ABSTRACT
Introduction: Rodenticides are pesticides used to eradicate rodents. It is a common reason for visits to the emergency department and hospitalization, and it is a major public health concern. Intentional or unintentional intoxication can result in severe consequences with a high fatality rate. In Ethiopia, studies on the outcome of rodenticide poisoning are scarce. The goal of this study was to assess the outcomes of rodenticide poisoning and its associated factors in adult patients admitted to the emergency unit of Debre Tabor Comprehensive Specialized Hospital in North Central Ethiopia. Methods: A retrospective record review institutional-based cross-sectional study design was used on 156 adult patients treated with rodenticide poisoning at Debre Tabor Comprehensive Specialized Hospital's emergency unit between May 1, 2017 and April 30, 2022. To collect data from patient medical documents and the Health Management Information System, an abstraction sheet was employed. The information was entered into EPI data version 4.6, then exported and analyzed using STATA version 14 software. To analyze the relationship between the dependent and independent variables, bivariable and multivariable regression were used. Results: A total of 156 participants were involved in the study. The majority of them 55.13% were in the age group of 19-37 years with the median age of 23 years. Three-fourth of the cases were suicidal poisoning. Overall, 49.35% patients presented to Debre Tabor Specialized Hospital had poor outcome. Having suicidal poisoning (AOR = 10.64; 95% CI: 2.43, 46.53), having tachycardia (AOR = 5.41; 95% CI: 1.54, 18.98), being referred from other health center (AOR = 5.78; 95% CI: 1.97, 16.95) were factors associated with poor outcome. Conclusion: Rodenticide poisoning had a poor overall outcome. Suicidal poisoning, tachycardia, and referral from other health facilities were all important predictors in poor rodenticide poisoning outcomes.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: This study was aimed at assessing the cleaning practice of non-critical medical equipment (NCME) in the era of corona virus disease-2019 of nurses working in Debre-Tabor comprehensive specialized hospital (DTCSH), north-central Ethiopia. DESIGN: Facility based cross-sectional study was conducted in DTCSH, Ethiopia, from July 05 to August 05, 2020. SETTING: The study was conducted in inpatient and outpatient units of the hospital. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 76 randomly selected staff nurses and 6 head nurses were included for observational study and interview respectively. RESULTS: Only 1.3%-5.3% of nurses cleaned stethoscopes, thermometers, pulse oximeters, and glucometers right after using these devices for patients. None of them cleaned the blood pressure apparatus before or after checking a patient's blood pressure and glucometer before determining blood glucose levels. Lack of disinfecting materials and lack of training on infection prevention were perceived by head nurses as major barriers for proper cleaning practices. CONCLUSION: Nurses' cleaning practice of NCME was very low. Therefore, proper supply of materials needed to clean these devices need to be secured. Besides, nurses need to get training on infection prevention.
