Publications by authors named "Wandabwa J"

Article Synopsis
  • In Uganda, many women want to postpone future pregnancies, but the use of postpartum family planning (PPFP) is low, particularly regarding postpartum long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs).
  • A qualitative study involving interviews and discussions with postpartum women, partners, and health workers was conducted to investigate the behavioral factors influencing LARC usage in Eastern Uganda.
  • Key findings revealed issues such as women’s lack of knowledge and misconceptions about LARCs, limited health worker capabilities, men's reluctance to engage in family planning decisions, and the need for improved education and support to boost PPFP uptake.
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Background: Preterm birth is the leading cause of childhood mortality, and respiratory distress syndrome is the predominant cause of these deaths. Early continuous positive airway pressure is effective in high-resource settings, reducing the rate of continuous positive airway pressure failure, and the need for mechanical ventilation and surfactant. However, most deaths in preterm infants occur in low-resource settings without access to mechanical ventilation or surfactant.

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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.

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Article Synopsis
  • Secondary peritonitis is a significant cause of sepsis globally, particularly in resource-limited areas like Uganda, prompting a study to assess bacterial infections and susceptibility among surgical patients.
  • Conducted at Hoima Regional Referral Hospital, the study involved 126 patients, identifying that 45.2% had secondary peritonitis, with Escherichia coli and Klebsiella spp being the most common bacteria isolated.
  • Results indicated that certain antibiotics, like Imipenem and Amikacin, were effective against these infections, and males or those presenting late after symptom onset were more likely to have secondary peritonitis, emphasizing the need for early medical attention.
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Background: Simulation is a new pedagogical method in Africa that underscores the need to operationalize it and generate context-specific scholarship regarding clinical simulation in Africa. Despite the superior learning outcomes of using simulation in medical education, its use in developing countries is often limited, compounded by limited scholarship on simulation especially relevant to an African context. The research aimed to explore perceptions surrounding the use of simulation among undergraduate students.

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Introduction: Experiences regarding the use of simulation in low-resource settings like Uganda where it has not taken root have not been explored. The purpose of the study was to explore the experiences of students, clinical staff, and faculty regarding the use of clinical simulation in teaching undergraduate students.

Materials And Methods: The study was conducted at Busitema and Lira Universities in Uganda.

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Background: Over two million children and adolescents suffer from chronic kidney disease globally. Early childhood insults such as birth asphyxia could be risk factors for chronic kidney disease in later life. Our study aimed to assess renal function among children aged two to four years, born to women with obstructed labour.

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Article Synopsis
  • A study at Busitema University assessed the prevalence of alcohol and substance use among 658 undergraduate students, finding that 40.3% had consumed alcohol and 11.2% had used other substances.
  • Recent alcohol use was linked to being in romantic relationships, while having chronic medical conditions offered some protection, and males were significantly more likely to use other substances compared to females.
  • The findings highlight the need for universities to create interventions targeting students at risk of alcohol and substance use, especially in the wake of COVID-19.
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Background: The resolution of hypertension, proteinuria and AKI postpartum among women with preeclampsia is not well documented in Uganda.

Objective: To determine the time to resolution of hypertension, proteinuria and AKI postpartum until 6 weeks among women with preeclampsia in Mulago Hospital, Uganda.

Methods: Between August 2017 and April 2018, we measured blood pressure, urine protein and serum creatinine on days 1,7,21 and 42 postpartum among 86 women with preeclampsia.

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Objective: To assess the effect of an integrated intervention package compared with routine government health services on the frequency of health facility births.

Setting: Three subcounties of Lira district in Northern Uganda.

Design: A cluster randomised controlled trial where a total of 30 clusters were randomised in a ratio of 1:1 to intervention or standard of care.

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Background: Globally, high systolic blood pressure accounts for 10.8 million deaths annually. The deaths are disproportionately higher among black people.

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Introduction: pregnancy related lumbopelvic pain, which refers to low back pain and pelvic girdle pain, is a common musculoskeletal disorder affecting quality of life. The purpose of this study was to establish the prevalence and the factors associated with lumbopelvic pain among pregnant women in their third trimester.

