Browsing by Author "Asasira, Justus"

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    Availability and Uptake of Community-Based Rehabilitation and Inclusive Development Services in Southwestern Uganda: Experiences of Children with Spina Bifida, Caretakers and Health Professionals
    (J Cli Ped Chi Res, 2022) Ganshanga, Ambrose; Asasira, Justus
    It is over a decade since services for children with Spina bifida were established in Uganda, which has increased the survival rate after Spina bifida repair through follow-ups. Such children have significant disability and other complications, which damage the central nervous system. The consequences of this are more profound in low-income countries if post-operative and long-term care interventions are not well adhered. This study explored the availability and uptake of community-based rehabilitation and inclusive development services to children with Spina bifida in Southwestern Uganda.
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    A Mobile Health App May Improve Maternal and Child Health Knowledge and Practices among Rural Women with Limited Education in Uganda. A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial
    (JAMIA open, 2022) Musiimenta, Angella; Tumuhimbise, Wilson; Atukunda, Esther C.; Mugaba, Aaron T.; Asasira, Justus; Katusiime, Jane; Zender, Raphael; Pinkwart, Niels; Mugyenyi, Godfrey Rwambuka; Haberer, Jessica E.
    This article describes the impact of a mobile health app (MatHealth App) on maternal and child health knowledge and practices among women with limited education. Pregnant women initiating antenatal care (ANC) were randomized (1:1) to the MatHealth App versus routine care. Participants were followed until 6 weeks after delivery. Questionnaires for assessing knowledge and practices were administered to participants from both arms at baseline and endline. Using logistic regression, we estimated the difference in odds of having maternal health knowledge. We reviewed clinic records to capture maternal health practices. Of the 80 enrolled participants, 69 (86%) completed the study with a median follow-up of 6 months. Women in the MatHealth arm had 8.2 (P ¼ .19), 3.6 (P ¼ .14), and 6.4 (P ¼ .25), respectively higher odds of knowing (1) the recommended gestation period for starting ANC, (2) the recommended number of ANC visits, and (3) the timing and frequency of recommended human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) testing, respectively, compared to those in the routine care arm. All women in the MatHealth App arm exclusively breastfed their babies, and brought them at 6 weeks for HIV testing, compared to the routine care arm. Just over half of the women attended at least 4 prenatal visits across the 2 arms. The main reason for noncompliance to ANC appointments was a lack of transport to the clinic. The app increased knowledge and practices although not reaching statistical significance. Future efforts can focus on addressing social and economic issues and assessing clinical outcomes.
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    A Mobile Health App may Improve Maternal and Child Health Knowledge and Practices among Rural Women with Limited Education in Uganda: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial
    (JAMIA open, 2022) Musiimenta, Angella; Tumuhimbise, Wilson; Atukunda, Esther C.; Mugaba, Aaron T.; Asasira, Justus; Katusiime, Jane; Zender, Raphael; Mugyenyi, Godfrey Rwambuka; Haberer, Jessica E.
    This article describes the impact of a mobile health app (MatHealth App) on maternal and child health knowledge and practices among women with limited education. Pregnant women initiating antenatal care (ANC) were randomized (1:1) to the MatHealth App versus routine care. Participants were followed until 6 weeks after delivery. Questionnaires for assessing knowledge and practices were administered to participants from both arms at baseline and endline. Using logistic regression, we estimated the difference in odds of having maternal health knowledge. We reviewed clinic records to capture maternal health practices. Of the 80 enrolled participants, 69 (86%) completed the study with a median follow-up of 6 months. Women in the MatHealth arm had 8.2 (P = .19), 3.6 (P = .14), and 6.4 (P = .25), respectively higher odds of knowing (1) the recommended gestation period for starting ANC, (2) the recommended number of ANC visits, and (3) the timing and frequency of recommended human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) testing, respectively, compared to those in the routine care arm. All women in the MatHealth App arm exclusively breastfed their babies, and brought them at 6 weeks for HIV testing, compared to the routine care arm. Just over half of the women attended at least 4 prenatal visits across the 2 arms. The main reason for noncompliance to ANC appointments was a lack of transport to the clinic. The app increased knowledge and practices although not reaching statistical significance. Future efforts can focus on addressing social and economic issues and assessing clinical outcomes
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    Public-Private Partnership in Health Care and its Impact on Health Outcomes: Evidence from Ruharo Mission Hospital in South Western
    (SSRN, 2019) Asasira, Justus; Ahimbisibwe, Frank
    Uganda’s government embraced private provision of social services including health care. The involvement of private providers is an indicator that the public facilities are not sufficient enough to meet the high demands of the ever-increasing population. This has been done through partnership arrangements. This paper discusses the impact of Public-Private Partnership (PPP) on health care outcomes of the local population and opportunities for improving health outcomes, challenges facing private providers in a low-income setting like Uganda. This was a qualitative study, data were collected using qualitative methods in January 2017 through interview (using semi-structured questions) at Ruharo Mission Hospital (RMH) administration, health workers, district health office and used a structured questionnaire for patients/clients. This was a nascent study, with a sample size of 22 respondents. The hospital has three departments; Organized Useful Rehabilitation Services (OURS), General Medical Services (GMS) and Eye Department (ED). All the departments of the hospital were represented in this study. The hospital is a Church of Uganda founded, and runs a budget of 5 billion shillings ($ 1,351,351.4) annually, has multiple sources of funding including PHC funding annually and that, health services were delivered adequately to clients. Much as some services were accessed at no costs, other services like eye treatment were found expensive on the side of clients. The hospital’s hybrid mode of delivering health services through outreaches and facility-based services was cherished, however it had no ambulance and relied only on a hospital van. Our study concludes that if private providers are supported under the partnership arrangement, they can adequately deliver services to the clients and decongest the public facilities. We recommend that the government devote more funds to support the hospital through employing more sub-seconded staff, procuring medicines, and ambulances to enable it to subsidize services especially eye treatment and other services not supported under the partnership.