Antiepileptic Drug Adherence and Its Associated Factors among Epilepsy Patients on Follow-ups at Amanuel Mental Specialized Hospital, Ethiopia

Background: Medication adherence is a fundamental determinant of effective treatment. However, people with epilepsy have poor compliance with  their treatment because of the chronic nature of the disease. Limited studies have been conducted to address antiepileptic medication  adherence in Africa, including Ethiopia. Thus, the aim of this study was to assess antiepileptic drug adherence and its asociated factors among  patients with epilepsy attending outpatient department of Amanuel Mental Specialized Hospital. Methods: A cross-sectional study design was conducted on 439 patients with epilepsy in Amanuel Mental Specialized Hospital. Medication  adherence reporting scale-5 (MARS-5) was used to assess adherence to antiepileptic drugs. The Oslo social support, Jacob perceived stigma scale,  and hospital anxiety and depression scale (HADS) were the instruments used to assess associated factors. Simple and multiple linear regression  analysis models were fitted. Then, the adjusted unstandardized beta (β) coefficient at a 95% confidence level was used. Results: The mean(SD) score of antiepileptic medication adherence was 16.38(±3.76) with 95%CI:(16.03, 16.72). Depressive symptoms (β= -1.35, 95%  CI: (-2.04, -0.65)), anxiety symptoms (β=- 1.12,95%CI:(-1,79,-0.44), perceived stigma (β= -1.64, 95% CI:- 2.16,-1.12), being single (β=-0.67, 95%CI:-1.20,-  0.14), presence of seizure per month(β=-2.11,95% CI: (-2.81,-1.41) and antiepileptic drug adverse effect(β=-0.07,95%CI:-0.11,-0.03) were factors  associated with anti-epileptic medication adherence. Conclusion: The results suggest that the mean score of adherence to antiepileptic drugs was poor as compared to other settings. Antiepileptic  medication adherence screening tool should be included in the patient’s treatment protocol

Nurses’ Knowledge, Attitude, and Influencing Factors regarding Physical Restraint Use in the Intensive Care Unit: A Multicenter Cross-Sectional Study

Background. Physical restraint is a common practice in the intensive care units which often result in frequent skin laceration at restraint site, limb edema, restricted circulation, and worsening of agitation that may even end in death. Despite the sensitivity of the problem, however, it is felt that there are nurses’ evidence-based practice gaps in Ethiopia. To emphasize the importance of this subject, relevant evidence is required to develop protocols and to raise evidence-based practices of health professionals. So, this study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitude, and influencing factors of nurses regarding physical restraint use in the intensive care units in northwest Ethiopia. Methods. An institution-based cross-sectional study was maintained from March to September 2019 at Amhara regional state referral hospitals, northwest Ethiopia. A total of 260 nurses in the intensive care units were invited to take part in the study by a convenience sampling technique. The Level of Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of Staff regarding Physical Restraints Questionnaire was used to assess the nurses’ knowledge and attitude. Linear regression analysis was employed to examine the influencing factors of knowledge and attitude. Adjusted unstandardized beta (β) coefficient with a 95% confidence interval was used to report the result of association with a p value < 0.05 statistical significance level. Result. The mean scores of nurses’ knowledge and attitude regarding physical restraint use among critically ill patients were 7.81 ± 1.89 and 33.75 ± 6.50, respectively. These mean scores are above the scale midpoint nearer to the higher ranges which imply a moderate level of knowledge and a good attitude regarding physical restraint. Lower academic qualification and short (<2 years) work experience were associated with lower-level of knowledge, and reading about restraint from any source and taken training regarding restraints were factors associated with a higher knowledge. Diploma and bachelor’s in academic qualification were significantly associated with a negative attitude regarding restraint. Besides, there was a more positive attitude among nurses with a higher level of knowledge and who received training regarding physical restraint use. Conclusion. The nurses working in the intensive care unit had a moderate level of knowledge and a good attitude regarding physical restraint use. So, developing and providing educational and in-service training to the nurses regarding physical restraint are necessary to strengthen the quality of care for critically ill patients

Knowledge, Attitude, and Associated Factors towards Physical Assessment among Nurses Working in Intensive Care Units: A Multicenter Cross-Sectional Study

