Browsing by Author "Nakate, Grace"

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    Assessing Nurse Educators' Competencies for Adopting Blended Learning in the Skills labs in Uganda's Public Nursing Schools
    (RA Journal of Applied Research, 2024-09-05) Nampiima, Eva Kakonge; Mulumba, Mathias Bwanika; Musisi, Badru; Nakate, Grace
    Blended learning has become an integral part of nursing education, offering a blend of online and face-to-face instruction that enhances learning experiences, particularly within skills labs. However, the effectiveness of blended learning largely depends on the competencies of nurse educators in utilizing digital tools and methodologies. This study assessed the competencies of nurse educators in Uganda's public nursing schools concerning blended learning adoption. Data was collected from 40 randomly selected nursing educators in 4 public nursing schools in Uganda. The findings indicate significant inadequacies: only 25% are proficient with Learning Management Systems (LMS) like Moodle, 20% can effectively use platforms like Zoom and Microsoft Teams for synchronous sessions, 30% are adept at using social media platforms such as WhatsApp and YouTube for informal learning and networking, and merely 12.5%are proficient in using television videos as supplementary educational resources. These results highlight a critical need for targeted professional development and training programs to enhance the digital competencies of nurse educators. Addressing these gaps is essential for the effective implementation of blended learning, ultimately aiming to improve the quality of nursing education in Uganda and foster the development of skilled nursing professionals
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    Examining nursing practices for management of sepsis in low income countries: the case of Uganda
    (The World of Critical Care Nursing, 2018) Aliga, Cliff; Mutyabule, Judith; Nakate, Grace; Emelonye, Abigail
    A large amount of information about best practice standards in sepsis management is available for healthcare professionals; however, implementation and adherence to practice guidelines recommended by the Surviving Sepsis Campaign remains low in low income countries. A formal scope of practice for nursing and midwifery as a professional guideline is absent and national clinical guideline for Uganda remains unclear regarding the specific management of sepsis.Inadequate documentation of patient care in Uganda makes sepsis cases difficult to be early detected.Research evidence regarding sepsis management remainsscarce in Uganda. Adopting SSC guidelines without appropriate adaptation for the local context contributes problems, especially in LICs where necessary resources are limited.
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    The Nursing Documentation Dilemma in Uganda: Neglected but Necessary. A Case Study at Mulago National Referral Hospital
    (Open Journal of Nursing, 2015) Nakate, Grace; Dahl, Diane; Petrucka, Pammla; Drake, Karen B.
    In Uganda, nursing documentation still remains a challenge, in most of the government hospitals and some private hospitals, it remains at a manual (non-technology driven) level and omissions have been observed. Nurses continue to capture standard elements in their documentation. A mixed methods intervention study was conducted to determine knowledge and attitudes of nurses towards documentation, including an evaluation of nurses’ response to a designed nursing documentation form. Forty participants were selected through convenience sampling from six wards of a Ugandan health institution. The study intervention involved teaching nurses the importance of documentation and using of the trial documentation tool. Pre- and post-testing and open-ended questionnaires were used in data collection. The results from the close-ended questions were presented in the previous publication; the responses from the open-ended questions would then be presented. The open-ended questions regarding comments about the nursing documentation process and suggestions about the process of implementing the nursing documentation system in the ward units were considered. All participants were provided the opportunity to provide personal comments, reflections, or stories of their experiences with documentation in patient care. A thematic analysis approach was used during data analysis. The results showed that the participants had positive attitude towards documentation of patient care, but they had constraints limiting them to document, they reflected issues concerning the perceived pressure from the administrations and support to document. The study findings have implication that there is need for organizational support and to have multisite studies and extension of the documentation tool.
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    Strengthening health facilities for maternal and newborn care: experiences from rural eastern Uganda
    (Global health action, 2015) Namazzi, Gertrude; Waiswa, Peter; Nakakeeto, Margaret; Nakibuuka, Victoria K.; Namutamba, Sarah; Najjemba, Maria; Namusaabi, Ruth; Tagoola, Abner; Nakate, Grace; Ajeani, Judith; Peterson, Stefan; Byaruhanga, Romano N.
