Background: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is a serious public health problem costing the lives of many people including healthcare workers worldwide. Ethiopia is one of the most seriously affected countries in sub-Saharan Africa, with a large number of people who are living with HIV/AIDS and AIDS-related deaths. Prevention of the virus transmission through the appropriate utilization of post exposure prophylaxis is one of the major strategies. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the utilization of postexposure prophylaxis (PEP) among victims of HIV at the University of Gondar Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, northwest Ethiopia. A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted from May 17, 2018, to May 24, 2018 and descriptive statistics were carried out to analyze the Data using SPSS version 20. Results: From a total of 309 patients PEP was prescribed during the study period, of whom 239 (77.34%) were occupational victims and 55 (17.8%) were rape victims, with one missing data. Occupational victims were exposed by blood and blood product splashes and nurses and physicians were exposed almost equally, 14.24% and 13.92%, respectively. The majority of the victims were exposed at a health facility. Two hundred and eighty-five (92.23%) victims received prescriptions containing three-drug regimens, tenofovir + lamivudine + efavirenz, followed by 9 victims (2.91%) with two-drug regimens; zidovudine + lamivudine. There are no follow-up mechanisms as a result the completion rate and the outcome of PEP was not determined. Conclusion: PEP was initiated within 72 hr, most within 24 hr. The adherence was unknown with poor follow-up despite the strong recommendations of the national and WHO guidelines.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.