School of Health Sciences (Health-Sciences) Collection
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ItemPrevalence, perceptions and factors influencing use of online pharmacy services among staff and resident students at Makerere University(Makerere University, 2024)Background: The use of online platforms (e.g. phone calls, SMS, websites) to provide pharmaceutical products and services has significantly increased over the past decade in Uganda. This practice took a center stage during the COVID-19 pandemic where movements were restricted making it an integral portal for health care provision. A study done in Uganda on the extent of provision and regulation of online pharmacy services found that there are no regulations currently on this practice. This makes these services not streamlined therefore limiting the full harnessing of potential benefits by the public. Aim: This study aimed to determine and document the prevalence of use, perceptions and factors influencing resident students and staff of Makerere University to utilize online pharmacy services. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study design in which the Kish Leslie formula was used to determine the sample population of staff and resident students. Proportionate sampling was also done on the student population to get the number of respondents to be sampled in each hall of residence. The staff were selected by convenience sampling. A physical questionnaire was used to collect data. The data was analyzed descriptively using frequencies and percentages while P-values were used to evaluate association between independent variables and the dependent variables. Results: In total, 241 resident students and 144 staff participated in the study. The findings revealed a moderate adoption of online pharmacy services, with 36.1% of respondents having previously purchased medicines online. Awareness of online pharmacy services was high (86.8%), but did not translate to frequent use. Respondents perceived online pharmacy services as safe and reliable (80.3%), but concerns about quality of care (45.6%), trust (42.1%), and lack of counselling (40.8%) were raised. Demographic characteristics such as age (p=0.035), education level (p=0.029) and online shopping behavior (p <0.001) significantly affect the use of online pharmacy services. Respondents > 35 years of age, those with a high level of education and those who generally shopped online where more likely to purchase medicines online. Gender and occupation had no significant association with using online pharmacy services. Based on the results, the significant factors that influence use of online pharmacy services included; Low cost of delivery (OR=1.967, 95% CI: 1.220, 3.171, P=0.006), ease of ordering medicines (OR=2.678, p=0.005), and having a permanent condition that limits their ability to visit a regular pharmacy (OR=1.156, p=0.045).
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ItemAcademic performance of undergraduate students before and after the introduction of online learning in Makerere University(Makerere University, 2026-01)Introduction. The abrupt shift to online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic posed significant challenges to higher education, particularly in resource-limited setting. Makerere university implemented online learning as an alternative to traditional instruction. This study aimed to assess the impact of this transition on the academic performance of undergraduate students in the College of Health Sciences. Methodology. A retrospective comparative study was conducted using data from 124 students across two cohorts: 2015/16(physical class) and 2020/21(online class). Academic performance was measured using cumulative grade point averages (CGPAs) obtained from the academic registrar’s office. An independent samples t-test was used to assess differences in performance before and after the adoption of online learning. Additionally, multiple regression analyses were employed to identify factors associated with performance in the two classes. Results. The findings revealed no statistically significant difference in academic performance between the two classes (p = .267). In both learning periods, sponsorship (p = 0.001 and p = 0.030 in the physical class and online class respectively) emerged as a significant predictor of academic performance. Students who were government-sponsored tended to perform better than their privately-sponsored counterparts. Conclusion. The transition to online learning did not significantly affect the overall academic performance of undergraduate students. However, the mode of sponsorship played a critical role in both learning periods, suggesting that socioeconomic factors may influence academic success in both learning environments. Addressing these disparities is essential to ensure equity in education.
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ItemAssessment of the impact of the electronic medical records system on medicines and health supplies management in Masindi District Hospital(Makerere University, 2025)Effective management of drugs and medical supplies is a critical component of healthcare delivery, influencing patient outcomes and operational efficiency in healthcare facilities. In recent years, the implementation of Electronic Medical Records (EMR) systems has transformed various aspects of hospital management, including inventory control, prescription accuracy, and overall resource utilization. By examining the integration of digital records into the hospital’s supply chain processes, the research sought to determine whether the adoption of EMR contributed to improved inventory tracking, reduction in stock-outs, and enhanced drug management practices. Through this assessment, the study provides insights into the strengths and challenges of EMR systems in resource-limited settings, offering recommendations for improving healthcare service delivery. The objective of this study was to ascertain the impact of the electronic medical records system on inventory management of medicines and health supplies in Masindi district hospital. This was a cross-sectional study that employed a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative analysis before and after EMR implementation with qualitative interviews of healthcare staff involved in the management of drugs and supplies. The data obtained was analyzed using Non-parametric methods using STATA to ascertain the impact of EMR system on drug and supplies management. In this study, the ease to use EMR was significantly associated with a reduction of the stockout of critical drugs p-value 0.019**. It was further revealed that the reduction of Human errors by EMR was significantly associated with the reduction on stock out of critical drugs p-value 0.031**. In this study, it was revealed that EMR was significantly associated with a reduction of stock out of significant drugs at Masind hospital p-value 0.029. Respondents further revealed that the training was not sufficient. EMR has been adopted by staff and it has caused a big impact in the management of the inventory at Masindi Hospital. Sometimes EMR system slows down and loses some inventory data entries. EMR use is challenged by the system being slow, power outages and poor interoperability. The EMR user training that was carried out at Masindi hospital was insufficient. EMR software should be routinely upgraded to cater for system internal challenges. Staff should be continuously trained on EMR use to improve on their competence. Masindi hospital should consider buying a power backup to support the EMR servers from load shedding and loss of data
