Lloyd Matowe

Matowe has focused on various aspects of pharmaceutical systems, including capacity development, policy analysis, pharmacovigilance, rational use of medicines, supply chain management, procurement, and quality assurance.^[1]

Matowe has researched healthcare policies and their implementation throughout his career. In a highly cited collaborative study, he reviewed guideline development and implementation strategies, assessing their effectiveness and costs, and proposed a framework for efficient guideline introduction, emphasizing the need for further research in healthcare decision-making.^[5] He also evaluated the quality of interrupted time series (ITS) designs in implementation research, revealing common methodological flaws and advocating for enhanced standards.^[6]

Matowe investigated the high prevalence of self-medication with antibiotics and antimalarials in Khartoum State, Sudan, identifying socio-economic factors associated with this behavior and highlighting its implications for public health policy.^[7] In a similar study conducted in Kuwait, he observed high self-medication rates among adolescents, with pain relief being the most common, and parents serving as the main source of medication information.^[8] He further assessed hypertension medication access and non-compliance in Ghana, revealing that 93% of patients interviewed were non-compliant, mainly due to unaffordable drug prices.^[9]

Matowe's work on clinical pharmacotherapy focused on therapeutic research and healthcare quality improvement. One of his early studies investigated the correlation between thiopurine methyltransferase genotype and azathioprine toxicity in rheumatic disease patients, proposing its potential for predicting and mitigating acute adverse effects.^[10] In another collaborative study published in The Lancet, he assessed strategies to decrease radiological test requests by general practitioners. The findings revealed that incorporating educational reminders led to a reduction of about 20% in requests, whereas audit and feedback showed minimal impact, resulting in only a 1% decrease.^[11]

Matowe explored approaches to improve supply chain management effectiveness in Africa.^[12] In Liberia, he worked on improving pharmacy education by developing a new curriculum with a supply chain management focus and appointing a Dean.^[13]

• Black, A. J., McLeod, H. L., Capell, H. A., Powrie, R. H., Matowe, L. K., Pritchard, S. C., ... & Reid, D. M. (1998). Thiopurine methyltransferase genotype predicts therapy-limiting severe toxicity from azathioprine. Annals of internal medicine, 129(9), 716–718.
• Eccles, M., Steen, N., Grimshaw, J., Thomas, L., McNamee, P., Soutter, J., Wilsdon, J., Matowe, L., ... & Bond, S. (2001). Effect of audit and feedback, and reminder messages on primary-care radiology referrals: a randomised trial. The Lancet, 357(9266), 1406–1409.
• Ramsay, C. R., Matowe, L., Grilli, R., Grimshaw, J. M., & Thomas, R. E. (2003). Interrupted time series designs in health technology assessment: lessons from two systematic reviews of behavior change strategies. International journal of technology assessment in health care, 19(4), 613–623.
• Grimshaw, J. M., Thomas, R. E., MacLennan, G., Fraser, C. R. R. C., Ramsay, C. R., Vale, L. E. E. A., ... & Donaldson, C. (2004). Effectiveness and efficiency of guideline dissemination and implementation strategies. Health technology assessment, 8(6).
• Awad, A., Eltayeb, I., Matowe, L., & Thalib, L. (2005). Self-medication with antibiotics and antimalarials in the community of Khartoum State, Sudan. J Pharm Pharm Sci, 8(2), 326–331.
• Mudenda, S., Chomba, M., Chabalenge, B., Hikaambo, C. N. A., Banda, M., Daka, V., ... & Matafwali, S. (2022). Antibiotic prescribing patterns in adult patients according to the WHO AWaRe classification: a multi-facility cross-sectional study in primary healthcare hospitals in Lusaka, Zambia. Pharmacology and Pharmacy, 13(10), 379–392.