Patient Satisfaction with the Implementation of Telehealth in Ambulatory Care during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Single Institution Experience.

Background: COVID-19 has reduced the capacity for delivering essential health services due to lockdown restrictions. Telehealth is an effective alternative option to improve healthcare access. However, there remain implementation challenges to patient adoption in resource-limited settings such as Ethiopia. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to assess patient satisfaction following the implementation of telehealth in ambulatory settings during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at Ayder Comprehensive Specialized Hospital in the Tigray region of Northern Ethiopia. Patients who used the telehealth service were invited to participate in a patient satisfaction survey. All statistical analyses were performed using STATA Version 14.1. Result: A total of 149 patients have participated in the survey. Out of the total participants, 129 (86.6%) found that telehealth is easy to understand and overall satisfaction for telehealth was 87.9%. About two-thirds of the patients (97, 65.1%) reported that the telehealth visit is just as good as a traditional visit. The vast majority of participants (148, 98.6%) stated that they would definitely or probably use telehealth again and would recommend it to others. The majority of respondents (137, 91.9%) followed the recommendations provided. Conclusion: Patients have a high level of satisfaction with the use of telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic. About two-thirds of patients said the telehealth visit was just as good as a traditional visit. The majority of patients followed the recommendations given to them by the healthcare providers and stated that they would definitely or probably use telehealth in the future and would recommend it to others. This high level of patient satisfaction with telehealth implementation suggests that the service could be considered in low-income countries as well.

Antimicrobial Use-Related Problems Among Hospitalized Pediatric Patients: A Prospective Observational Study.

Introduction: Antimicrobials are among the most commonly misused medications, leading to antimicrobial resistance, and therefore demand more attention. There are limited studies documenting "antimicrobial use-related problems" in developing countries, especially in pediatric patients. Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of antimicrobial use-related problems and risk factors among hospitalized pediatric patients. Materials and Methods: A hospital-based prospective observational study was conducted in Ayder comprehensive specialized hospital (ACSH) in the Tigray region, Ethiopia. The participants of the study were pediatric patients aged ≤15 years who were admitted with a diagnosis of infectious disease between September 2019 and November 2019. Results: A total of 232 pediatric patients were included in the study. Of these, 59.5% of the patients were male and the mean age (SD) of the patients was 5.8 (5.2) years. Of the 232 patients surveyed, a total of 177 antimicrobial use-related problems were identified. One or more antimicrobial use-related problems have occurred in more than half of the patients (53.9%). The commonest antimicrobial use problems were unnecessary antimicrobial therapy (22.8%) followed by need additional antimicrobial therapy (16.4%). In a multivariate logistic regression model, patients with comorbidities (Adjusted odds ratio (AOR): 1.84, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.04-3.27) and hospital stays exceeding one week (AOR=1.88, 95% CI: 1.08-3.26) were predictors of antimicrobial use-related problems. Conclusion: Antimicrobial use-related problems were found in a significant proportion of pediatric patients. Addressing these issues necessitates collaborative efforts, emphasizing targeted education, strengthened antimicrobial stewardship, ensuring responsible antimicrobial use and enhancing pediatric care.

Second-Line Antiretroviral Treatment Outcomes and Predictors in Tigray Region, Ethiopia.

