Background Generic medicines are similar to innovator medicine in terms of safety, quality, efficacy, dosage form, strength, and route of administration. They have the same therapeutic use to innovator medicines and available at a far lower price. However, health professionals' poor knowledge and attitude may limit its utilization. The present study aimed at assessing the knowledge, attitude, and practice of pharmacy professionals towards generic medicines in Harar city, Eastern Ethiopia. Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted among community pharmacists in Harar city. A self-administered thirty-three item questionnaire on Knowledge, attitude, and practice of community pharmacists was utilized. Logistic regression analysis was performed to predict the determinants of knowledge and attitude of pharmacists. An odds ratio at 95% confidence interval along with a p-value < 0.05 was considered significant. Results Among 80 community pharmacists’ approached, 74 completed the survey, providing a response rate of 92.5%. Sixty-seven percent of the respondents knew that generic drugs are bioequivalent to brand drugs and claimed generic medicines are cheaper (86.5%). Nearly half (48.6%) of participants believe that generic medicines are less effective and slower in the onset of action (58.1%). More than half (54.1%) of study participants revealed their lack of belief in generic medicine as a factor hindering the selection and dispensing of generic medicines. In multivariate logistic regression, experience in community pharmacy practice (Adjusted odds ratio (AOR = 2.18, 95%CI: 1.21–63.1) and Sex (AOR = 3.88, 95%CI: 2.12–39.62) were significantly associated with knowledge and attitude toward generic medicines, respectively. Conclusion The current study revealed that there is a gap in the knowledge and attitude of community pharmacists towards generic and brand drugs. More than averages of the respondents have known the concept of generic medicine including their right to perform generic substitution and had a positive attitude toward generics. Female pharmacists were more likely to have a positive attitude and the overall knowledge was higher in those who have more than 5 years of work experience.

Background: Dietary modification is the cornerstone and initial recommendation in the management of diabetes mellitus. Adhering to the recommended dietary practice has a significant role in diabetic control, but not uniformly practised. Objective: To assess dietary adherence and glycemic control among type 2 diabetic patients on follow-up at Dilchora Referral Hospital (DRH), Dire Dawa, Eastern Ethiopia. Methods: A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted from 22 August to 23 October 2019, at DRH. Data were collected through an interviewer-administered questionnaire. The Perceived Dietary Adherence Questionnaire (PDAQ) was used to estimate the level of dietary adherence. Glycemic control was measured using fasting blood glucose. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were employed to identify factors associated with dietary adherence. Results: Of the 307 included patients, 62.5% were poorly adherent to the recommended diet. Lack of dietary education (83.38%) and inability to afford a healthy diet (71.33%) were the perceived barriers to practice dietary recommendation. More than half (54.7%) failed to achieve the recommended fasting blood glucose target. In multivariate logistic regression, patients who were adherent to dietary recommendations were 3.56 times more likely to have good glycemic control. Those patients living in urban areas, having monthly income greater than 1000 Ethiopia Birr, family history of the disease, duration of treatment greater than 10 years and who received counseling were more likely to have good dietary adherence. Conclusion: The level of adherence to the dietary recommendation and glycemic control was low. Healthcare providers should be proactive in tackling the barrier for non-adherence and should promote adherence to dietary recommendations in T2DM patients.