Introduction. Nurses working in the intensive care unit play an essential role in detecting patients at risk of deterioration through ongoing assessment and action in response to changing health status. Objectives. To assess knowledge, attitude, and associated factors towards physical assessment on critically ill patients among nurses working in the intensive care unit at Amhara regional state referral hospitals, Northwest Ethiopia, 2019. The research hypothesis: there is poor physical assessment knowledge, poor physical assessment attitude, and there are factors that are likely to affect nurses’ knowledge and attitude towards physical assessment providing this care to critically ill patients at Amhara regional state referral hospitals, Northwest Ethiopia, 2019. Methods. Institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 299 nurses from March to September 2019. A convenience sampling method was used. Data were entered by using Epi Info 7.2.2 and analyzed by using STATA 14. The result was computed by descriptive statistics and to explore predictors of knowledge, and attitude linear regression analysis models were fitted, and the adjusted unstandardized beta (β) coefficient at 95% CI was used. A p-value <0.05 was considered significant. Result and conclusion: the knowledge mean scores were 9.93 ± 2.99 [95% CI (9.59, 10.31)]. The proportion of nurse’s knowledge who score above the mean was 167 (55.9%) [95% CI (50.2, 61.5)] and below the mean 132 (44.1%) [95% CI (38.5, 49.8)]. Attitude means scores were 36.85 ± 6.21 [(36.16, 37.51)]. The proportions of nurse’s attitudes who score above the mean were 158 (52.8%) [95% CI (47.5, 58.5)] and below the mean 141 (47.2) [95% CI (41.5, 52.5)]. Regarding predictor variables, being male [β = 0.84, 95% CI (0.16, 1.52)] and taken training [β = 1.85, 95% CI (1.14, 2.56)] were factors positively associated with knowledge, whereas has taken training [β = 4.13, 95% CI (2.82, 5.44)], total years of experience [β = 0.59, 95% CI (0.25, 0.93)], and knowledge [β = 0.92, 95% CI (0.0.72, 1.12)] were factors positively associated with attitude towards physical assessment. Conclusion. Based on the result of this study, the knowledge and attitude towards physical assessment regarding critically ill patients among nurses working in intensive care units were good. Hence, training, educational support services, and awareness are recommended to encourage nurse’s knowledge and attitude towards physical assessment

Magnitude and Determinants of Needlestick and Sharp Injuries among Nurses Working in Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Background. Needlestick and sharp injuries are a big risk to the health of nurses. Every day, nurses face the likelihood that they will injure themselves. Although many injuries will have no adverse effect, the possibility of acquiring infections like hepatitis C virus, hepatitis B virus, and human immunodeficiency virus can cause untold psychological harm. Nurses are in danger of injuries caused by needlestick and sharp instruments in hospitals. Objective. The objective of this study was to assess the magnitude and determinants of needlestick and/or sharp injuries among nurses working at Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 2018. Methods. An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 268 nurses working at Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital from February to March 2018. A stratified random sampling technique was used to select the study participants. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire. A bivariate and multivariate logistic regression model was fitted to spot factors associated with needlestick and/or sharp injury. An adjusted odds ratio with a 95% confidence interval was computed to determine the level of significance. Result. The prevalence of needlestick and/or sharp injuries among nurses was 36.2% (95% CI 30.2%, 42.3%). Presence of contaminated needles and/or sharp materials in the working area (AOR=2.052 (95% CI 1.110, 3.791)), needle recapping after use (AOR=1.780 (95% CI 1.025, 3.091)), working in the pediatric ward (AOR=0.323 (95% CI 0.112, 0.930)), and being female (AOR=0.461 (95% CI 0.252, 0.845)) were significantly associated with needlestick and/or sharp injury at p value of ≤0.05. Conclusion and Recommendation. The proportion of needlestick and/or sharp injury was high among nurses. The safety of nurses depends directly on the degree to which nurses can identify and control the numerous occupational hazards specific to jobs. Thus, working unit specific safety precautions, a safe working environment, and appropriate needle and sharp disposal improve nurses’ safety practices and thereby decrease the injuries

Knowledge and Attitude towards Pain Management among Nurses Working at University of Gondar Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, Northwest Ethiopia

Introduction. Pain is unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual and potential tissue damage. Inadequate pain management has been shown to affect patient outcomes by potentially increasing hospital stay and delaying recovery; thus, the management of pain has major implications for nursing. The study was aimed to identify gaps in knowledge and attitude of nurse’s level of pain management. Objective. This study aimed to assess knowledge and attitude towards pain management among nurses working at University of Gondar comprehensive specialized referral hospital, Northwest Ethiopia, 2019. Methods. Institution-based cross-sectional study was carried out during May 20–30, 2019. A stratified random sampling technique was used to select 422 nurses. Hospital departments were classified into 5 main strata having nearly the same working conditions: (1) Internal Medicine, (2) Pediatrics, (3) Surgical, (4) Outpatient Clinics, and (5) Emergency and Intensive Care Departments. The proportional allocation was taken from each stratum, and then a simple random technique was applied. Descriptive statistics like frequency, mean, median, standard deviation, and percentage were used to describe the distribution of data. Independent samples t-test was used in comparing the gender knowledge and attitude mean score of the nurses towards pain management. One-way ANOVA was also used in determining the differences between knowledge and attitude towards pain management with sociodemographic characteristics at the p=0.05 level of significance. Result. A total of 411 study participants were involved in this study. More than half of the nurses, 225 (58.1%), were males; 308 (79.5%) of them were in the age category of 19–29 years. The magnitude of good knowledge towards pain management among nurses was 66.9% with a mean score of 7.14 (1.74 SD). The magnitude of favorable attitude towards pain management among nurses was 51.7% with a mean score of 49.33 (7.13 SD). Conclusion and Recommendation. This study revealed that nurses working at University of Gondar hospital had good knowledge and a lower level of attitude towards pain management than those reported in previous studies. Thus, the situation demands various educational and quality improvement initiatives that could enhance the nurse‘s knowledge and attitude in the area of pain management

