The National Research Repository of Uganda - NRU

Welcome to the National Research Repository of Uganda, abbreviated as "NRU". NRU was established in 2021. NRU is a collection of scholarly output by researchers from the UNCST Community, including scholarly articles and books, electronic theses and dissertations, conference proceedings, journals, technical reports and digitised library collections. It is the official Institutional Archive (IA) of UNCST.

Copyright Information:

For information about the publishers' copyright policy on archiving your articles online or in an institutional archive, visit the Sherpa Site at http://www.sherpa.ac.uk/romeo.php The site gives a summary of the permissions normally given as part of each publisher's copyright transfer agreement. If you wish to publish your research findings in the NRU, please contact NRU administrator at admin@uncst.go.ug for details. NRU operates both open access and closed access models. Access to fulltext has been restricted in adherence to the UNCST Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) and Copyrights policies.

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Africa Portal is an online repository of open access library collection with over 3,000 books, journals, and digital documents on African policy issues. This is an initiative by the Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI), Makerere University (MAK), and the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA). Please visit the Africa Portal at http://www.africaportal.org/library.

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Living lab approaches in rural healthcare: a scoping review
(BMJ Publishing Group, 2026-01) Richard Fleet;; Fatoumata Korinka Tounkara;; Rose Joyal ;; Diane Singhroy
Objective Living labs represent a user-centric approach to solving real-world challenges by encouraging active participation of external stakeholders in co-designing the research and innovation process. Highlighted by contextual research and user co-creation, living labs are ideal for addressing the challenges of providing optimal healthcare to patients living in rural and remote regions. Our objective was to synthesise the existing research on the living lab approach in co-designing, developing or implementing a rural healthcare service, clinical intervention or health-related technology.Design Scoping review.Data sources A search was conducted on 10 May 2025, to identify articles from three electronic databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE and CINAHL).Eligibility criteria We included published literature that presented a living lab approach to improve the provision of healthcare services in a rural environment. We excluded articles examining social determinants of health (eg, physical activity and general health promotion) without a direct link to clinical service innovation or healthcare delivery.Data extraction and synthesis We collected data on study methodologies, settings, stakeholders and innovation types. Data extraction was performed by two independent reviewers using a standardised form. We used frequencies and a narrative synthesis to map characteristics, methods and contexts of living lab applications in rural healthcare.Results The search identified a total of 1080 articles and ultimately included 11 articles. Studies were published between 2016 and 2025 and conducted in Canada (n=3), the USA (n=3), Australia (n=2), Guatemala (n=1), Uganda (n=1) and France/Portugal (n=1). Study settings included rural hospitals, regional health networks, Indigenous communities, farming and fishing communities and underserved rural regions. Health issues targeted included cardiovascular disease, diabetes, musculoskeletal conditions, perinatal care, palliative care and infectious disease management. Study methodologies included formalised, theory-driven frameworks (n=4), community-based participatory research (n=4), user- or human-centred design (n=3) and co-design workshops and interviews (n=3). Only one study explicitly used the term ‘living lab’ to describe their innovation.Conclusions Relatively few living lab approaches have been meaningfully applied in rural health. There is a need for greater global diversification, expanded domains of focus and more robust evaluation to fully understand the potential and impact of living labs in rural healthcare.
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Associations of menstrual health with school absenteeism and examination performance among Ugandan secondary school students: A prospective study
(Public Library of Science (PLoS), 2026-01-23) Christopher Baleke;; Levicatus Mugenyi;; Kate A. Nelson ;; Katherine A. Thomas;; Denis Ndekezi;; Jonathan Reuben Enomut;; Connie Alezuyo;; John Jerrim;; Helen A. Weiss
Background Relatively few studies have quantified the amount of school missed due to poor menstrual health, or the impact of poor menstrual health on examination performance. Methods We conducted secondary observational analyses from data nested within a cluster-randomised trial of a menstrual health intervention in 60 Ugandan secondary schools (The trial is registered as ISRCTN45461276). We used baseline data from trial participants in both arms, and endline data from the control arm participants. School absenteeism was estimated as the self-reported number of days absent due to menstruation per month and examination performance was assessed by an independently set assessment by the Uganda National Examination Board. We estimated adjusted incidence rate ratios (aIRR) for associations with school absenteeism, using negative binomial regression adjusted for school-level clustering. We estimated adjusted standardised mean differences (aSMD) in examination scores using mixed-effects linear regression. Results Of the 3312 participants who reported menstruating in the past 6 months at baseline, 323 (9.8%) reported missing at least one day of school per month due to menstruation (mean days missed = 0.30 per month, 95%CI 0.27–0.34). Similarly, of the 1192 participants in the trial control arm seen at endline, 135 (11.3%) reported missing at least one day due to menstruation (mean days missed = 0.31 per month (95%CI 0.27–0.37)). There was evidence that menstrual-related absenteeism and poorer examination performance at endline were both associated with baseline use of inadequate menstrual materials, negative menstrual attitudes, unmet menstrual practice needs, and experience of menstrual-related teasing. In addition, absenteeism due to menstruation was associated with menstrual pain, and poorer examination performance was associated with poorer baseline menstrual knowledge. Conclusion Among Ugandan students, multiple dimensions of menstrual health are associated with school absenteeism and examination performance.
