Pattern and predictors of medicine use among households in Gondar Town, northwestern Ethiopia: a community-based medicine utilization study

Abstract

BackgroundMedicine use can be influenced by several factors. Health managers need specific information about irrational use of medicines, in order to identify opportunities to enhance rational use of medicines in their communities. This study aimed to assess the pattern and factors associated with household medicine use in Gondar town, northwestern Ethiopia.MethodsAn interviewer-administered cross-sectional survey was conducted on 771 households, carried out between 5 April and 6 May 2015. The questionnaire contained items focusing on different aspects of medicine use in the households. The analysis involved descriptive summary and binary logistic regression test, which assessed association of independent variables with medicine use.ResultsOf the households interviewed, 22.4% (173/771) disclosed the presence of at least one chronic disease in the family; while 49.2% reported the use of medicine in the one month prior to the study. Almost all of the households (92.6%) reported a habit of discontinuing medicines, and 17.8% disclosed a practice of sharing medicines with household members and others. Level of education, presence of health professionals, and individuals with chronic illness in the households were linked to increased likelihood of reporting medicine use. Discarding leftover medicines with garbage (56.7%) was the principal means of disposal reported by the households.ConclusionsA high proportion of reported medicine use, together with problems such as sharing with other people and leaving medicines unfinished were found among the households in the study.

Use of Herbal Medicine by Pregnant Women: What Physicians Need to Know

“…The most commonly used HMs were ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe), chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla L.), peppermint (Mentha piperita L.), Echinacea [Echinacea purpurea (L.) Moench], cranberry (Vaccinium oxycoccus L. and Vaccinium macrocarpum L.), garlic (Allium sativum L.), raspberry (Rubus idaeus L.), valerian (Valeriana officinalis L.), fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.), fennel (Foeniculum vulgare Mill. ), herbal blends, and teas including green and black teas [Camellia sinensis (L.) Kuntze] (Adams et al, 2009;Hall et al, 2011;Kennedy et al, 2013;John and Shantakumari, 2015;Teni et al, 2017). Herbal products (e.g., ginger, garlic, and various herbal teas) were frequently used by pregnant women worldwide, while others were region-specific.…”

“…HMs may be used sometimes as a part of maternal care to treat pregnancy-related problems, and often to improve the well-being of the mother or unborn child. The most commonly reported indications were nausea and vomiting, urinary tract infections (UTIs), preparation for and/or facilitation of labor, cold or flu, gastrointestinal issues, pain conditions, improvement of fetal outcomes, prevention of miscarriage, anxiety, health maintenance, and edema (Hall et al, 2011;Kennedy et al, 2013;John and Shantakumari, 2015;Teni et al, 2017). The most common herbal products consumed during pregnancy and their indications are described in Table 1.…”

“…In Eastern European countries, HM use was more prevalent among younger pregnant women (less than 20 years) (Kennedy et al, 2013). In African and Asian regions, women who use HMs during pregnancy were less than 30 years old, with little or no formal education, of low socioeconomic status, and living in rural areas far from public health facilities (John and Shantakumari, 2015;Teni et al, 2017).…”

“…The majority of pregnant women relied extensively on family members, relatives, and friends in their decisions to use HMs during pregnancy (Kennedy et al, 2013;John and Shantakumari, 2015). Other essential referral sources, particularly in Africa, were traditional birth attendants, local herb sellers, and herbalists (Teni et al, 2017). In developed nations, the media was one of the supporting sources in the decision regarding HM use during pregnancy (Hall et al, 2011).…”

The role of antibiotic misuse when treating pneumonia in Somali regional state in Ethiopia: safety and efficacy awareness

“…It is important to design a new approach that can improve the quality control for medicines utilised in the region and which will enhance the quality of antibiotic usage within the community. 18 Regular training about the negative effect of unfinished medication and its exposure to the environment is important. In an attempt to reduce the prevalence of unfinished medication we aim to request the pharmacist or drug shop attendee to give patients who complete their medication a reward such as an activity, discount or draw prize and anyone who destroys medication in the environment will face negative consequence such as a small fine.…”