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ItemKnowledge, attitude and perception about eye health among TB patients visiting the OPD Mulago National Referral Hospital, Kampala District, Uganda(Makerere university, 2023)Globally, more than 1.7 billion people are estimated to be infected with TB, it is the leading cause of death from a single infectious agent and a leading cause of death among persons with immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. It is important to recognize ocular TB as a clinical manifestation of extra pulmonary TB. A timely diagnosis can lead to early initiation of anti- tuberculosis therapy (ATT) and prevent poor patient outcomes. To assess the knowledge, attitude and perception of eye health among TB patients visiting theOPD at Mulago national referral hospital. This was a quantitative study targeting TB patients attending the OPD at Mulago national referral hospital, Kampala district, Uganda aged 18 years and above. Simple random sampling method was used to select the study participants and 266 patients were recruited. A questionnaire was used in data collection process. Data analysis was done using SPSS data analysis tool. Data collection commenced after approval by the school of health sciences research and ethics committee at Makerere University (MakSHSREC) and informed consent was obtained from TB patients attending the OPD at Mulago national referral hospital before their participation in thestudy. A total of 266 TB patients participated in the study giving a response rate of 100%. Most of the respondents were male (63.5%) ranging in the age category of 26-39(41.7%). For the marital status, majority of the respondents were single (68%) and belonging to the Christianity religion (45.5%). From the findings, majority of the respondents 72.6% indicated that they hardly seek for eye care services, 27.4% indicated that they sometimes seek for them and none of the TB patients indicated that he always or frequently seek for these services. In both time durations, majority of the respondents indicated that they have never experienced such eye conditions symptoms especially blurry vision, floaters/flashes and decreased side vision. From the findings, majority of the respondents 45.5% agreed that someone can lose sight due to eye TB involvement while 18% did not know, 41% of the respondents disagreed that they could identify an eye TB sufferer by sight while 27.1% indicated that they did not know, 36.5% agreed that everyone should be concerned about eye involvement of TB when symptoms are severe while 9% indicated they did not know, 59% agreed that any person is in danger of getting eye TB involvement while 9% indicated they did not know, 77.4% strongly agreed that eye TB awareness helps one to avoid developing it, 59% strongly agreed that one could only know that they have eye TB involvement after seeing an eye specialist and 68.4% strongly agreed that ocular TB could be prevented. The research study revealed limited awareness and understanding of ocular tuberculosis among tuberculosis (TB) patients attending the Outpatient Department at Mulago National Referral Hospital. The majority of respondents indicated that they had hardly ever heard of ocular involvement of TB and had not experienced visual changes since starting TB medication. However, ocular manifestations of TB, including conditions such as uveitis and episcleritis, can lead to a decrease in vision and other eye complications. To conclude, addressing the gaps in knowledge, promoting regular eye care visits, and improving interdisciplinary collaboration are crucial for preventing and managing ocular tuberculosis effectively among TB patients attending the Mulago National Referral Hospital
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ItemPrevalence and factors associated with khat chewing among the youth in Arua City Northern Uganda(Makerere university, 2025)Khat (Catha edulis) is an ever- green plant which is widely cultivated and consumed in East Africa and Middle East. Cathinone and cathine are the biochemically active ingredients in Khat which are basically alkaloid chemicals resembling the psychoactive substance of Amphetamine both structurally and functionally. Chewing the fresh green leaves of Khat tree is the most used method of Khat consumption globally. It’s estimated that 20 million people in Arabian Peninsula and East Africa including Uganda chew Khat on daily basis with majority being the youth. People chew Khat for various reasons such as; enhanced efficiency at work and school, some chew Khat just to pass time, socialization, and recreation. Objective: To determine the prevalence and factors associated with Khat chewing among the youth in Arua City. Methods: A cross-sectional quantitative study design was employed, utilizing a self-administered questionnaire for data collection among the youth in Arua city, Northern Uganda. A proportionate size of 315 youth between 18-35 years and reside in Arua city who consented to participate in the study were selected. The data collected, entered in excel and exported to SPSS software for analysis. Results: The prevalence of Khat chewing among the youth in Arua city, Northern region was at 19.7% At bivariate level, Chi2 tests indicated that; age Family influence cultural norms and social responsibility, abuse of other drugs and Peer pressure (p<0.05) were factors associated with Khat chewing among the youth in Arua city, Northern Uganda. At multivariate level, logistic regression indicated that only age, peer pressure and cultural norms, social acceptability were factors associated with Khat chewing among the youth in Arua city (p<0.05). The prevalence of Khat chewing among the youth in Arua city, Northern region, was still higher. The factors associated with Khat chewing among the youth in Arua city, Northern Uganda were age, peer pressure, family influence, abuse of other drugs, cultural norms and social acceptability. Public health officers and other stakeholders in Arua city, Northern Uganda should conduct trainings specifically to teach youth especially those in school about the impacts/risks associated with Khat chewing and further the government should enforce laws and regulations related to drug use and restrict access to drugs through enforcement of drug control policy and severe penalties for those who supply these illicit drugs