Introduction: Ethiopia has one of the highest HIV burdens in sub-Saharan Africa. Despite the fact that second-line antiretroviral therapy (ART) has been available for more than ten years, studies on its effectiveness are scarce. Objective: To assess treatment outcomes and predictors of unfavorable outcomes in HIV patients receiving second-line ART at Ayder Comprehensive Specialized Hospital and Mekelle Hospital. Materials and Methods: An institution-based retrospective cohort study was conducted in two hospitals in Tigray Region, Ethiopia. We evaluated 192 patients aged ≥15 years who were switched to second-line from November 2009 to May 2020 after failure of first-line ART. The primary outcome was the time from the initiation of second-line ART to the occurrence of unfavorable treatment outcomes (treatment failure, death, and loss to follow-up). We performed Kaplan-Meier survival estimates to calculate the cumulative incidence rates of unfavorable outcomes. Results: The mean age (SD) at the initiation of second-line ART was 39 (10.03) years, and the median CD4 cell count was 121 cells/microL. During a median follow-up of 4.6 years, 24 (12.5%) patients had died, 11 (5.7%) patients were lost to follow up, and 47 (24,4%) patients were experienced treatment failure. The incidence rates for unfavorable outcomes were 7.8 per 100 patients/years. Predictors for unfavorable outcomes were body mass index (BMI) <18.5 (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] = 2.51, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.27-4.95) and CD4 counts ≤100 cells/microL (aHR = 1.74, 95% CI: 1.09-2.79). Despite the failure of second-line ART, none of the patients received third-line ART. Conclusion: The incidence rate of unfavorable treatment outcomes for second-line ART was found to be high. A low BMI and a low baseline CD4 count were significant predictors of unfavourable outcomes and should be given special consideration in HIV care. A third-line ART regimen should also be considered for people who have failed second-line ART.

Clinical and economic burden of healthcare-associated infections: A prospective cohort study.

INTRODUCTION: Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) have become a serious public health problem. Despite the fact that implementing evidence-based infection control strategies could prevent HAIs and save billions of dollars, Ethiopia lacks national surveillance studies on the rate, economic, and clinical burden of HAIs. OBJECTIVE: To assess the clinical and economic burden of HAIs in hospitalized patients at Ayder comprehensive specialized hospital. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A prospective cohort study design was conducted in patients with and without HAIs. A review of medical records, interviews, and patient bills was used to extract necessary information. The patients in the two arms were matched based on age, sex, Charlson comorbidity index, and ward type. Measurable factors were compared between infected and uninfected patients using the paired ttest or McNemar's test, as appropriate. Logistic regression was used to identify predictors of in-hospital mortality. Stata 14.1 was used to conduct all analyses. RESULTS: A total of 408 patients, 204 with HAIs and 204 without HAIs were included in the study. In-hospital mortality was higher in patients with HAI (14.7% vs 7.8%, P = 0.028). Patients with HAI stayed an average of 8.3 days longer than controls (18.85 vs 10.59, P<0.001). The average direct medical costs for patients with HAI were 3033 Ethiopian birrs (ETB) higher than controls (4826 vs 1793, P<0.001). The presence of HAIs (AOR: 2.22, 95% CI: 1.13-4.39) and admission to intensive care units (AOR: 3.39, 95% CI: 1.55-7.40) were significant predictors of in-hospital mortality. CONCLUSION: HAIs have a significant impact on in-hospital mortality, the length of extra hospital stays, and extra costs for medical care. Patients admitted to intensive care units and those with HAIs were found to be significant predictors of in-hospital mortality. Interventions must be implemented to prevent HAIs, especially in patients admitted to intensive care units.

Healthcare professionals knowledge, attitude and practice of adverse drug reactions reporting in Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitude and practice of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) reporting and identify factors associated with ADRs reporting among healthcare professionals (HCPs) working in Tigray region, Ethiopia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted between January and March of 2019 in a tertiary care hospital in Tigray region, Ethiopia. A self-administered, pretested questionnaire was administered to HCPs. Data were summarised using descriptive statistics. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors associated with poor ADRs reporting practices. RESULTS: In total, 362 questionnaires were distributed, and the response rate was 84.8% (n=307). Of all respondents, 190 (61.9%) were nurses, 63 (20.5%) were pharmacist and 54 (17.6%) were physicians. About 58.3% of HCPs had poor knowledge of ADRs reporting. The majority of the respondents had a positive attitude (59.9%), and only a few (32.1%) respondents have good ADRs reporting practices. Poor knowledge (adjusted OR (AOR)=2.63, 95% CI: 1.26 to 5.45) and lack of training on ADRs reporting (AOR=7.31, 95% CI: 3.42 to 15.62) were both negatively associated with ADRs reporting practice, whereas higher work experience (≥10 years) (AOR=0.36, 95% CI: 0.13 to 0.97) was positively associated with ADRs reporting practice. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of HCPs had poor knowledge and practice, but a positive attitude towards ADRs reporting. Poor knowledge, less work experience and lack of training were associated with poor ADRs reporting practice. Hence, strategies to improve the knowledge and practice of ADRs reporting should be implemented, particularly for untrained and less experienced HCPs.