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Interepidemic Rift Valley fever in East Africa: the recent risk landscape and projected impacts of global change
(The royal society publishing, 2026-01-28) Eskew, Evan A;; Clancey, Erin;; Singh, Deepti ;; Situma, Silvia;; Nyakarahuka, Luke;; Njenga, M Kariuki;; Nuismer, Scott L
Rift Valley fever (RVF) is a zoonotic disease that causes sporadic, multi-country epidemics. However, there is limited understanding of RVF virus circulation during interepidemic periods and the potential impacts of global change on interepidemic RVF. To address these knowledge gaps, we built a predictive model using recent interepidemic RVF outbreak data from Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. We then projected interepidemic RVF risk for three future time periods (2021–2040, 2041–2060, 2061–2080) under three global change scenarios representing different trajectories for climate and human population distribution (SSP126, SSP245, SSP370). Our model identified interepidemic RVF risk hotspots in east Kenya, east Tanzania and southwest Uganda. Hydrology was a major driver of disease risk: hotspots emerged in association with lakes and rivers, and risk peaked during May–July following the long rains season (March–May). Projections under global change scenarios suggested that disease risk will generally decrease over time. Nevertheless, owing to expected human population growth, we estimate that > 90 million people in the study region will be exposed to interepidemic RVF by 2061–2080, which is nearly double the historical (1970–2000) estimate of approximately 49 million people. Mitigating the future health impacts of RVF will require increased disease surveillance, prevention and control effort in risk hotspots.
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NATIONAL GUIDELINES FOR RESEARCH INVOLVING HUMANS AS RESEARCH PARTICIPANTS
(Uganda National Council for Science and Technology (UNCST), 2025-09) Uganda National Council for Science and Technology (UNCST)
The Uganda National Council for Science and Technology by virtue of its mandate of research oversight as accorded by the UNCST Act 1990 (CAP 211 as amended) developed National Guidelines for Research Involving Humans as Research Participants-July 2014. The revision of these guidelines was informed by the aspirations in the UN Sustainable Development Goals 2030, the Africa Agenda-2063, Science Technology and Innovation Strategy for Africa (STISA) -2024, The East African Regional Science, Technology and Innovation Policy 2022-2033 and the Uganda Vision 2040. The UNCST appointed a multidisciplinary National Task Force (NTF) to lead the process of revising the 2014 National Guidelines for Research Involving Humans as Research Participants. The NTF reviewed and consulted existing national and international guidelines, relevant regulatory policies and guidelines. The guidance will facilitate conduct of high quality research, ensure safety, protect the rights and welfare of participants and their communities. The guidelines have been revised through consultative stakeholder engagement.
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Effective communication and missed opportunities during family conferences of patients in ICU in Western Uganda
(Springer Nature, 2026-01-21) Atwiine Ashely Mukama;; Brian Turigye;; Atwine Fortunate B
Abstract Background Effective communication in the intensive care unit (ICU), such as conferences between clinicians and family members as surrogate decision–makers, is key since patients frequently lack decision-making capacity because of the severity of their illness. However, there is little evidence about family conferencing, processes and missed opportunities during family conferences from the perspective of family members. This study explored the process, structure and missed opportunities during family conferencing among the family members of patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) of one Regional Referral Hospital in western Uganda. Methods A qualitative study was conducted in the general ICU. Close family members who participated in patient care provided information about the family conferencing procedure. The data were collected via individual interviews, transcribed verbatim and analysed using content analysis as described by Krippendorff. Findings The participants were middle-aged and ranged from 25 to 60 years, with good level of education, and most of them were employed. The generated categories were dichotomized into two sections. The first section explored the factors related to the process linked to readiness and the structure of family conferences. The observations included accidental meetings, which were conducted in unfamiliar places, were attended by an unintegrated disciplinary team, and mostly discussed patients’ values, care and treatment management. Uncertain experiences revealed perceived satisfactory communication to some family members, whereas others reported sadness with missed opportunities in the process of family conferences. Conclusion Family conferences lack adequate preparedness, and family members’ emotions are missed in care. This study recommends that family conferencing protocols be followed to enhance effective communication skills that align with family members’ emotions.