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BACKGROUND: Proper and complete clerkships for patients have long been shown to contribute to correct diagnosis and improved patient care. All sections for clerkship must be carefully and fully completed to guide the diagnosis and the plan of management; moreover, one section guides the next. Failure to perform a complete clerkship has been shown to lead to misdiagnosis due to its unpleasant outcomes, such as delayed recovery, prolonged inpatient stay, high cost of care and, at worst, death. OBJECTIVE: The objectives of the study were to determine the gap in clerkship, the impact of incomplete clerkship on the length of hospital stay, to explore the causes of the gap in clerkship of the patients and the strategies which can be used to improve clerkship of the patients admitted to, treated and discharged from the gynecological ward in Mbale RRH. METHODOLOGY: This was a mixed methods study involving the collection of secondary data via the review of patients' files and the collection of qualitative data via key informant interviews. The files of patients who were admitted from August 2022 to December 2022, treated and discharged were reviewed using a data extraction tool. The descriptive statistics of the data were analyzed using STATA version 15, while the qualitative data were analyzed via deductive thematic analysis using Atlas ti version 9. RESULTS: Data were collected from 612 patient files. For qualitative data, a total of 8 key informant interviews were conducted. Social history had the most participants with no information provided at all (83.5% not recorded), with biodata and vital sign examination (20% not recorded) having the least number. For the patients' biodata, at least one parameter was recorded in all the patients, with the greatest gap noted in terms of recording the nearest health facility of the patient (91% not recorded). In the history, the greatest gap was noted in the history of current pregnancy (37.5% not provided at all); however, there was also a large gap in the past gynecological history (71% not recorded at all), past medical history (71% not recorded at all), past surgical history (73% not recorded at all) and family history (80% not recorded at all). The physical examination revealed the greatest gap in the abdominal examination (43%), with substantial gaps in the general examination (38.5% not recorded at all) and vaginal examination (40.5% not recorded at all), and the vital sign examination revealed the least gap. There was no patient who received a complete clerkship. There was a significant association between clerkships and the length of hospital stay. The causes of the gap in clerkships were multifactorial and included those related to the hospital, those related to the health worker, those related to the health care system and those related to the patient. The strategies to improve the clerkship of patients also included measures taken by health care workers, measures taken by hospitals and measures taken by the government. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION: There is a gap in the clerkships of patients at the gynecological ward that is recognized by the stakeholders at the ward, with some components of the clerkship being better recorded than others, and no patients who received a complete clerkship. There was a significant association between clerkships and the length of hospital stay. The following is the recommended provision of clerkship tools, such as the standardized clerkship guide and equipment for patient examination, continuous education of health workers on clerkships and training them on how to use the available tools, the development of SOPs for patient clerkships, the promotion of clerkship culture and the supervision of health workers.
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Estágio Clínico , Melhoria de Qualidade , Qualidade da Assistência à Saúde , Humanos , Feminino , Adulto , Tempo de Internação/estatística & dados numéricos , Pessoa de Meia-IdadeRESUMO
BACKGROUND: Quarantine has been adopted as a key public health measure to support the control of the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in many countries Uganda adopted institutional quarantine for individuals suspected of exposure to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) to be placed in institutions like hotels and/or hostels of institutions for at least 14 days. This study explored experiences of individuals who underwent institutional quarantine in Uganda to inform measures to increase its effectiveness and reduce its associated negative impact. METHODS: We conducted a qualitative description study using in-depth interviews with 20 purposively selected individuals who had spent time in institutional quarantine facilities. These were mainly phone-based interviews that were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. Electronic data coding was conducted using Atlas.ti 7 software. Thematic content analysis was used to synthesize the findings with similar codes grouped to form sub-themes and ultimately study themes. The findings are presented thematically with typical participant quotes. RESULTS: Study participants spent between 14 to 25 days in institutional quarantine. Four themes emerged describing the experiences of study participants during institutional quarantine, which determined whether participants' experiences were positive or negative. These themes were: quarantine environment including facility related factors and compliance with COVID-19 measures; quarantine management factors of entity paying the costs, communication and days spent in quarantine; individual factors comprising attitude towards quarantine, fears during and post-quarantine and coping mechanisms; and linkage to other services such as health care and post-quarantine follow-up. CONCLUSION: The planning, management and implementation of the quarantine process is a key determinant of the experiences of individuals who undergo the measure. To improve the experience of quarantined individuals and reduce its associated negative impact, the pre-quarantine process should be managed to comply with standards, quarantined persons should be provided as much information as possible, their quarantine duration should kept short and costs of the process ought to be minimised. Furthermore, quarantine facilities should be assessed for suitability and monitored to comply with guidelines while avenues for access to healthcare for the quarantined need to be arranged and any potential stigma associated with quarantine thoroughly addressed.
