Health systems readiness to provide geriatric friendly care services in Uganda: a cross-sectional study
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Date
2019
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
BMC geriatrics
Abstract
As ageing emerges as the next public health threat in Africa, there is a paucity of information on
how prepared its health systems are to provide geriatric friendly care services. In this study, we explored the
readiness of Uganda’s public health system to offer geriatric friendly care services in Southern Central Uganda.
Methods: Four districts with the highest proportion of old persons in Southern Central Uganda were purposively
selected, and a cross-section of 18 randomly selected health facilities (HFs) were visited and assessed for availability of
critical items deemed important for provision of geriatric friendly services; as derived from World Health Organization’s
Age-friendly primary health care centres toolkit. Data was collected using an adapted health facility geriatric
assessment tool, entered into Epi-data software and analysed using STATA version 14. Kruskal-Wallis and Dunn’s post
hoc tests were conducted to determine any associations between readiness, health facility level, and district.
Results: The overall readiness index was 16.92 (SD ±4.19) (range 10.8–26.6). This differed across districts; Lwengo 17.91
(SD ±3.15), Rakai 17.63 (SD ±4.55), Bukomansimbi 16.51 (SD ±7.18), Kalungu 13.74 (SD ±2.56) and facility levels;
Hospitals 26.62, Health centers four (HCIV) 20.05 and Health centers three (HCIII) 14.80. Low readiness was due to poor
scores concerning; leadership (0%), financing (0%), human resources (1.7%) and health management information
systems (HMIS) (11.8%) WHO building blocks. Higher-level HFs were statistically significantly friendlier than lower-level
HFs (p = 0.015). The difference in readiness between HCIIIs and HCIVs was 2.39 (p = 0.025).
Conclusion: There is a low readiness for public health facilities to provide geriatric friendly care services in Uganda.
This is due to gaps in all of the health system building blocks. There is a need for health system reforms in Uganda to
adequately cater for service provision for older adults if the 2020 global healthy ageing goal is to be met.
Description
Keywords
Health facility readiness, Geriatric care, Uganda, Health systems, Public health facilities, Africa
Citation
Ssensamba, J. T., Mukuru, M., Nakafeero, M., Ssenyonga, R., & Kiwanuka, S. N. (2019). Health systems readiness to provide geriatric friendly care services in Uganda: a cross-sectional study. BMC geriatrics, 19(1), 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-019-1272-2