An evaluation of ethical concerns raised by a Ugandan Research Ethics Committee using the principles and benchmarks proposed by Emanuel et al. (2008).

Masters Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg.Research Ethics Committees (RECs) serve several important public functions, including ensuring that research participants are protected in addition to provision of a public forum for the accountability of researchers. As such they are required to follow established national and international standards when they are carrying out protocol reviews. However, there is no standardised model on which to base their reviews. In order to help RECs in their work, Emanuel and colleagues analysed existing ethics codes and produced a framework of eight principles and benchmarks, to give eight principles to guide RECs in the process of reviewing research proposals for ethical issues. However, prior to this study, there was little empirical research into the actual issues that RECs in Uganda raise when reviewing research proposals, leave alone determining whether the issues raised during the review process were in line with those envisaged by the Emanuel and colleagues or not. This study was therefore undertaken to establish the concerns raised during the review of study protocols, using archived minutes of one REC in Uganda. The study analysed the minutes for initial full reviews of protocols for the years 2102 to 2013 using the eight principles and benchmarks proposed by Emanuel and colleagues. Expedited and ongoing reviews were excluded. The results indicated that of 2008 issues raised in the 28 meetings that reviewed the 110 protocols, 90.5% could be accommodated under the eight principles in Emanuel et al. (2008) framework. The most commonly raised issues were scientific validity (54.1%) and informed consent (11.4%). Other additional issues included administrative and feasibility issues at 9.5% and 6.0% respectively. The Emanuel et al. framework provides a useful tool that can be used to categorise the issues and concerns raised during research protocol review meetings of RECs in Uganda. The results further demonstrate that it is possible to use this model to carry out comparative studies to evaluate the review outcomes of RECs in the country and other countries in Africa and the world at large

Near-peer mentorship for undergraduate training in Ugandan medical schools: views of undergraduate students

Introduction: Masters Students are major stakeholders in undergraduate medical education but their contribution has not been documented in Uganda. The aim of the study was to explore and document views and experiences of undergraduate students regarding the role of masters students as educators in four Ugandan medical schools. Methods: This was a cross-sectional descriptive study using qualitative data collection methods. Eight Focus Group Discussions were conducted among eighty one selected preclinical and clinical students in the consortium of four Ugandan medical schools: Mbarara University of Science and Technology, Makerere College of Health Sciences, Gulu University and Kampala International University, Western Campus. Data analysis was done using thematic analysis. Participants' privacy and confidentiality were respected and participant identifiers were not included in data analysis. Results: Undergraduate students from all the medical schools viewed the involvement of master's students as very important. Frequent contact between masters and undergraduate students was reported as an important factor in undergraduate students' motivation and learning. Despite the useful contribution, master' students face numerous challenges like heavy workload and conflicting priorities. Conclusion: According to undergraduate students in Ugandan medical schools, involvement of master's students in the teaching and learning of undergraduate students is both useful and challenging to masters and undergraduate students. Masters students provide peer mentorship to the undergraduate students. The senior educators are still needed to do their work and also to support the master's students in their teaching role.Pan African Medical Journal 2016; 2

The anti-mycobacterial activity of Lantana camara a plant traditionally used to treat symptoms of tuberculosis in South-western Uganda

Introduction: Tuberculosis continues to be a devastating public health problem. Many communities in Uganda use medicinal plants to treat various infections, including respiratory tract infections. There are claims that some can treat tuberculosis. Verifying some of these claims could lead to discovery of lead compounds for development of a TB drug. Methods: Chloroform and methanol extracts of L. camara collected from South-western Uganda were screened against three strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis using the agar-well diffusion method. H37Rv, the rifampicin-resistant TMC-331 and a non-resistant wild strain (28-25271). The MIC and MBC were determined using the Agar dilution method on Middle brook 7H11. Results: The methanol extract showed the highest activity against all the three strains used, with zones of inhibition of 18.0-22.5 mm and MIC values of 20 µg/ml for H37Rv and 15 µg/ml for both TMC-331 and wild stain. The values for rifampicin were 1.0 µg/ml for both H37Rv and wild strain but rifampicin hardly showed any activity on TMC-331. The MBC value for the methanol extract of L. camara was 30µg/ml for the H37Rv, and 20µg/ml for both the TMC-331 and wild strains of M. tuberculosis. The MBC for rifampicin was 2.0µg/ml for both H37Rv and the wild strain. Conclusion: We conclude that L. camara contains principles active against M. tuberculosis, which merit further research

Valued experiences of graduate students in their role as educators in undergraduate training in Ugandan medical schools

Abstract Background In most medical schools, graduate students, sometimes referred to as graduate teaching assistants, often participate in the training of undergraduate students. In developing countries like Uganda, are typically involved in undergraduate training. However, prior to this study there were no standard guidelines for this involvement. At the same time, the views and experiences of the graduate students in their role as educators had not been documented. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore the views and experiences of graduate students about their involvement in undergraduate training in three Ugandan medical schools. The findings of this study will contribute to the development of policies for training in Ugandan medical schools. Methods This was a qualitative study in which thirty in-depth-interviews were conducted among second and third year graduate students in three Ugandan medical schools in the MESAU consortium (Medical Education Services to all Ugandans) including Mbarara University of Science and Technology, Makerere College of Health Sciences and Kampala International University, Western Campus. Results All graduate students from all the three medical schools viewed their involvement in undergraduate training as important. The study also revealed that graduate students increase available human resources and often compensate for the teaching missed when senior educators were absent. The graduate students expressed important views that need to be considered in the design of educational programs where they are to be involved. The respondents also reported a number of challenges in this undertaking that included lack of motivation, lack of orientation and having heavy workloads. The presence and commitment of senior educators to guide and support the graduate students in teaching activities was viewed as one significant intervention that would increase the effectiveness of their educational contributions. Conclusions Graduate students enjoy their involvement in the training of undergraduate students despite the various challenges they face. In some departments, the involvement of postgraduate trainees is critical to the viability of undergraduate medical training

Additional file 1:

IDI questions for graduate students. (DOCX 16 kb