Background Even though health professionals (HPs) need special consideration for hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccination, this is not widely implemented in low- and middle-income countries. The aim of this study was to determine the vaccination status of health professionals against hepatitis B virus infection, to identify barriers to vaccination and to identify factors associated with vaccination status. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted from June 1 to 15, 2016. Data was collected using self-administered questionnaire and analysed using SPSS version 21. A test of association was done using binary logistic regression and P value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results Out of 286 HPs included in the study 28.7% received full course vaccination against HBV. The most frequently mentioned reasons for not being vaccinated against HBV are unavailability of the vaccine (58.2%) and its cost (18.5%). Age, marital status, level of education, and type of profession have significant association with vaccination status. Conclusion HBV coverage among HPs in Gondar University Hospital (GUH) is inadequate. This is mostly due to unavailability of the vaccine and its cost. Vaccination status significantly varies based on level of education, type of profession, age, and marital status. We recommend making vaccines available and accessible.

ObjectiveThis study was conducted to assess magnitude and pattern of drug related problems among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and hypertension.ResultsThis study identified 364 drug related problems (DRPs) across the three categories of drug related problems, giving an average of 1.8 DRPs per patient. The effect of drug treatment being not optimal 179 (49.2%), untreated indication and symptoms 77 (21.1%), unnecessary drug-treatment 39 (10.7%) and adverse drug reactions 69 (19%) were the most frequent categories of DRPs identified. In general, high prevalence of drug-related problems was identified among patients with T2DM hypertension. The effect of drug treatment being not optimal, untreated indication and symptoms, unnecessary drug-treatment and adverse drug reactions were the most frequent categories of drug related problems identified. Therefore, the clinicians should work to improve patient care through prevention and resolving drug related problems since it can affect the quality of the care significantly.

ObjectiveThis study was conducted to assess hypertension control and factors associated with it among hypertensive patients on treatment at Zewditu Memorial Hospital.ResultsA total of 225 patients were included in the study, of which 55.6% of patients were females. The mean age of the patients was 55.2 years and half of them had a family history of hypertension. About 29% of patients had comorbidities. Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs), calcium channel blockers (CCBs) and beta-blockers (BBs) were the most frequently prescribed medications. Majority of (83.1%) the patients received combination therapy. The most frequent two and three drugs class combination were ACEI + BB and ACEIs + CCB + BB, respectively. Drug treatment was modified for 22.2% of patients and blood pressure (BP) was controlled in 26.2% of patients. Older age was associated with good BP control (AOR 2.58, CI 1.27–5.24), while treatment modification was associated with poor BP control (AOR 0.21, CI 0.07–0.65). The findings indicate that BP control was low and factors like middle age and treatment modification contributed to the low BP control. It is recommended that the physicians should be adherent to current guidelines regarding the selection of appropriate antihypertensive medications so as to achieve target BP goals.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s13104-019-4173-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Background Most of hospitalized patents are at risk of developing deep vein thrombosis (DVT). The use of pharmacological prophylaxis significantly reduces the incidence of thromboembolic events in high risk patients. The aim of this study was to assess appropriateness of DVT prophylaxis in hospitalized medical patients in an Ethiopian referral hospital. Methods Cross-sectional study design was employed. Patients with a diagnosis of DVT, taking anticoagulant therapy, and those who refused to participate were excluded from the study. Two hundred and six patients were included in the study using simple random sampling method. Modified Padua Risk Assessment Model was used to determine the risk of thromboembolism. SPSS (version 21) was used for analysis. Result The total risk score for the study subjects ranged from 0 to 11 with a mean score of 3.41 ± 2.55. Nearly half (47.6%) of study participants had high risk to develop thromboembolism. Thrombocytopenia (platelets < 50 billion/L) or coagulopathy, active hemorrhage, and end stage liver disease (INR > 1.5) were the frequently observed absolute contraindications that potentially prevent patients from receiving thromboprophylaxis. Thromboprophylaxis use in nearly one-third (31.6%) of patients admitted in the medical ward of UoGRH was irrational. Patients who had high risk for thromboembolism are more likely to be inappropriately managed for their risk of thromboembolism and patients with thrombocytopenia or coagulopathy were more likely to be managed appropriately. Conclusion There is underutilization of pharmacologic thromboprophylaxis in medical ward patients. Physicians working there should be aware of risk factors for DVT and indications for pharmacologic thromboprophylaxis and should adhere to guideline recommendations.

BackgroundAlthough asthma cannot be cured, appropriate management can ensure adequate control of the disease, prevent disease progression and even reverse the illness, enabling people to enjoy good quality of life. Predisposing factors for inappropriate asthma management, including limited diagnostic options and inadequate supply of medications, are features of health institutions in developing countries like Ethiopia. This study was launched to determine the appropriateness of asthma management in patients visiting ambulatory clinic of the Gondar University Hospital.MethodsCross-sectional study was conducted on asthmatic patients who were on chronic follow-up at Gondar University Hospital. Data were collected by review of patients’ medical records and through a semi-structured questionnaire. The Global Initiative for Asthma guideline was used as a reference for determining the  appropriateness of asthma management whereas the eight-item Morisky medication adherence scale (MMAS-8) was used to collect data on patients’ adherence to asthma medications.ResultsThe study participants’ ages ranged from 20 to 80 years with a mean age of 49.3 ± 13.6 years. Mild asthma showed a slight predominance in frequency accounting for 38.7% of cases. Asthma management was found to be inappropriate in 52.0% of the patients. Inappropriateness of therapy is attributed to incorrect dosing of medications, addition of unnecessary medications and omission of necessary medications. Patients who had moderate asthma were more likely to receive appropriate treatment [AOR = 728: 63.2, 8386.06], whereas having a treatment regimen of beclomethasone with salbutamol was found to be predictor of inappropriate treatment [AOR = 0.004: 0.001, 0.07]. More than half (56.7%) of the study subjects reported to have high adherence to their medications. Having no formal education was a predictor of low adherence to asthma medications [AOR = 0.051: 0.003, 0.978] whereas, increased monthly income was found to have a positive association with adherence [AOR = 1.923: 1.037, 3.566].DiscussionHigh prevalence of inappropriate therapy in this study may be attributed primarily to limited accessibility of asthma medications, as 86% of the patients received medium dose beclomethasone with salbutamol for exacerbations despite being at different severity of asthma and level of control.ConclusionThe findings of the study showed more than half of asthmatic patients received inappropriate treatment. Nevertheless, a larger proportion of the patients claimed to be highly adherent to their medications.