Background: Self-medication has been increasing in many developing and developed countries. Its use during pregnancy presents a major challenge due to potential undesirable effects on mother and the fetus. So the aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of self-medication and contributing factors, among pregnant women.Methodology: Institution based cross sectional study was conducted among 244 pregnant women attending antenatal care at Hiwot Fana Specialized University Hospital and Jugal Hospital from February to March, 2017. A structured questionnaire based interview was used to collect data from each study subject. Then, data were categorized and analyzed using SPSS version 20 software. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine the significance of the association between the outcome and independent variables. P-value <0.05 was considered as a statistically significant in multivariate analysis.Results: The prevalence of self-medication during current pregnancy was 69.4%; out of which, 40.6% uses only herbal medicines to self-medicate. Time saving (50.7%) and prior experience of the drug (25.35%) were the main reasons for self-medication using conventional medicines while fewer side effects (59.86%) and effectiveness (35.92%) were the common reasons for self-medication using herbal medicines. Common cold and headache were among the common indications for self-medication. Friends (28.17%) and the pharmacist/druggist (23.94%) were the commonest source of information for conventional medicines while family/friends (69.72%) and neighbors (26.76%) were the common source of information for herbal medicines. Community drug retail outlets and neighbors were the commonly used sources of conventional medicines; while market place and self-preparation were the common sources of herbal medicines. Previous history of self-medication was significantly associated (P < 0.05) with current self-medication with conventional drugs and being a farmer by occupation and poor monthly income were significantly associated with herbal medicine use during pregnancy (P < 0.05).Conclusion: The prevalence of self-medication during pregnancy was very high in this study which showed a need for public trainings for all women of reproductive age about the risks of inappropriate self-medication.

ObjectiveAlthough there is a high risk of drug resistance, empiric treatment is a common approach for pneumonia management. In this respect, it is relevant to know treatment outcomes of patients with pneumonia. This study aimed to assess treatment outcomes and its associated factors among pneumonia patients treated at two public hospitals in Harar, eastern Ethiopia.DesignRetrospective follow-up study.SettingJugal General Hospital and Hiwot Fana Specialised University Hospital in Harar, eastern Ethiopia.ParticipantsPatients admitted and treated for pneumonia in the two public hospitals in eastern Ethiopia between April 2020 and April 2021.Primary outcomeThe primary outcome was unfavourable treatment outcome (died or transferred to intensive care unit) for pneumonia patients.ResultsA total of 693 patients with pneumonia were included in the study. 88 (12.7%) of these patients had an unfavourable treatment outcome, which included 14 (2%) transfers to the intensive care unit and 74 (10.7%) deaths. Patients with comorbidity (adjusted OR, AOR=2.96; 95% CI: 1.47 to 5.97) and with clinical features including abnormal body temperature (AOR=4.03; 95% CI: 2.14 to 7.58), tachycardia (AOR=2.57; 95% CI: 1.45 to 4.55), bradypnoea or tachypnoea (AOR=3.92; 95% CI:1.94 to 7.92), oxygen saturation below 90% (AOR=2.52; 95% CI:1.37 to 4.64) and leucocytosis (AOR=2.78, 95%, CI:1.38 to 5.58) had a significantly increased unfavourable treatment outcome.ConclusionWe found that nearly one out of eight patients with pneumonia had unfavourable treatment outcomes. It was considerably high among patients with comorbidities and apparent abnormal clinical conditions. Therefore, taking into account regionally adaptable intervention and paying close attention to pneumonia patients admitted with comorbidity and other superimposed abnormal conditions might help improve the treatment outcomes of these populations.

