used combination of antibiotics. A high proportion (30.8%) of the pediatric patients was exposed to inappropriate treatment. Residence in rural areas (P=0.046) and being 1 year old or younger (P< 0.05) were found to be independent determinants of inappropriate drug use. Conclusion: Antibiotics were the most prescribed class of medications for pediatric patients in TGSH. Ceftriaxone and ampicillin were the most frequently prescribed antibiotics in the pediatric wards of TGSH. A high proportion of patients had been exposed to inappropriate antibiotic treatment. Early age and rural residence were found to be the factors that were significantly associated with inappropriate antibiotic utilization.

Objective: Despite the fact that cancer patients are highly susceptible to drug-related problems due to the effects of cytotoxic agents, data are limited due to a lack of studies on those patients. Hence, we aimed to investigate drug-related problems among patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer. Method: A registry-based cross-sectional study was conducted on colorectal cancer patients at the Felege Hiwot Comprehensive Specialized Hospital. Socio-demographic and disease-related characteristics, treatment regimens, and drug-related problems were recorded by reviewing medical records. Standard guidelines, protocols, and databases were used to evaluate the occurrence of drug-related problems and the severity of adverse drug reactions. For the analysis, Stata version 16/MP for Windows was used. Logistic regression analysis was employed to investigate the potential-associated factors of drug-related problems. A p-value ⩽ 0.05 was used to declare the statistical significance of each independent variable. Results: A total of 150 colorectal cancer patients were included, with a mean age of 51.4 ± 13.8 years. About 30% and 41.3% had stage II and stage III cancers, respectively. About three-quarters (73.8%) of the patients were given 5-fluorouracil-based combination regimens. The prevalence of drug-related problems was found to be 48.7%, with a mean of 2.12 ± 0.93 drug-related problems. In the Felege Hiwot Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, drug–drug interactions and adverse drug reactions were the most prevalent drug-related problems, which accounted for 50 (32.7%) and 49 (32%) cases, respectively. Being elderly (>50 years old) ( p = 0.013), having co-morbidity ( p = 0.001), and being on five or more medications ( p = 0.002) were independent predictors of drug-related problems. Conclusion: Fluorouracil-based chemotherapy was the most frequently used treatment regimen. Almost, half of the colorectal cancer patients had one or more drug-related problems. About one-third of patients had adverse drug reactions and drug–drug interactions. Furthermore, age, co-morbidity status, and the number of medications used were significantly associated with drug-related problems. Clinical pharmacy services should be implemented to optimize drug therapy because the majority of colorectal cancer patients have one or more drug-related problems.

Introduction: In cervical cancer therapy, there is a high prevalence of drug-related problems (DRPs) due to the high toxicity and complexity of most antineoplastic regimens. However, there is a paucity of data about DRPs among patients with cervical cancer in Ethiopia. Hence, the present study was aimed at investigating management practices and DRPs among patients diagnosed with cervical cancer. Methods: A registry-based retrospective cohort study was employed among cervical cancer patients at the oncology center of Felege Hiwot Comprehensive Specialized Hospital (FHCSH). All patients with a histologically confirmed diagnosis of cervical cancer from January 2016 to December 2020 were included. Relevant information was recorded by reviewing medical records. The possibility of DRPs was evaluated by comparing with standard guidelines. Logistic regression analysis was employed. Results: A total of 184 cervical cancer patients were included, with a mean age of 50.2± 10.7 years. A total of 216 DRPs were identified from 93 cervical cancer patients, translating to a prevalence of 50.5% and a mean of 2.32± 1.11 DRPs per patient. ADR (27.3%), DDI (25%), and the need for additional drug therapy (22.2%) were the most prevalent DRPs. DRPs were associated with the presence of co-morbidity (AOR = 4.23, 95% CI = 1.78– 10.05, p = 0.001), complications (AOR = 2.99, 95% CI = 1.28– 6.99, p = 0.011), being treated with ≥ 5 medications (AOR = 5.1, 95% CI = 2.38– 10.95, p < 0.001), being stage II (AOR = 0.14, 95% CI = 0.02– 0.90, p = 0.038), and stage III (AOR = 0.04, 95% CI = 0.01– 0.32, p = 0.003). Conclusion: Cisplatin-based chemotherapy was the frequently used therapeutic option. Co-morbidity and complication status, number of medication and stage of cancer were significantly associated with DRPs. The study highlights the need of clinical pharmacy services to optimize drug therapy and reduce DRPs.