Methods: four hundred and nineteen pregnant women were included in this institutional-based cross-sectional study.

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Introduction: Traditional on-site missions of plastic surgeons from "high-income countries" in "low- and middle-income countries" are often limited in time and lack proper follow-up. Regular digital collaboration could lead to a more impactful and durable exchange of knowledge for plastic surgeons and residents in both settings.

Aims: The aim of this study was to evaluate the satisfaction of the first twelve months of weekly digital meetings, explore advantages/disadvantages, and to provide tools for similar initiatives.

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Introduction: The decision to delivery interval is a key indicator of the quality of obstetric care. This study assessed the decision to delivery interval for emergency cesarean sections and factors associated with delay.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study between October 2022 and December 2022 in the labor ward at Mbale regional referral hospital.

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Background: Over two million children and adolescents suffer from chronic kidney disease globally. Early childhood insults such as birth asphyxia could be risk factors for development of chronic kidney disease in infancy. Our study aimed to assess renal function among children aged two to four years, born to women with obstructed labour.

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Introduction: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common and life-threatening complication of major trauma. Recognition is often delayed and management is frequently sub-optimal. We determined the incidence, risk factors and immediate outcomes of AKI in patients with major trauma at Mulago National Referral Hospital.

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Background: In high resource settings, lactate and pH levels measured from fetal scalp and umbilical cord blood are widely used as predictors of perinatal mortality. However, the same is not true in low resource settings, where much of perinatal mortality occurs. The scalability of this practice has been hindered by difficulty in collecting fetal scalp and umbilical blood sample.

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Background: Infections are one of the leading causes of death in the neonatal period. This trial aims to evaluate if the provision of alcohol-based hand rub (ABHR) to pregnant women for postnatal household use prevents severe infections (including sepsis, diarrhoea, pneumonia, or death) among infants during the first three postnatal months.

Methods: Through a cluster-randomised trial in eastern Uganda, 72 clusters are randomised in a 2-arm design with rural villages as units of randomisation.

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Over 250 million infants in low and middle-income countries do not fulfill their neurodevelopment potential. In this study, we assessed the incidence and risk factors for neurodevelopmental delay (NDD) among children born following obstructed labor in Eastern Uganda. Between October 2021 and April 2022, we conducted a cohort study of 155 children (aged 25 to 44 months), born at term and assessed their neurodevelopment using the Malawi Developmental Assessment Tool.

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Introduction: In Uganda, 12% of the audited maternal deaths occur among teenagers. The prevalence and factors associated with teenage pregnancy in health facilities is not well documented. We determined the prevalence and factors associated with teenage pregnancy in Mbale Regional Referral Hospital.

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Background: Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) is associated with increased mortality among severely burned patients. According to World Health Organization (WHO) 11 million people suffer from burns worldwide and burns contribute to 180,000 deaths yearly. Majority of these burns occur in the Low and Middle-Income Countries.

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Background: Over the last decade, progress in reducing maternal mortality in Rwanda has been slow, from 210 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2015 to 203 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2020. Access to quality antenatal care (ANC) can substantially reduce maternal and newborn mortality. Several studies have investigated factors that influence the use of ANC, but information on its quality is limited.

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Introduction: A continuum of maternal care approach can reduce gaps and missed opportunities experienced by women and newborns. We determined the level of coverage and factors associated with the continuum of maternal care in Uganda.

Methods: We used weighted data from the Uganda Demographic and Health Survey (UDHS) 2016.

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Background: Over the last decade, Uganda has registered a significant improvement in the utilization of maternity care services. Unfortunately, this has not resulted in a significant and commensurate improvement in the maternal and child health (MCH) indicators. More than half of all the stillbirths (54 per 1,000 deliveries) occur in the peripartum period.

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Background: In Uganda, the incidence and determinants of perinatal death in obstructed labour are not well documented. We determined the incidence and determinants of perinatal mortality among women with obstructed labour in Eastern Uganda.

Methods: Between July 2018 and September 2019, 584 with obstructed labour were recruited and followed up to the 7th day postnatal.

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