Drug related problems in admitted geriatric patients: the impact of clinical pharmacist interventions.

BACKGROUND: Geriatric patients are at high risk of Drug Related Problems (DRPs) due to multi- morbidity associated polypharmacy, age related physiologic changes, pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamics alterations. These patients often excluded from premarketing trials that can further increase the occurrence of DRPs. This study aimed to identify drug related problems and determinants in geriatric patients admitted to medical and surgical wards, and to evaluate the impact of clinical pharmacist interventions for treatment optimization. METHODS: A prospective interventional study was conducted among geriatric patients admitted to medical and surgical wards of Jimma University Medical Center from April to July 2017. Clinical pharmacists reviewed patients drug therapy, identified drug related problems and provided interventions. Data were analyzed by using SPSS statistical software version 20.0. Descriptive statistics were performed to determine the proportion of drug related problems. Logistic regression analyses were performed to identify the determinants of drug related problems. RESULTS: A total of 200 geriatric patients were included in the study. The mean age of the participants was 67.3 years (SD7.3). About 82% of the patients had at least one drug related problems. A total of 380 drug related problems were identified and 670 interventions were provided. For the clinical pharmacist interventions, the prescriber acceptance rate was 91.7%. Significant determinants for drug related problems were polypharmacy (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 4.350, 95% C.I: 1.212-9.260, p = 0.020) and number of comorbidities (AOR = 1.588, 95% C.I: 1.029-2.450, p = 0.037). CONCLUSIONS: Drug related problems were substantially high among geriatric inpatients. Patients with polypharmacy and co-morbidities had a much higher chance of developing DRPs. Hence, special attention is needed to prevent the occurrence of DRPs in these patients. Moreover, clinical pharmacists' intervention was found to reduce DRPs in geriatric inpatients. The prescriber acceptance rate of clinical pharmacists' intervention was also substantially high.

Visceral Leishmaniasis Treatment Outcome and Associated Factors in Northern Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND: Visceral leishmaniasis (VL), one of the most neglected tropical diseases, is placing a huge burden on Ethiopia. Despite the introduction of antileishmanial drugs, treatment outcomes across regions are variable due to drug resistance and other factors. Thus, understanding of VL treatment outcomes and its contributing factors helps decisions on treatment. However, the magnitude and the risk factors of poor treatment outcome are not well studied in our setting. Therefore, our study was designed to assess treatment outcomes and associated factors in patients with VL. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in VL patients admitted between June 2016 and April 2018 to Ayder Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, Tigray, Northern Ethiopia. Data was collected through chart review of patient records. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors associated with poor treatment outcome. RESULTS: A total of 148 VL patients were included in the study. The mean age (SD) of the patients was 32.86 (11.9) years; most of them (94.6%) were male patients. The proportion of poor treatment outcome was 12.1%. Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that long duration of illness (> four weeks) (adjusted odds ratio (AOR): 6.1 [95% confidence interval (CI); 1.3-28.6], p=0.02) and concomitant tuberculosis (TB) infection (AOR 4.6 [95% CI; 1.1-19.1], p=0.04) were the independent predictors of poor treatment outcome. CONCLUSIONS: Poor treatment outcome was observed in a considerable proportion of VL patients. Long duration of illness and coinfection with TB were associated with poor VL treatment outcome. Hence, early diagnosis and effective prompt treatment are important to improve treatment outcomes among VL patients. Special attention should also be given in the treatment of VL/TB coinfected patients in our setting.