Browsing by Author "Soita, David Jonah"

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    Choice, Attitudes, and Perceptions of Undergraduate Nursing Students towards the Nursing Profession
    (Research Square, 2022) Neumbe, Irene Mildred; Ssenyonga, Lydia; Soita, David Jonah; Iramiot, Jacob Stanley; Nekaka, Rebecca
    Nursing students are the upcoming contributors to the nursing workforce and their attitudes towards the profession depict the quality of care they will offer to patients upon qualification. This study aimed to determine the reasons for choice, attitudes, and perceptions of undergraduate nursing students towards their profession. Methods: This cross-sectional study involved 165 nursing students from year one to year four registered in the two public universities in Uganda. The Attitude Scale for Nursing Profession was used to collect quantitative data. Focus Group Discussions were held to collect qualitative data about the reasons for choice and perceptions towards the nursing profession. Results: Students chose the nursing program because of its availability, poor academic performance in high school, desire to pursue a medical-related course, failure to get admitted for Medicine and Surgery, low cut-off points for the Nursing course, and interest in nursing. The majority of the students (81.8%) had positive attitudes towards the nursing profession. There was a statistically significant difference between the mean attitude scores of nursing students according to the year of study, entry scheme into the University, and source of funding for the program. Perceptions about the nursing profession were based on their personal experiences, experiences of colleagues, and observation of how nurses are treated at work. Conclusion: Although nursing students had positive attitudes towards the nursing profession, the majority of their perceptions about the profession were negative. Nursing training institutions should ensure that students receive pre-nurse counseling and introductory courses about the profession to enhance the acquisition of an accurate perception of the nursing profession.
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    Knowledge, perceptions and practices towards blood donation among undergraduate medical students in an upcountry Ugandan university: A mixed methods study
    (Global Public Health, 2024-02-07) Kagoya, Catherine; Gavamukulya, Yahaya; Soita, David Jonah
    Due to the different factors affecting the maintenance of a constant supply of human blood in health facilities, this study aimed at exploring the knowledge, perceptions, and practices towards blood donation among under graduate medical students at Busitema University Faculty of Health Sciences (BUFHS). Using a convergent parallel mixed methods study design, 384 students were recruited into the study. Questionnaires and focused group discussions were used to collect the data. Stata version 15.0 and thematic analysis were used to analyze quantitative and qualitative data respectively. Of the respondents, 151 (39.4%) had ever donated blood and 50.4% had good knowledge about blood donation. The commonest motivating factor towards blood donation was “to save someone’s life”. Factors associated with practices towards blood donation included: religion, year 2 of study and prior blood donation history. Being Jehovah’s Witness reduced the willingness to donate blood by 88% compared to other religions. Thematic analysis revealed four themes namely; students’ experiences and thoughts, driving forces to donate blood, fears and misconceptions, and suggestions to increase blood donors. The proportion of undergraduate medical students who had adequate level of knowledge about blood donation was moderately high, however, some of their perceptions towards it were unconventional. To ensure safe and adequate blood supply, design of strategies and tailored programs that promote blood donation is highly recommended