Preferred techniques of hair harvest for medical testing among adult pulmonary TB patients.

Background: Antiretroviral hair drug levels are currently being used to monitor adherence to HIV treatment. There is currently a dearth of literature on the preferred technique(s) of hair harvest for medical testing in the context of African multicultural settings.

Objective: To explore the preferred techniques(s) of hair harvest for medical testing among TB patients.

Acceptability of hair harvest as a method of tuberculosis therapeutic drug monitoring among adult pulmonary TB patients: a qualitative study.

Background: The current six months regimen for drug-susceptible tuberculosis (TB) is long, complex, and requires adherence monitoring. TB hair drug level assay is one innovative approach to monitor TB treatment adherence however, its acceptability in the context of African multi-cultural settings is not known.

Objective: To determine the acceptability of hair harvest and testing as a TB therapeutic drug monitoring method.

Practices and attitudes of herbalists regarding informed consent in Uganda: A qualitative study.

Background: Informed consent (IC) is a fundamental principle in medical ethics that upholds respect for patient autonomy. Although widely applied in healthcare, its feasibility and implementation in herbal medicine have been underexplored. This study therefore aimed to explore the practices and attitudes of herbalists regarding informed consent.

A qualitative study of the development and utilization of health facility-based immunization microplans in Uganda.

Background: In 2006, Uganda adopted the Reaching Every District strategy with the goal of attaining at least 80% coverage for routine immunizations in every district. The development and utilization of health facility/district immunization microplans is the key to the strategy. A number of reports have shown suboptimal development and use of microplans in Uganda.

Level of education and preferred language of informed consent for clinical research in a multi-lingual community.

Background: Low education levels and language barriers present challenges in obtaining informed consent for clinical research.

Objective: To describe and correlate the association between the level of education and the participant's preferred language of consent.

Design: Descriptive-analytical cross-sectional study.

HIV counseling and testing practices among clients presenting at a market HIV clinic in Kampala, Uganda: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Uptake of HIV counseling and testing (HCT) among informal sector workers is not well documented.

Objective: To assess HCT practices among clients presenting for HIV services at a market HIV clinic in Kampala, Uganda.

Methods: Between August 1 and September 15, 2009, clients presenting for HIV services at a market HIV clinic were invited to participate in the study.

Hazardous alcohol consumption is not associated with CD4+ T-cell count decline among PLHIV in Kampala Uganda: A prospective cohort study.

Introduction: There is limited data on the effects of alcohol on immunological response among persons living with HIV (PLHIV) in sub-Saharan Africa. We assessed the relationship between hazardous alcohol use and CD4+ T-cell count, among PLHIV in Uganda.

Methods: PLHIV aged ≥ 18 years were enrolled in a cohort study at the Infectious diseases clinic Kampala, Uganda.

Linking communities to formal health care providers through village health teams in rural Uganda: lessons from linking social capital.

Background: Community-based programmes, particularly community health workers (CHWs), have been portrayed as a cost-effective alternative to the shortage of health workers in low-income countries. Usually, literature emphasises how easily CHWs link and connect communities to formal health care services. There is little evidence in Uganda to support or dispute such claims.

Efficacy of a Single, Brief Alcohol Reduction Intervention among Men and Women Living with HIV/AIDS and Using Alcohol in Kampala, Uganda: A Randomized Trial.

We evaluated the efficacy of a brief motivational intervention (MI) counseling in reducing alcohol consumption among persons living with HIV/AIDS in Kampala, Uganda. Persons living with HIV/AIDS with Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Tool (AUDIT) score ≥3 points were randomized to either standardized positive prevention counseling alone or in combination with alcohol brief MI counseling. The mean change in AUDIT-C scores over 6 months was compared by treatment arm.

Undergraduate students' contributions to health service delivery through community-based education: A qualitative study by the MESAU Consortium in Uganda.

Background: It has been realised that there is need to have medical training closer to communities where the majority of the population lives in order to orient the trainees' attitudes towards future practice in such communities. Although community based education (CBE) has increasingly been integrated into health professions curricula since the 1990s, the contribution students make to service delivery during CBE remains largely undocumented. In this study, we examined undergraduate health professions students' contribution to primary health care during their CBE placements.

Traditional birth attendants (TBAs) as potential agents in promoting male involvement in maternity preparedness: insights from a rural community in Uganda.

Background: Since the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development, male involvement in reproductive health issues has been advocated as a means to improve maternal and child health outcomes, but to date, health providers have failed to achieve successful male involvement in pregnancy care especially in rural and remote areas where majority of the underserved populations live. In an effort to enhance community participation in maternity care, TBAs were trained and equipped to ensure better care and quick referral. In 1997, after the advent of the World Health Organization's Safe Motherhood initiative, the enthusiasm turned away from traditional birth attendants (TBAs).

Selection and performance of village health teams (VHTs) in Uganda: lessons from the natural helper model of health promotion.

Background: Community health worker (CHW) programmes have received much attention since the 1978 Declaration of Alma-Ata, with many initiatives established in developing countries. However, CHW programmes often suffer high attrition once the initial enthusiasm of volunteers wanes. In 2002, Uganda began implementing a national CHW programme called the village health teams (VHTs), but their performance has been poor in many communities.

