Optimizing prophylactic antibiotic use among surgery patients in Ethiopian hospitals.

Background: Since 2018, the Ethiopian Ministry of Health (MOH) has been working to institutionalize antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) programs across the country. The US Agency for International Development Medicines, Technologies, and Pharmaceutical Services Program supported Ethiopia's multipronged One Health approach to combat AMR. The objective of this paper was to evaluate the effect of a quality improvement intervention to optimize the use of antimicrobials for surgical prophylaxis.

Substandard and counterfeit antimicrobials: recent trends and implications to key public health interventions in developing countries.

Objective: The objective of this review is to produce evidence on the prevalence and trends in the availability of substandard and counterfeit antimicrobials in the global market and its consequences on key public health interventions in developing countries

Methods: Review of various literatures collected through the internet and other sources. Literature search using PubMed and Medline databases and Google search engine was conducted to identify related publications on the subject. Relevant published and unpublished literature was also consulted as additional source of information.

Strengthening pharmaceutical care education in Ethiopia through instructional collaboration.

Objective: To describe the development, implementation, and initial outcomes of a pharmaceutical care training-of-trainers course developed to assist Ethiopian pharmacy faculty members and graduate students in the development of curriculum and provision of pharmaceutical care services of relevance to this low-income country.

Design: In this collaboration, US and Ethiopian faculty members worked together in a week-long seminar and in hospital ward rounds to develop and offer a course to facilitate faculty members, curricular, and service development in pharmaceutical care in Ethiopia.

Assessment: Assessments were conducted during the seminar, immediately post-seminar, at 3 months post-seminar, and at 1 year post-seminar.

Measuring adherence to antiretroviral treatment in resource-poor settings: the feasibility of collecting routine data for key indicators.

Background: An East African survey showed that among the few health facilities that measured adherence to antiretroviral therapy, practices and definitions varied widely. We evaluated the feasibility of collecting routine data to standardize adherence measurement using a draft set of indicators.

Methods: Targeting 20 facilities each in Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda, in each facility we interviewed up to 30 patients, examined 100 patient records, and interviewed staff.

Measuring adherence to antiretroviral treatment in resource-poor settings: the clinical validity of key indicators.

Background: Access to antiretroviral therapy has dramatically expanded in Africa in recent years, but there are no validated approaches to measure treatment adherence in these settings.

Methods: In 16 health facilities, we observed a retrospective cohort of patients initiating antiretroviral therapy. We constructed eight indicators of adherence and visit attendance during the first 18 months of treatment from data in clinic and pharmacy records and attendance logs.

Antimicrobial activities of some selected traditional Ethiopian medicinal plants used in the treatment of skin disorders.

Hydroalcoholic extracts of eight species of medicinal plants, namely, Acokanthera schimperi (Apocynaceae), Calpurnia aurea (Leguminosae), Kalanchoe petitiana (Crassulaceae), Lippia adoensis (Verbenaceae), Malva parviflora (Malvaceae), Olinia rochetiana (Oliniaceae), Phytolacca dodecandra (Phytolaccaceae) and Verbascum sinaiticum (Scrophulariaceae), traditionally used in the treatment of various skin disorders were screened for antimicrobial activity against different strains of bacteria and fungi which are known to cause different types of skin infections. The tests were carried out using agar well diffusion method at three concentration levels (100, 50 and 25mg/ml) of the crude extracts. The MICs of the crude extracts of Lippia adoensis and Olinia rochetiana were determined by agar dilution method.