Browsing by Author "Semakula, Daniel"

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Challenges in Research and Community Engagement During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Resource-Limited Settings: Qualitative Analysis with Epidemic Preparedness Implications
    (2023-03-30) Kaawa-Mafigiri, David; Muyomba, Dickson; Kisakye, Irene Sheila; Semakula, Daniel; Sewankambo, Nelson K.
    When WHO declared the SARS-CoV-2 respiratory virus pandemic in 2020, Uganda was unprepared to prevent and control its spread and severe impact on peoples’ lives including management of COVID-19 patients. We planned to conduct a community engagement and risk communication (CERC) trial during the pandemic but before implementation we conducted a baseline study. A community baseline face-to-face mixed-methods study with quantitative survey and qualitative research (in-depth interviews, key informant interviews, focus group discussions, and household conversations) was implemented in 15 parishes (6 and 9 in Kawempe and Nakawa divisions respectively) of Kampala Capital City Authority, Uganda. We employed a multistage sampling strategy that allocated parishes and villages based on their proportional contribution to the overall population for the planned subsequent CERC trial. The baseline study, was conducted during the pandemic from July 2020 to February 2021. The 852 respondents with median age 32 years (IQR 25-42), majority were females (n=610, 73·05%), and household heads (n=391, 46·5%) followed by spouses of household heads (n=305, 36·1%) and children (n=68, 8%). Most were low-income earners and others middle-income workers. Some had tertiary education (n=206, 24·2%), ordinary level (n=195, 23·3%), primary education (n=201, 24·01%), and no formal education (n=142, 16%). Conducting research and community engagement had many challenges, categorized into three main interrelated domains: a) scientific process implementation challenges b) those associated with the social, cultural, and political context of the research, and c) budgetary and funding inadequacies. The lessons learned from the conduct of community engagement and community research during the COVID-19 pandemic should become a cornerstone for preparedness for the next severe epidemic or pandemic. The practical application of key concepts like CE, risk communication, conventional qualitative research methods must be examined to make them more applicable and responsive during complex and dynamic infectious disease epidemics and pandemics.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Interventions and assessment tools addressing key concepts people need to know to appraise claims about treatment effects: a systematic mapping review
    (Systematic reviews, 2016-12-29) Austvoll-Dahlgren, Astrid; Nsangi, Allen; Semakula, Daniel
    People’s ability to appraise claims about treatment effects is crucial for informed decision-making. Our objective was to systematically map this area of research in order to (a) provide an overview of interventions targeting key concepts that people need to understand to assess treatment claims and (b) to identify assessment tools used to evaluate people’s understanding of these concepts. The findings of this review provide a starting point for decisions about which key concepts to address when developing new interventions, and which assessment tools should be considered.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Treatment success rate among adult pulmonary tuberculosis patients in sub- Saharan Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis
    (BMJ open, 2019-08-20) Izudi, Jonathan; Semakula, Daniel; Sennono, Richard; Tamwesigire, Imelda K.; Bajunirwe, Francis
    To summarise treatment success rate (TSR) among adult bacteriologically confirmed pulmonary tuberculosis (BC-PTB) patients in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, Google Scholar and Web of Science electronic databases for eligible studies published in the decade between 1 July 2008 and 30 June 2018. Two independent reviewers extracted data and disagreements were resolved by consensus with a third reviewer. We used random-effects model to pool TSR in Stata V.15, and presented results in a forest plot with 95% CIs and predictive intervals. We assessed heterogeneity with Cochrane’s (Q) test and quantified with I-squared values. We checked publication bias with funnel plots and Egger’s test. We performed subgroup, meta-regression, sensitivity and cumulative meta-analyses.