Sex-related alcohol expectancies and high-risk sexual behaviour among drinking adults in Kampala, Uganda.

Alcohol consumption, a risk factor for HIV transmission in sub-Saharan Africa, is considered high in Uganda. A cross sectional study was conducted to determine whether sex-related expectations about the effects of alcohol explain the association between alcohol use and risky sexual behaviours in a population-based sample of adults in Kampala. Associations between alcohol use (current and higher risk drinking) and high-risk sexual behaviours (multiple regular partners and casual sex) were tested.

Alcohol Consumption among HIV-Infected Persons in a Large Urban HIV Clinic in Kampala Uganda: A Constellation of Harmful Behaviors.

Introduction: Alcohol use by persons living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) negatively impacts the public health benefits of antiretroviral therapy (ART). Using a standardized alcohol assessment tool, we estimate the prevalence of alcohol use, identify associated factors, and test the association of alcohol misuse with sexual risk behaviors among PLWHA in Uganda.

Methods: A cross-section of PLWHA in Kampala were interviewed regarding their sexual behavior and self-reported alcohol consumption in the previous 6 months.

Level of understanding of co-trimoxazole use among HIV infected, recurrent pulmonary tuberculosis suspects at a national referral tuberculosis clinic in Kampala, Uganda: a qualitative analysis.

Background: Co-trimoxazole use is the standard of care for preventing Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia in sub-Saharan Africa but implementation remains slow. Co-trimoxazole is self- administered with uncertain adherence. Knowledge of co-trimoxazole use among HIV infected persons is unknown.

Medical Education for Equitable Services for All Ugandans (MESAU) consortium: development and achievements.

Purpose: In 2011, five medical schools in Uganda formed the Medical Education for Equitable Services for All Ugandans consortium to address the medical education challenges in meeting the nation's health needs. In this paper, the authors document the development and achievements of this unique collaboration to transform medical education in Uganda.

Method: A longitudinal qualitative study employed anthropological techniques to examine the proposed idea and development of the consortium, the experiences of consortium members, and the successes and challenges encountered during its first three years (2011-2013).

Improving knowledge translation in Uganda: more needs to be done.

Introduction: Meeting the health-related Millennium Development Goals in Africa calls for better access to and higher utilisation of quality evidence. The mechanisms through which research evidence can effectively guide public health policy and implementation of health programmes are not fully understood. Challenges to the use of evidence to inform policy and practice include the lack of a common understanding of what constitutes evidence and limited insight on the effectiveness of different research uptake activities.

Aetiology of pulmonary symptoms in HIV-infected smear negative recurrent PTB suspects in Kampala, Uganda: a cross-sectional study.

Introduction: Previously treated TB patients with pulmonary symptoms are often considered recurrent TB suspects in the resource-limited settings, where investigations are limited to microscopy and chest x-ray. Category II anti-TB drugs may be inappropriate and may expose patients to pill burden, drug toxicities and drug-drug interactions.

Objective: To determine the causes of pulmonary symptoms in HIV-infected smear negative recurrent pulmonary tuberculosis suspects at Mulago Hospital, Kampala.

Determinants of clinician knowledge on aging and HIV/AIDS: a survey of practitioners and policy makers in Kampala District, Uganda.

Objective: The HIV/AIDS epidemic has evolved with an increasing burden in older adults. We assessed for knowledge about aging and HIV/AIDS, among clinicians in Kampala district, Uganda.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey of 301 clinicians complemented by 9 key-informant interviews between May and October 2011.

Research, evidence and policymaking: the perspectives of policy actors on improving uptake of evidence in health policy development and implementation in Uganda.

Background: Use of evidence in health policymaking plays an important role, especially in resource-constrained settings where informed decisions on resource allocation are paramount. Several knowledge translation (KT) models have been developed, but few have been applied to health policymaking in low income countries. If KT models are expected to explain evidence uptake and implementation, or lack of it, they must be contextualized and take into account the specificity of low income countries for example, the strong influence of donors.

Task shifting for tuberculosis control: a qualitative study of community-based directly observed therapy in urban Uganda.

This qualitative study of task shifting examined tuberculosis (TB) therapy under modified community-based directly observed treatment short-course (CB-DOTS) in Kampala, Uganda. New TB patients selected one of two strategies: home-based DOTS and clinic-based DOTS. Relevant socio-economic characteristics, treatment-seeking experiences and outcomes were assessed over eight months of follow-up.

Learning health professionalism at Makerere University: an exploratory study amongst undergraduate students.

Background: Anecdotal evidence shows that unprofessional conduct is becoming a common occurrence amongst health workers in Uganda. The development of appropriate professional values, attitudes and behaviors is a continuum that starts when a student joins a health professional training institution and as such health professionals in training need to be exposed to the essence of professionalism. We sought to explore undergraduate health professions students' perceptions and experiences of learning professionalism as a preliminary step in addressing the problem of unprofessional conduct amongst health workers in Uganda.