BackgroundMedication administration errors in patient care have been shown to be frequent and serious. Such errors are particularly prevalent in highly technical specialties such as the intensive care unit (ICU). In Ethiopia, the prevalence of medication administration errors in the ICU is not studied.ObjectiveTo assess medication administration errors in the intensive care unit of Jimma University Specialized Hospital (JUSH), Southwest Ethiopia.MethodsProspective observation based cross-sectional study was conducted in the ICU of JUSH from February 7 to March 24, 2011. All medication interventions administered by the nurses to all patients admitted to the ICU during the study period were included in the study. Data were collected by directly observing drug administration by the nurses supplemented with review of medication charts. Data was edited, coded and entered in to SPSS for windows version 16.0. Descriptive statistics was used to measure the magnitude and type of the problem under study.ResultsPrevalence of medication administration errors in the ICU of JUSH was 621 (51.8%). Common administration errors were attributed to wrong timing (30.3%), omission due to unavailability (29.0%) and missed doses (18.3%) among others. Errors associated with antibiotics took the lion's share in medication administration errors (36.7%).ConclusionMedication errors at the administration phase were highly prevalent in the ICU of Jimma University Specialized Hospital. Supervision to the nurses administering medications by more experienced ICU nurses or other relevant professionals in regular intervals is helpful in ensuring that medication errors don’t occur as frequently as observed in this study.

Outcomes in critical care delivery at SUMMARY The aim of this study was to assess outcomes following intensive care unit (ICU) admissions at Jimma University Specialised Hospital, Ethiopia. This was a retrospective observational study. Data were collected regarding all ICU admissions and discharges during a 12-month period beginning August 2011. Demographic data and information regarding diagnosis, length-of-stay and outcome were gathered and data analysed. There were 370 admissions to the ICU during the study period. Median age (interquartile range) was 32.0 (22.0-47.0) years and 56.2% were males. The median length-of-stay (interquartile range) was 3.0 (1.0-7.0) days. The overall ICU mortality rate was 50.4% and major causes included trauma, cardiac disease, acute abdominal presentations, septic shock, tetanus and hysterectomy secondary to uterine rupture. Medical diagnoses accounted for 50.1% of admissions followed by surgery (43.2%) and obstetrics (5.8%). Corresponding mortality rates were 53.6, 48.0 and 42.9%, respectively. The main cause for surgical admission was trauma, with head injury carrying a mortality of 52.1%. The principal cause for medical admission was cardiac disease. In children, trauma, upper airway obstruction and communicable diseases were most common. Critical care mortality rates at this Ethiopian university hospital reflect the challenges facing critical care delivery in the developing world. Delayed presentation to hospital secondary to poor access to healthcare plays a predominant role. This is confounded by inadequate staffing, training, diagnostic and interventional limitations. Despite resource restraints, simple cost-effective measures may improve morbidity and mortality.

Background The annual number of surgical operations performed is increasing throughout the world. With this rise in the number of surgeries performed, so too, the challenge of effectively managing postoperative pain. In Africa, there are scanty data available that make use of multi-center data to characterize the quality of postoperative pain management. In this study using a longitudinal data, we have attempted to characterize the quality of postoperative pain management; among patients scheduled for major elective orthopedic, gynecologic and general surgery. Methods This prospective longitudinal study evaluated the quality of postoperative pain management in patients undergoing elective general, gynecologic, and orthopedic surgery. We quantified the prevalence of moderate to severe postoperative pain with the International Pain Outcome Questionnaire and the corresponding adequacy of treatment with the pain management index. At four time points after surgery, we estimated pain severity, its physical and emotional interference, and patient satisfaction. Results Moderate to severe postoperative pain was present in 88.2% of patients, and pain was inadequately treated in 58.4% of these patients. Chronic pain (β = 0.346, 95% CI: 0.212, 0.480) predicted patients’ worst pain intensity. Gender was not associated with the worst pain intensity or percentage of time spent in severe pain. Patient’s pain intensity did not predicted the level of satisfaction. Conclusions The prevalence of moderate to severe postoperative pain and its functional interference is high in Ethiopian patients. The treatment provided to patients is inadequate and not in line with international recommendations and standards.

BackgroundA number of studies indicated that prescribing errors in the intensive care unit (ICU) are frequent and lead to patient morbidity and mortality, increased length of stay, and substantial extra costs. In Ethiopia, the prevalence of medication prescribing errors in the ICU has not previously been studied.ObjectiveTo assess medication prescribing errors in the ICU of Jimma University Specialized Hospital (JUSH), Southwest Ethiopia.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted in the ICU of Jimma University Specialized Hospital from February 7 to April 15, 2011. All medication-prescribing interventions by physicians during the study period were included in the study. Data regarding prescribing interventions were collected from patient cards and medication charts. Prescribing errors were determined by comparing prescribed drugs with standard treatment guidelines, textbooks, handbooks, and software. Descriptive statistics were generated to meet the study objective.ResultsThe prevalence of medication prescribing errors in the ICU of Jimma University Specialized Hospital was 209/398 (52.5%). Common prescribing errors were using the wrong combinations of drugs (25.7%), wrong frequency (15.5%), and wrong dose (15.1%). Errors associated with antibiotics represented a major part of the medication prescribing errors (32.5%).ConclusionMedication errors at the prescribing phase were highly prevalent in the ICU of Jimma University Specialized Hospital. Health care providers need to establish a system which can support the prescribing physicians to ensure appropriate medication prescribing practices.

BackgroundPostoperative pain remains a challenge in the developed world, but the consequences of inadequately treated postoperative pain are particularly severe in low- and middle-income countries. Since 2011, reports have drawn attention to the poor quality of postoperative pain management in Ethiopia; however, our multicenter qualitative study was the first to attempt to understand the factors that are barriers to and facilitators of quality pain managment in the country. To this aim, the study explored the perspectives of patients, healthcare professionals, and hospital officials. We expected that the results of this study would inform strategies to improve the provision of quality pain management in Ethiopia and perhaps even in other low- and middle-income countries.MethodsThis study used a qualitative, descriptive approach in which nine healthcare professionals, nine patients, and six hospital officials (i.e. executives in a managerial or leadership position in administration, nursing, or education) participated in face-to-face, semi-structured interviews. Thematic data analysis was conducted, and patterns were explained with the help of a theoretical framework.FindingsThe barriers identified ranged from healthcare professionals’ lack of empathy to a positive social appraisal of patients’ ability to cope with pain. They also included a lack of emphasis on pain and its management during early medical education, together with the absence of available resources. Enhancing the ability of healthcare professionals to create favorable rapport with patients and increasing the cultural competence of professionals are essential ingredients of future pain education interventions.ConclusionsBarriers to and facilitators of postoperative pain management do not exist independently but are reciprocally linked. This finding calls for holistic and inclusive interventions targeting healthcare professionals, patients, and hospital officials. The current situation is unlikely to improve if only healthcare professionals are educated about pain physiology, pharmacology, and management. Patients should also be educated, and the hospital environment should be modified to provide high-quality postoperative pain management.