Sleep Quality and Associated Factors among Peoples with Epilepsy Who Have a Follow-Up at Amanuel Mental Specialized Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 2019: An Institutional Based Cross-Sectional Study

Background. Sleep is an active cyclic biological phenomenon and necessary for survival. Individuals who suffer from sleep disturbance are less productive, decreased performance, and negative effects on mental health. Despite there are different studies on sleep quality in Ethiopia, no studies have been conducted on magnitude and predictors of sleep quality among people with epilepsy in the study setting. Objective. To assess sleep quality and associated factors among people with epilepsy who have a follow-up at Amanuel Mental Specialized Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 2019. Method. An institution-based cross-sectional study was employed from May-June 2019. Systematic random sampling following face to face interview technique was employed. Epi-data version 3.1 and SPSS version 25 statistical packages were used for data entry and analysis, respectively. Frequencies, proportions, means, SDs, and cross-tabulations were used to summarize descriptive statistics of the data and tables, texts, and graphs were used for data presentation. To identify association and significant predictor with the outcome variable, binary logistic regression was fitted. The variable which has statistical significance was identified on the basis of p values ≤ 0.05 and AOR with 95% confident intervals. Results. A total of 423 participants have been enrolled to the study with a response rate of 98.1%. The prevalence of poor sleep quality among peoples live with epilepsy was found 65.4% (95% CI: 61.0, 69.9). Being female (AOR=2.94; (95% CI; 1.79, 4.85)), having stress full life events (AOR=2.38; (95% CI; 1.43, 3.97)), nonadherent to AED medication (AOR=1.86; (95% CI; 1.05, 2.78), poly-therapy treatment (AOR=2.24; (95% CI; 1.05, 2.78)), poor seizer control (AOR=2.4; (95% CI; 2.21, 12.46)), comorbid medical illness (AOR=2.6; (95% CI; 1.18, 5.61)), and anxiety (AOR=2.54; (95% CI; 1.52,4.24)) were factors significantly associated with poor sleep quality. Conclusion. This study revealed that more than half of the study participants were found to have poor sleep quality. So, considering the regular assessment of sleep quality and factors associated followed with appropriate intervention is recommended among peoples living with epilepsy

The magnitude of suicidal ideation, attempts and associated factors of HIV positive youth attending ART follow ups at St. Paul's hospital Millennium Medical College and St. Peter's specialized hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 2018.

BACKGROUND:Suicide which is considered a psychiatric emergency, is a serious cause of mortality worldwide. Youth living with HIV/AIDS (YLWHA) have higher rates of suicidal behavior than the general public. This study aimed to assess the magnitude and associated factors of suicide ideation and attempt among the Human Immune deficiency Virus (HIV) positive youth attending anti-retroviral therapy (ART) follow up at St. Paul`s hospital Millennium Medical College and St. Peter`s specialized hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. METHODS:In this cross-sectional study, 413 HIV positive youth were recruited for interviews, using the systematic random sampling technique. The Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI) was used to assess suicide. PHQ-9, the Oslo social support and HIV perceived stigma scale instruments were used to assess the factors. We computed bivariate and multivariable binary logistic regressions to assess factors associated with suicidal ideation and attempt. Statistical significance was declared at P-value <0.05. RESULT:The magnitude of suicidal ideation and attempts were found to be 27.1% and 16.9%, respectively. In the multivariate analysis, female sex (adjusted odd ratio(AOR) = 3.1, 95% CI, 1.6-6.0), family death (AOR = 2.1, 95%CI 1.15-3.85), WHO clinical stage III of HIV (AOR = 3.1 95% CI 1.3-7.35), WHO clinical stage IV of HIV (AOR = 4.76, 95%CI, 1.3-7.35), co-morbid depression (AOR = 7.14, 95%CI, 3.9-12.9), and perceived HIV stigma (AOR = 4.2, 95%CI, 2.27-8.2) were significantly associated with suicidal ideation, whereas female sex (AOR = 4.12, 95%CI, 1.82-9.78), opportunistic infections (AOR = 3.1, 95%CI, 1.6-6.04), WHO clinical stage III of HIV (AOR = 3.1 95%CI 1.24-7.81), co-morbid depression (AOR = 5.6 95% CI, 2.8-11.1), and poor social support (AOR = 3.4, 95%CI, 1.2-9.4) were statistically significant with suicidal attempt. The result suggests that the magnitude of suicidal ideation and attempts among HIV positive youth were high. We recommend that clinicians consider youth with comorbid depression, perceived HIV stigma and poor social support