    In Uganda maternal and neonatal mortality remains high due to a number of factors, including poor quality of care at health facilities.This paper describes the experience of building capacity for maternal and newborn care at a district hospital and lower-level health facilities in eastern Uganda within the existing system parameters and a robust community outreach programme. This health system strengthening study, part of the Uganda Newborn Study (UNEST), aimed to increase frontline health worker capacity through district-led training, support supervision, and mentoring at one district hospital and 19 lower-level facilities. A once-off supply of essential medicines and equipment was provided to address immediate critical gaps. Health workers were empowered to requisition subsequent supplies through use of district resources. Minimal infrastructure adjustments were provided. Quantitative data collection was done within routine process monitoring and qualitative data were collected during support supervision visits. We use the World Health Organization Health System Building Blocks to describe the process of district-led health facility strengthening.Seventy two per cent of eligible health workers were trained. The mean post-training knowledge score was 68% compared to 32% in the pre-training test, and 80% 1 year later. Health worker skills and competencies in care of high-risk babies improved following support supervision and mentoring. Health facility deliveries increased from 3,151 to 4,115 (a 30% increase) in 2 years. Of 547 preterm babies admitted to the newly introduced kangaroo mother care (KMC) unit, 85% were discharged alive to continue KMC at home. There was a non-significant declining trend for in-hospital neonatal deaths across the 2-year study period. While equipment levels remained high after initial improvement efforts, maintaining supply of even the most basic medications was a challenge, with less than 40% of health facilities reporting no stock-outs.Health system strengthening for care at birth and the newborn period is possible even in low-resource settings and can be associated with improved utilisation and outcomes. Through a participatory process with wide engagement, training, and improvements to support supervision and logistics, health workers were able to change behaviours and practices for maternal and newborn care. Local solutions are needed to ensure sustainability of medical commodities.
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    Strengthening Health fFacilities for Maternal and Newborn Care: experiences from rural eastern Uganda
    (Global Health Action, 2015-03-31) Namazzi, Gertrude; Waiswa, Peter; Nakakeeto, Margaret; Nakate, Grace; Byaruhanga, Romano N.
    In Uganda maternal and neonatal mortality remains high due to a number of factors, including poor quality of care at health facilities. This paper describes the experience of building capacity for maternal and newborn care at a district hospital and lower-level health facilities in eastern Uganda within the existing system parameters and a robust community outreach programme. This health system strengthening study, part of the Uganda Newborn Study (UNEST), aimed to increase frontline health worker capacity through district-led training, support supervision, and mentoring at one district hospital and 19 lower-level facilities. A once-off supply of essential medicines and equipment was provided to address immediate critical gaps. Health workers were empowered to requisition subsequent supplies through use of district resources. Minimal infrastructure adjustments were provided. Quantitative data collection was done within routine process monitoring and qualitative data were collected during support supervision visits. We use the World Health Organization Health System Building Blocks to describe the process of district-led health facility strengthening. Seventy two per cent of eligible health workers were trained. The mean post-training knowledge score was 68% compared to 32% in the pre-training test, and 80% 1 year later. Health worker skills and competencies in care of high-risk babies improved following support supervision and mentoring. Health facility deliveries increased from 3,151 to 4,115 (a 30% increase) in 2 years. Of 547 preterm babies admitted to the newly introduced kangaroo mother care (KMC) unit, 85% were discharged alive to continue KMC at home. There was a non-significant declining trend for in-hospital neonatal deaths across the 2-year study period. While equipment levels remained high after initial improvement efforts, maintaining supply of even the most basic medications was a challenge, with less than 40% of health facilities reporting no stock-outs. Health system strengthening for care at birth and the newborn period is possible even in low-resource settings and can be associated with improved utilisation and outcomes. Through a participatory process with wide engagement, training, and improvements to support supervision and logistics, health workers were able to change behaviours and practices for maternal and newborn care. Local solutions are needed to ensure sustainability of medical commodities.
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    Unit Knowledge and Practice of Emergency Nursing Interventions at a Tertiary Public Cardiac Health Center in Uganda
    (International Journal of Critical Care, 2022-09-18) Namukwaya, Harriet; Aliga, Cliff Asher; Nakate, Grace; Mutyabule, Judith
    Research suggests that many of the millions of deaths and long-term disabilities resulting from acute cardiovascular events and other emergency conditions are preventable if effective emergency care services were readily available. Effective emergency care requires trained and competent staff, including registered nurses. Most educational pathways do not adequately prepare nurses to deliver sensitive health care services for those with acute illness and injury. This includes Uganda, where few capacity-building initiatives have targeted emergency nursing care delivery, leading to knowledge and practice gaps. This study aimed to assess emergency nursing knowledge and clinical practice at a tertiary public cardiac health facility in Uganda. This was a single-center, descriptive cross-sectional survey of a convenience sample of nurses working in the emergency department. A total of 49 emergency care nurses completed the survey (response rate of 81.6%). Among the participants, 75.5% were females, 65.3% had a bachelor's degree, 28.6% had Basic Life Support training, and 12.2% were certified in Advanced Cardiac Life Support. Additionally, 75% of the respondents had low proficiency in assessing critically ill patients, 100% could not perform safety checks, 50% could not maintain patent airways or complete patient handover, and only 50% could connect a patient to a defibrillator. We report that the most significant gap in nurse-provided emergency care is the application of practical skills. Capacity-building initiatives are required to improve the knowledge and practice of nurses in emergency care delivery.