Browsing by Author "Atuhairwe, Christine"

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    Assessment Of The Diagnostic Performance Of Truehb Point-Of-Care Hemometer Compared With Sysmex I3 Analyzer Among Patients At International Hospital Kampala, Uganda
    (Journal of blood medicine, 2019) Taremwa, Ivan Mugisha; Ndeze, Ivan; Mwambi, Bashir; Atuhairwe, Christine; Achieng, Diana Inda; Natukunda, Bernard
    To assess the diagnostic performance of TrueHb® point-of-care (POC) hemometer compared with Sysmex i3 analyzer at International Hospital Kampala, Uganda.We analyzed ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid blood samples to estimate hemoglobin (Hb) levels using parallel testing with TrueHb® hemometer and Sysmex i3 analyzer. Data were analyzed to ascertain the diagnostic performance of the test assays using the Bland and Altman method. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values were calculated.The study enrolled 402 patients; of these, 156 (38.8%) were males. The average Hb levels were 8.7±1.8 and 13.3±2.6 g/dL for the anemic and nonanemic patients, respectively. One hundred and fifty-five participants were anemic, giving anemia prevalence of 38.56% (95% CI: 35.17–40.38). The mean difference of the TrueHb® and Sysmex i3 assays was 2.2219 (SD 1.07915), and the two devices did not show a difference in their measurements (t=−2.407, p-value 0.017, 95% CI: −0.095–0.010). Further, they showed a significant level of agreement (t=41.281; 95% CI: 2.1161–2.3277) and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC=0.793). The sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values were 100.00%, 51.01%, 55.16% and 100.00%, respectively. The average performance turnaround time (TAT) for the TrueHb® hemometer was 2.46 mins (95% CI: 2.37–2.55). TrueHb® POC hemometer is an accurate POC for Hb estimation with a good performance agreement with the Sysmex i3 analyzer. This, coupled with its utility aspects, makes it a good diagnostic tool in a high anemia burden and low-resource setting.
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    High uptake of COVID-19 vaccines among healthcare workers in urban Uganda
    (Public Library of Science, 2024-04) Kyakuwa, Nasimu; Kimbugwe, Geofrey; Nakanjako, Flavia; Kalute, Hamza; Mpooya, Simon; Atuhairwe, Christine; Perez, Laurent; Kikaire, Bernard
    The aim of the study was to describe the facilitators, barriers to and level of uptake of COVID-19 vaccines among healthcare workers in primary healthcare facilities in an urban setting in Uganda. We conducted a cross-sectional study among HCWs in private and public health facilities in Entebbe municipality between July 2021 and August 2021. Data was collected using a structured questionnaire that was shared, via an online link, to consented participants. Uptake of the vaccines among healthcare workers was analysed as proportions, and logistic regression was used to analyse barriers and facilitators to uptake of COVID-19 vaccines. The study enrolled 360 participants, with 61.7% (n = 222) females. A total of 236 (65.6%) healthcare workers had received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, with higher uptake among females 64% (n = 151). Age above 40 years (OR 2.16), working in a government healthcare facility (OR 3.12), participating in COVID-19 vaccine related activities (OR 4.62), and having tested for SARS-COV-2 (OR 3.05) increased the odds of having been vaccinated. Working in small roadside clinics reduced the odds of being vaccinated by almost 70%, while HCWs in government health services were 3.1 times more likely to have been vaccinated. History of having cared for a COVID-19 patient and having a positive SARS-COV-2 test result did not influence the uptake of the vaccines in the study population. Vaccine uptake among HCWs was close to the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommended uptake of 70% by mid-2022.
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    Risk perception and usage of non-occupational post-exposure prophylaxis among fisherfolk in Ggulwe parish on the shores of Lake Victoria in central Uganda
    (Frontiers Media S.A., 2023-11) Bahikire, Daraus; Nanyingi, Miisa; Atuhairwe, Christine; Matama, Catherine; Ninsiima, Lesley Rose; Bbuye, Mudarshiru
    Abstract BackgroundThe use of non-occupational post-exposure prophylaxis (nPEP) to prevent HIV acquisition among those exposed as an approach to HIV prevention has expanded in Uganda. Although there are increased efforts to avail nPEP services among most at-risk populations, the usage of nPEP medicines remains low. Therefore, this study examined the risk perception and usage of non-occupational post-exposure prophylaxis (nPEP) among fisherfolk in the Ggulwe fishing parish, Bussi sub-county, Wakiso district.MethodsA cross-sectional study among adults was carried out from October 2020 to January 2021 in Ggulwe parish, Bussi sub-county, Wakiso district, to examine the usage of nPEP and factors influencing the usage. Data were collected using semi-structured questionnaires, and key informants' interviews were conducted among healthcare providers and the local leadership. The quantitative data were summarized using bivariate and multivariate logistic regression, while the qualitative data were analyzed thematically to enrich the quantitative results.ResultsOverall, 248 fisherfolk encountered an event that required the use of nPEP, and of these, 55/248 (22.2%) were able to use nPEP to prevent them from acquiring HIV. The usage of nPEP among adults in the Bussi sub-county, Wakiso district, was associated with not knowing that HIV can be prevented using nPEP medicines (AOR:0.1, 95% CI 0.03–0.36, p < 0.001), lack of knowledge of the existence of nPEP (AOR: 0.3, 95% CI 0.13–0.76, p = 0.01), the perception that nPEP can effectively prevent HIV infection after exposure (AOR 0.0586, 95% CI: 0.0177–0.1944, p < 0.001), and the community's opinion affecting the willingness to take nPEP (AOR 0.1924, 95% CI: 0.0380–0.9727, p = 0.0462).ConclusionThe usage of nPEP among fisherfolk was low (22.2%). The low usage of nPEP was associated with a lack of knowledge and awareness about nPEP. This effort to improve the usage of nPEP should include community sensitization and HIV infection prevention using nPEP to raise awareness about HIV infection exposures and the risk of HIV infection during non-occupational exposures.