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COVID-19/prevenção & controle , Quarentena/psicologia , Adulto , Feminino , Humanos , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Pesquisa Qualitativa , UgandaRESUMO
Introduction: To support COVID-19 containment measures, several countries implemented quarantine protocols. This study determined the level of compliance to COVID-19 quarantine measures, associated factors, and lessons learnt in institutional quarantine management in Uganda. Methods: This concurrent mixed methods study involved a cross-sectional survey among individuals who were in institutional quarantine and interviews with key informants, who were reached mostly through phone calls. Univariate, bivariate, and multivariable analysis were conducted to analyse quantitative data while qualitative data were analysed thematically with the aid of Atlas ti 7. Results: Compliance with quarantine measures at the individual level was moderate at 65.4 %. Factors associated with high compliance with measures were: older age (above 40 years) [APR = 1.30 (95 % CI: 1.04-1.63)], spending 14-15 days in quarantine [APR = 1.39 (95 % CI: 1.00-1.92)] and reporting a high Ministry of Health compliance [APR = 1.33 (CI: 1.11-1.58)]. The positive factors included the availability of guidelines, inspection of facilities and training of personnel. The challenges were related to long turnaround time for results and provision of personal protective equipment (PPE). Conclusion: Efforts to improve training, supervision and inspection of facilities, and provision of adequate PPE would improve compliance with quarantine measures.
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It is unclear if there are any differences in the ways men and women perceive partner support in the context of family planning. The USAID-funded Social and Behavior Change Activity (SBCA) in Uganda explored male versus female priorities in the decision-making considerations and preferred measures of partner support related to family planning. Data were from a cross -sectional nationally representative telephone survey of 1177 men and women aged 18-49 years old in sexual partnerships. Key measures included current family planning use (Are you or your partner currently doing anything to prevent or delay becoming pregnant?); family planning decision-making considerations (In your experience, which of the following are the three most important considerations as you make family planning decisions?); and preferred partner support (What level of involvement would you like to see from your partner in your family planning decisions?). Multivariable logistic regressions explored factors associated with decision-making priorities and preferred partner support, adjusting for sociodemographic confounders. Two-thirds (66%) of men and women wanted a high level of involvement from their partner, which was associated with higher odds of using family planning (aOR: 2.46, 95% CI: 1.87-3.24). Specific ways partners could be involved included accompanying them to health services (39%), permitting them to get family planning services (26%), and jointly discussing family planning options (23%). Of note, more women wanted their partner to accompany them (45%) than men (33%) while more men (29%) wanted to jointly discuss options than women (15%). Social and behavior change interventions should operationalize partner support differently for men and women. Study findings were used to implement a health campaign that explicitly encouraged partner dialogue and support across the various life stages; empowering women with knowledge and skills to have honest conversations with their partners about birth spacing and timing.
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INTRODUCTION: In Uganda and Zambia, both supply- and demand-side factors hamper availability of long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs), including implants and intrauterine devices (IUDs), at public sector facilities. This paper discusses results of a program aimed at increasing access to and uptake of LARC services in public sector facilities through capacity building of government health workers, strengthening government supply chains, and client mobilization. METHODS: From 2018-2021, the Ministries of Health (MOHs) in Uganda and Zambia and Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) worked to increase readiness to provide LARC services within 51 focal facilities in Uganda and 85 focal facilities in Zambia. Annual facility assessments of LARC-related resources were conducted and routine service delivery data were monitored. RESULTS: At baseline, few focal facilities had supplies and skilled staff to provide LARC services. At endline, over 90% of focal facilities in both countries had a provider trained to provide both implants and IUDs and 55% had the commodities and equipment needed for implant provision. In Uganda and Zambia, respectively, 65% and 38% of focal facilities had commodities and equipment for IUD provision at endline. Both programs observed significant increases in the number of implants provided at focal facilities; in Uganda implant volumes increased five-fold from 4,560 at baseline to 23,463 at endline, and in Zambia implant volumes increased nearly four-fold from 1,884 at baseline to 7,394 at endline. Uganda did not observe growth in IUD volumes, whereas Zambia observed significantly increased IUD service volumes from 251 at baseline to 3,866 at endline. CONCLUSIONS: Public sector facilities can be rapidly and sustainably capacitated to provide LARCs when both catalytic and systems strengthening interventions are deployed for health worker capacity building, supply chain management, and community mobilization to ensure client flow. Investments should be intentionally sequenced and coordinated to generate a virtuous cycle that enables continued LARC service provision.