Health-Related Quality of Life Among Myocardial Infarction Survivors: Structural Equation Modeling Approach

Helen Lamesgin Endalew,1 Bikis Liyew,2 Tilahun Kassew,3 Gebrekidan Ewnetu Tarekegn,4 Ambaye Dejen Tilahun,2 Tesfa Sewunet Alamneh4 1Department of Surgical Nursing, School of Nursing, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia; 2Department of Emergency and Critical Care Nursing, School of Nursing, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia; 3Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia; 4Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Institute of Public Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Gondar, Gondar, EthiopiaCorrespondence: Bikis LiyewDepartment of Emergency and Critical Care Nursing, School of Nursing, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Gondar, P.O.Box 196, Gondar, EthiopiaTel +251932731964Email [email protected]: Myocardial infarction is the fifth leading causes of disability-adjusted life years in low-income countries including Ethiopia. The aim of this study was to construct a hypothetical model to determine the factors affecting the health-related quality of life of myocardial infarction survivors at the cardiac center Ethiopia.Methods: A cross-sectional study design was employed, and 421 myocardial infarction patients were enrolled through consecutive sampling technique from the outpatient clinic at the cardiac center of Ethiopia. The World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF-26 tool was used to assess the problem. It consists of four domains such as physical, psychological, social relationships, and environmental health domains. The structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis was employed using STATA-14 software to examine the relationship between various exogenous and endogenous or mediating variables with overall quality of life.Results: Psychological, physical, environmental health domains and sex had significant association with health-related quality of life (&beta;=0.708, p&lt; 0.001, &beta;= 0.237, p=0.046, &beta;=0.242, p=0.020, and &beta;=0.189, p=0.017, respectively), whereas age had direct, negative association with health-related quality of life (&beta;=&minus; 0.007, p=0.026). Residence and level of education were not directly associated with health-related quality of life. Residence indirectly, negatively influenced health-related quality of life (&beta;= &minus; 0.379, p&lt; 0.001). On the other hand, level of education indirectly, positively affects health-related quality of life (&beta;=i0.133, p&lt; 0.001).Conclusion: Psychological health factors had the most substantial causal effect on health-related quality of life, which was larger than the causal effects of physical and environmental health-related factors. Developing and providing comprehensive interventions are necessary to assess and manage psychological, physical, and environmental health factors and to improve the quality of life in myocardial infarction patients.Keywords: health-related quality of life, myocardial infarction, structural equation model, Ethiopi

Spatial distribution and determinants of alcohol consumption among pregnant women in Ethiopia: Spatial and multilevel analysis.

BackgroundAlcohol consumption during pregnancy is a known contributor to teratogen and causes a range of effects on pregnancy and birth outcomes. This study aimed to investigate the spatial variation and determinants of alcohol consumption among pregnant women in Ethiopia.MethodsA secondary data analysis was conducted using the 2016 Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey data. A total of 1,135 pregnant women were included in the analysis. ArcGIS version 10.7 software was used to explore the spatial distribution of alcohol consumption, and SaTScan version 9.6 was employed to identify the significant spatial clusters of alcohol consumption. A mixed multi-level logistic regression analysis was employed to identify the determinant factors of alcohol consumption during pregnancy.ResultsThe result showed that the prevalence of alcohol consumption during pregnancy was 22.49% (with a 95% CI: 18.18 to 26.17). The spatial analysis showed that the spatial distribution of alcohol consumption significantly varied across the country [Global Moran's I value = 0.30 (PConclusionAlcohol consumption during pregnancy in Ethiopia was high. The spatial distribution of alcohol consumption was significantly varied across the country. Therefore, public health interventions targeting areas with high alcohol consumption are needed for drinking cessation and to prevent poor pregnancy outcomes related to alcohol use

Performance and Stability of Halide Perovskite Solar Cells in Bahir Dar Climatic Conditions

Perovskite solar cells are one of the most promising solar cell technologies, showing rapid development in power conversion efficiency (PCE). In this work, the performance and stability of triple-cation perovskite solar cells under continuous outdoor illumination in Bahir Dar climatic conditions and also the luminescence properties using steady-state photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy has been studied. The work is conducted to study the electrical characterisation of the device under investigation in outdoor testing under ambient conditions to study the open-circuit voltage, short-circuit current density, fill factor, and efficiency of the device and obtained a PCE of above 16%, and a fill factor of above 60% with strong PL peak emission at 757 nm