Browsing by Author "Nagendrappa, Prakash B."

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    Differences in Symptom Severity and Quality of Life among Patients with Cancer Using Conventional Therapies with/ without Herbal Medicines in Uganda: A Cross-Sectional Study
    (Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention: APJCP, 2023-09-24) Asiimwe, John Baptist; Nagendrappa, Prakash B.; Jatho, Alfred; Kamatenesi, Maud M.; Atukunda, Esther C.
    Patients with cancer experience numerous symptoms related to cancer and treatment side effects that reduce their quality of life (QOL). Although herbal medicine (HM) is used to manage such symptoms by patients in sub-Saharan Africa, data on patients’ perceived clinical outcomes are limited. We compared differences in QOL and symptom severity between patients with cancer using HM plus conventional therapies (i.e., chemotherapy, hormonal therapy, radiotherapy, surgery) and those using conventional therapies alone. This cross-sectional study included patients with cancer aged >18 years who were consecutively sampled and completed a researcher-administered questionnaire between December 2022 and January 2023. Specifically, data was collected using The European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30) and the MD Anderson Symptom Inventory for Traditional Chinese Medicine (MDASI-TCM). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and chi-square and logistic regression analyses. Of 400 participants (67.5% female), 49% (n=195) used HM plus conventional therapies and 51% (n=205) used conventional therapies alone. Most participants were aged >38 years (73.3%; median age 47 years). A univariate analysis showed the HM plus conventional therapies group had better mean scores for most QOL and symptom severity measures than the conventional therapies alone group. However, only role functioning significantly differed (p=0.046) in the bivariate analysis. There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups after confounder adjustment for all others measures of symptom severity and QOL. HM plus conventional therapies may offer minimal benefits or differences for clinical outcomes among patients with cancer. However, our findings have clinical, research, and public health implications for Uganda and other sub-Saharan African settings.
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    The Meaning of Caring for Patients with Cancer among Traditional Medicine Practitioners in Uganda: A grounded theory approach
    (PLOS Global Public Health, 2023-07-17) Asiimwe, John Baptist; Nagendrappa, Prakash B.; Atukunda, Esther C.; Nambozi, Grace; Ogwang, Patrick E.; Kamatenesi, Maud M.
    Traditional medicine practitioners (TMPs) are a critical part of healthcare systems in many sub-Saharan African countries and play vital roles in caring for patients with cancer. Despite some progress in describing TMPs’ caring experiences in abstract terms, literature about practice models in Africa remains limited. This study aimed to develop a substantive theory to clarify the care provided by TMPs to patients with cancer in Uganda. This study adhered to the principal features of the modified Straussian grounded theory design. Participants were 18 TMPs caring for patients with cancer from 10 districts in Uganda, selected by purposive and theoretical sampling methods. Researcher-administered in-depth interviews were conducted, along with three focus group discussions. Data were analyzed using constant comparative analysis. The core category that represented TMPs’ meaning of caring for patients with cancer was “Restoring patients’ hope in life through individualizing care.” TMPs restored patients’ hope through five main processes: 1) ensuring continuity in the predecessors’ role; 2) having full knowledge of a patient’s cancer disease; 3) restoring hope in life; 4) customizing or individualizing care, and 5) improving the patient’s condition/health. Despite practice challenges, the substantive theory suggests that TMPs restore hope for patients with cancer in a culturally sensitive manner, which may partly explain why patients with cancer continue to seek their services. The findings of this study may guide research, education, and public health policy to advance traditional medicine in sub-Saharan Africa.
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    The Traditional Medicine Practitioner’s Concept of Cancer, Herbal Medicine use and the Patients Perceived Benefits (Clinical outcomes) in Selected Districts of Central Uganda: An Exploratory Study Protocol
    (Research Square, 2021-10-01) Asiimwe, John Baptist; Nagendrappa, Prakash B.; Atukunda, Esther C.; Nambozi, Grace; Ogwang, Patrick E.; Sarki, Ahmed M.; Kamatenesi, Maud M.
    In sub-Saharan Africa, herbal medicine for cancer is dispensed by traditional medicine practitioners (TMPs) to a large extent, who may not have adequate knowledge about the disease and this has been found to contribute to the late presentation of cancer patients to clinics and hospitals leading to poor patient outcomes.