Background. Patient satisfaction is an imperative and commonly used indicator for measuring the quality of healthcare. Patient satisfaction with psychiatry services is an important construct, which influences multiple areas including treatment adherence and outcome. The aim of the present study was to assess the level of patient satisfaction and determine associated factors with psychiatric outpatient care. Method. An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted from April 15 to May 15, 2017. A total of 250 psychiatric patients visiting psychiatric outpatient care in University of Gondar Specialized Hospital during the study period were included in the study. Data were collected using structured questionnaires and entered to and analyzed using Statistical Packages for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20. Descriptive statistics and one-way ANOVA with post hoc test were used to determine the characteristics of the participants and examine the difference among different variables. P value<0.05 and confidence interval (CI) of 95% were used as cut-off points for determining statistical significance. Results. During the one-month data collection period, 250 participants (92.593% response rate) were included in the analysis. Majority (133 (53.2%)) of them were males and cannot read and write (107 (42.8%)). Majority (194 (77.6%)) of study participants were satisfied with the outpatient care. The overall level of satisfaction among participants was good with a mean satisfaction score of 3.87. Majority (173 (69.2%)) of the participants claimed that health professionals working in outpatient care did not provide adequate information about payment for services. Statistically significant satisfaction difference with respect to the psychiatric outpatient care was found in the type of mental illness (t=2.224, P=0.043) and the participants’ employment status (t=2.981, P=0.003). Conclusion. In general, the overall participants’ satisfaction towards outpatient care was high. Statistically significant satisfaction difference with respect to the psychiatric outpatient care was found in the type of mental illness and the participants’ employment status. Regular service evaluation is important to improve patient satisfaction and further research is needed to investigate why satisfaction difference exists among different types of mental illnesses.

Objective: To assess the in-hospital mortality from acute stroke and its predictors in sub-Saharan Africa. Method: The literature search was conducted in the databases of PubMed/Medline, Embase, CINAHL, and Google Scholar. The retrieved studies were screened by titles and abstracts, and then full texts were assessed for eligibility. The methodological quality of the included studies was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute’s critical appraisal checklist. The publication bias was assessed using the funnel plot asymmetry and the Egger tests. Data were analyzed using Stata software version 15.0 in a random-effect model. Result: A total of 27 studies with a total sample size of 6331 were included in this systematic review and meta-analysis. The pooled estimated prevalence of in-hospital mortality due to stroke was 22% (95% confidence interval = 0.17–0.27). Stroke mortality in Western Africa (37%, 95% confidence interval = 0.24–0.50) was higher than in Eastern Africa (15%, 95% confidence interval = 0.12–0.19) and Southern Africa (18%, 95% confidence interval = 0.06–0.19). In three studies, mortality was higher in hemorrhagic stroke (25%) than ischemic stroke (14%). Risk factors associated with higher mortality were admission Glasgow Coma Scale, stroke severity, age, sex, presence of hypertension, and declined renal function. Conclusion: The in-patient mortality of stroke in sub-Saharan Africa was high. Therefore, there is an urgent need for further stroke epidemiology studies in stroke subtypes and the performance of patient-level meta-analysis to understand the risk factors associated with mortality and herald appropriate intervention to curb the high mortality rate in the region.

Background: Pharmacy students seek postgraduate education (PGE) to develop their knowledge in a specified field of interest. Postgraduate Master's programs under the school of pharmacy in Ethiopia include clinical pharmacy, pharmacology, pharmacognosy, medicinal chemistry, pharmaceutical analysis, social pharmacy and administrative pharmacy, and pharmaceutics. This study aims to assess pharmacy student's motivation to study postgraduate programs and potential barriers to pursue postgraduate education. Methods: Institutional-based cross-sectional study was conducted on regular pharmacy students of the University of Gondar. A survey was distributed to undergraduate regular pharmacy students from year one to five. PGE interested and non-interested student's difference in their characteristics was examined using chi-square. Binary Logistic regression was used to examine predictors of pursuing PGE. The study was conducted from February 1 to February 30, 2019. Results: A total of 388 pharmacy students have participated in the study. More than half 215 (55.4%) of participants were males and in the age group 22-25, 204 (52.6%). Region (p-0.007), pharmacy as a first choice (p-0.001), experience in a leadership position (p-0.002), previous pharmacy-related work experience (p-0.001), and previous attendance at the conference (p-0.001) have shown statistically significant association with interest to pursue postgraduate education. Conclusion: Generally, few students rate their level of preparation and level of confidence to apply for PGE at high. Further works including preparing motivational speeches and details on admission requirements for available PGE programs have to be prepared in collaboration with the Ministry of Education (MOE) to enhance students' interest. Besides, potential development of scholarships for PGE may enhance the ability of some students to apply for PGE, who otherwise would be unable to.