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Background Hypertensive crisis is a significant global health issue that raises the costs to healthcare systems and requires specific attention to improve clinical outcome. There is scarce information on hypertensive crisis cases treatment outcome in the study setting. Objective This study aimed to assess treatment outcome and associated factors among patients admitted with hypertensive crisis at Public Hospitals in Harar Town, Eastern Ethiopia. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted among 369 hypertensive crisis patients who had been admitted to the emergency department of Hiwot Fana Comprehensive Specialized Hospital and Jugol General Hospital from May 1, 2017, to May 1, 2022. All hypertensive crisis patients who fulfilled the inclusion criteria were included. The data were extracted from medical records using a data abstraction format. The collected data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 22. Binary logistics regression model using bivariate and multivariable analysis with 95% confidence intervals and P -values were used to determine the association between variables. Results The medical records of 369 patients in total were reviewed. Of these, the medical records of 363 patients contained all the necessary information and were used in the study. More than half of the patients (238; 65.6%) were males. Among 363 patients admitted with hypertensive crisis, 98 (27.0%, 95% Confidence Interval (CI):22.5%-31.9%) of them had poor treatment outcome of hypertensive crisis. Being female (Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR)=3.4; 95% CI=1.7−7.9), residing in rural areas (AOR=2.4; 95% CI=2.7−5.1), taking captopril during admission (AOR=5.6; 95% CI=2.4−7.9), taking antihypertensive treatment before admission (AOR=0.5; 95% CI=0.2−0.9), and being non compliant to treatment (AOR=2.7; 95% CI=1.4−3.5) had statistically significant associations with poor treatment outcome of hypertensive crisis compared to their counterparts. Conclusion The magnitude of poor treatment outcome of hypertensive crisis was high. Sex, residence, non-compliance, and type of emergency drug administered during admission were substantially related with poor treatment outcome of hypertensive crisis. Health professionals should put great emphasis on emergency drugs administered during admission to achieve the desired outcome.

Typhoid fever remains a major public health concern in less developed countries. The disease is transmitted through the consumption of food or water contaminated with feces containing Salmonella Typhi. Salmonella is a genus of the family Enterobacteriaceae with over 2450 species. Typhoid is more common in impoverished areas with unsafe drinking water sources and poor sanitation. These problems are further exacerbated by political instabilities, displacement, and war in the regions. Each year, 17.8 million cases of typhoid fever are reported in lower-income countries. Typhoid was expected to be most common in western Africa, followed by a few countries in Central, South, and Southeast Asia. In most cases, the incidence peaked between the ages of under 5 years. Recently, many Salmonella species had developed resistance to several antibiotics which call for serious prevention and control efforts that integrate several high-impact interventions targeting facilities and infrastructure, together with parallel efforts directed at effective strategies for use of typhoid conjugate vaccines. Hence, a multisector collaboration and approach from a different perspective have to be advocated for the containment of typhoid. The clinical and public health concerns and the strategies to stem the growing flows associated with typhoid are going to be discussed.

Objective: Inappropriate antimicrobial use leads to drug resistance and poor clinical outcomes. Considering the lack of data regarding the drug use patterns in the treatment of pneumonia in selected study areas, the authors felt compelled to assess the appropriateness of antimicrobial usage in the treatment of pneumonia at Hiwot Fana Specialized Comprehensive University Hospital and Jugal Hospital from May 1 to 31, 2021. Methods: A cross-sectional retrospective study was conducted using the medical cards of 693 admitted patients with pneumonia. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS version 26. Bivariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to identify the factors associated with an initial inappropriate antibiotic use. A p value of 0.05 was used to determine the statistical significance of the association using an adjusted odds ratio with 95% confidence interval. Results: Of the total participants, 116 (16.74%, 95% confidence interval: 14.1–19.6) of them received an initial inappropriate antimicrobial regimen. Ceftriaxone plus azithromycin was the most prescribed antimicrobial agent. Patients who were younger than 5 years (adjusted odds ratio = 1.71; 95% confidence interval: 1.00–2.94), between 6 and 14 years (adjusted odds ratio = 3.14; 95% confidence interval: 1.64–6.00), and older than 65 years (adjusted odds ratio = 2.97; 95% confidence interval: 1.07–2.66), with comorbid conditions (adjusted odds ratio = 1.74; 95% confidence interval: 1.10–2.72) and prescribed by medical interns (adjusted odds ratio = 1.80; 95% confidence interval: 1.14–2.84) were associated with an initial inappropriate antimicrobial use. Conclusion: Around one out of every six patients had received initial inappropriate treatments. Adherence to the recommendation of guidelines and attention to extreme-aged groups and comorbidity may improve antimicrobial use.