Browsing by Author "Jayaraman, Sudha"

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Epidemiology of injuries presenting to the national hospital in Kampala, Uganda: implications for research and policy
    (International journal of emergency medicine, 2010) Hsia, Renee Y.; Ozgediz, Doruk; Mutto, Milton; Jayaraman, Sudha; Kyamanywa, Patrick; Kobusingye, Olive C.
    Despite the growing burden of injuries in LMICs, there are still limited primary epidemiologic data to guide health policy and health system development. Understanding the epidemiology of injury in developing countries can help identify risk factors for injury and target interventions for prevention and treatment to decrease disability and mortality. Aim To estimate the epidemiology of the injury seen in patients presenting to the government hospital inKampala, the capital city of Uganda. Methods A secondary analysis of a prospectively collected database collected by the Injury Control Centre-Uganda at the Mulago National Referral Hospital, Kampala, Uganda, 2004-2005. Results From 1 August 2004 to 12 August 2005, a total of 3,750 injury-related visits were recorded; a final sample of 3,481 records were analyzed. The majority of patients (62%) were treated in the casualty department and then discharged; 38% were admitted. Road traffic injuries (RTIs) were the most common causes of injury for all age groups in this sample, except for those under 5 years old, and accounted for 49% of total injuries. RTIs were also the most common cause of mortality in trauma patients. Within traffic injuries, more passengers (44%) and pedestrians (30%) were injured than drivers (27%). Other causes of trauma included blunt/penetrating injuries (25% of injuries) and falls (10%). Less than 5% of all patients arriving to the emergency department for injuries arrived by ambulance. Conclusions Road traffic injuries are by far the largest cause of both morbidity and mortality in Kampala. They are the most common cause of injury for all ages, except those younger than 5, and school-aged children comprise a large proportion of victims from these incidents. The integration of injury control programs with ongoing health initiatives is an urgent priority for health and development.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Key Aspects of Health Policy Development to Improve Surgical Services in Uganda
    (World journal of surgery, 2010) Luboga, Sam; Galukande, Moses; Mabweijano, Jacqueline; Ozgediz, Doruk; Jayaraman, Sudha
    Recently, surgical services have been gaining greater attention as an integral part of public health in lowincome countries due to the significant volume and burden of surgical conditions, growing evidence of the cost effectiveness of surgical intervention, and global disparities in surgical care. Nonetheless, there has been limited discussion of the key aspects of health policy related to surgical services in low-income countries. Uganda, like other low-income sub-Saharan African countries, bears a heavy burden of surgical conditions with low surgical output in health facilities and significant unmet need for surgical care. To address this lack of adequate surgical services in Uganda, a diverse group of local stakeholders met in Kampala, Uganda, in May 2008 to develop a road map of key policy actions that would improve surgical services at the national level. The group identified a list of health policy priorities to improve surgical services in Uganda. The priorities were classified into three areas: (1) human resources, (2) health systems, and (3) research and advocacy. This article is a critical discussion of these health policy priorities with references to recent literature. This was the first such multidisciplinary meeting in Uganda with a focus on surgical services and its output may have relevance to health policy development in other low income countries planning to improve delivery of surgical services
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Surgery and Anesthesia Capacity-Building in Resource-Poor Settings: Description of an Ongoing Academic Partnership in Uganda
    (World journal of surgery, 2013) Lipnick, Michael; Mijumbi, Cephas; Dubowitz, Gerald; Kaggwa, Samuel; Goetz, Laura; Mabweijano, Jacqueline; Jayaraman, Sudha; Kwizera, Arthur; Tindimwebwa, Joseph; Ozgediz, Doruk
    Surgery and perioperative care have been neglected in the arena of global health despite evidence of cost-effectiveness and the growing, substantial burden of surgical conditions. Various approaches to address the surgical disease crisis have been reported. This article describes the strategy of Global Partners in Anesthesia and Surgery (GPAS), an academically based, capacity-building collaboration between North American and Ugandan teaching institutions. Methods The collaboration’s projects shift away from the trainee exchange, equipment donation, and clinical service delivery models. Instead, it focuses on three locally identified objectives to improve surgical and perioperative care capacity in Uganda: workforce expansion, research, collaboration. Results Recruitment programs from 2007 to 2011 helped increase the number of surgery and anesthesia trainees at Mulago Hospital (Kampala, Uganda) from 20 to 40 and 2 to 19, respectively. All sponsored trainees successfully graduated and remained in the region. Postgraduate academic positions were created and filled to promote workforce retention. A local research agenda was developed, more than 15 collaborative, peer-reviewed papers have been published, and the first competitive research grant for a principal investigator in the Department of Surgery at Mulago was obtained. A local projects coordinator position and an annual conference were created and jointly funded by partnering international efforts to promote collaboration