Trust and motivation in the health sector : a systematic review

Supporting improved performance of health workers is vital in health system strengthening. There are several factors that have been identified as playing key roles in influencing health worker performance. Motivation of HWs is one of the areas for improving delivery of health care services, yet it is under investigated. Moreover, the mechanisms underlying the interactions between motivation and other variables such as workplace trust relations are largely unknown. This dissertation is organised into three parts. Part A is the review protocol which outlines the background and the review methodology. A qualitative systematic review approach is adopted and literature search of the five chosen databases is conducted using keywords and phrases derived from the review question. Defined inclusion and exclusion criteria are used to identify and select suitable articles. An appropriate tool is then used to appraise selected articles which are then subjected to thematic analysis. Part B is a literature review of existing empirical and theoretical work on health worker motivation. It provides the background to the systematic review in Part C. It defines the word motivation as used in the health sector, and then explores empirical work on health worker motivation using an appropriate conceptual framework. The literature review further summarises and concludes on the possible link between trust and motivation in the health sector

Intestinal intussusception in an adult caused by helminthic parasitosis

Intestinal intussusception is an uncommon acute condition in adults and is most commonly caused by an intestinal tumor mass. Helminthic parasitosis is a widespread infection in Africa, and the load of worms is often high in individuals living in areas with inadequate sanitation. We report a case of intestinal obstruction caused by Ascaris lumbricoides infection, which was complicated by ileo-caecal intussusception and required surgical treatment in a 40-year-old Ugandan woman. This case reinforces the importance of anthelminthic prophylaxis in African rural areas

Post-operative nausea and vomiting at Mulago Hospital

Background: Postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) are among the most common adverse events related to surgery and anaesthesia and despite modern anaesthetic and surgical techniques the incidence of PONV remains at 20-30%. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and factors associated with postoperative nausea and vomiting.Methods: This was a prospective study. Precoded data were analyzed and for categorical variables data were summarized as proportions and presented using tables, histograms and pie charts. Continuous variables were analyzed by separating means using independent samples T-test. In the univariate analysis, Odds ratio together with 95% confidence interval was calculated to test for the association between the possible risk factors and outcome variables. Multivariate analysis was done using logistic regression model to determine prognostic factors of postoperative nausea and vomiting.Results: One hundred eighty two patients aged 10 years and above met the inclusion criteria. They had fasted 6 hours prior to the operation and undergone both general anaesthesia and surgery. Patients who had medical and surgical conditions that led to nausea and vomiting were excluded. 53% of the patients were males and 43% were females. The prevalence of PONV was 40.7% within 24 hours after surgery. Factors that were statistically significantly (p value < 0.05) associated with PONV following univariate analysis included : age group 20 to 30 years, female gender, history of PONV, intra-operative use of Pethidine, type of operation (orthopaedic surgery) and postoperative use of Pethidine. Independent predictors of PONV include; age group of 20 to 30 years, history of PONV, and the type of operation.Conclusion: Predictors of PONV within 24 hours include age group of 20 to 30 years, history of PONV and the orthopaedic surgery

Information security awareness amongst students joining higher academic institutions in developing countries: Evidence from Kenya

Although there is a steady use of information technology in institutions of higher learning, little is known about the level of information security awareness (ISA) amongst students joining universities in developing countries and more specifically Africa. The purpose of this study was to investigate ISA amongst undergraduate students at a higher education institution in Kenya. The study made use of a quantitative survey approach. Overall, the study findings indicate that majority of the students surveyed did not possess adequate understanding of ISA. Consequently, we submit that there is a strong need to cultivate ISA culture amongst students joining universities in developing countries. We further recommend that ISA needs to be incorporated in the undergraduate curriculum to help enhance such awareness. Equally, it would be useful for universities to have ISA program as part of the wider university information security management strategy

Raising awareness for potential sustainability effects in Uganda: A survey-based empirical study

Copyright © 2019 for this paper by its authors. In July 2019, we ran the 3rd International BRIGHT summer school for Software Engineering and Information Systems at the Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda. The participants developed a group project over the course of the week, which included the application of the Sustainability Awareness Framework. The framework promotes discussion on the impact of software systems on sustainability based on a set of questions. In this paper, we present the educational evaluation of the Sustainability Awareness Framework in a country in Sub-Saharan Africa. The results indicate that the framework can provide supportive guidance of the societal and environmental challenges in the given context

Cognitive and mood improvements following acute supplementation with purple grape juice in healthy young adults

Purpose - Berry-derived phenolic compounds found in grapes have been associated with a number of health benefits, including the augmentation of human brain function and cognition. Previous intervention studies of Concord grape juice have demonstrated improvement to memory and driving ability following 3- to 4-month supplementation in middle-aged and older adults. However, no studies to date have demonstrated acute cognitive benefits of grape juice, and investigation of these effects in young adults is lacking. Methods - This randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blind, counterbalanced-crossover study, assessed the effects of 230 ml purple grape juice or sugar-matched control in 20 healthy young adults. Computerised measures of episodic memory, working memory, attention and mood were completed at baseline and following a 20-min absorption period. Results - Purple grape juice significantly improved reaction time on a composite attention measure (p = 0.047) and increased calm ratings (p = 0.046) when compared to placebo. Order effects also indicated an enduring positive effect on pre-dose memory reaction time (p = 0.018) and post-dose calm ratings (p = 0.019) when purple grape was consumed first. Conclusions - These findings in a small sample of healthy young adults suggest that purple grape juice can acutely enhance aspects of cognition and mood. No significant effects of juice were observed on memory measures, suggesting that these may be less susceptible to manipulation following acute supplementation in healthy young adults. Potential mechanisms underlying these effects include modulation of cerebral blood flow, glucoregulation and inhibition of monoamine oxidase activity, all of which require further exploration

Cyberbullying among University Students: The Kenyan Experience

Although considerable literature has grown around cyberbullying, there are still only limited studies on this within developing economies, especially African countries. In particular, studies on cyberbullying in Africa have failed to have a direct focus on the prevalence of this phenomenon among students in universities. Not only does cyberbullying have an emotional-social impact, it has ramifications on the learning process as well. This subject remains of utmost relevance within academia, and a number of institutions continue to grapple with its impact. The study reported here is an exploratory investigation of 396 students from one of the private universities within Nairobi, Kenya, which aimed at understanding the prevalence of cyberbullying. The study findings revealed that the highest form of victimization was through the act of deception, in which 75.8% of the respondents indicated someone had lied to them electronically. On the other hand, the highest form of perpetration of cyberbullying was through malice, in which 49.7% of the respondents reported sending a rude message to someone electronically. Further, more male students were more likely to commit acts of cyberbullying compared to their female counterparts. This study confirms the existence of cyberbullying within institutions of higher learning in Kenya, with the possibility of generalizability to other developing economies. The level of prevalence reported in this study appears slightly high in comparison to a majority of the findings from the developed economies. Consequently, we submit that it is imperative that educational systems in Africa and other developing economies put in frameworks to deal with the emerging reality of cyberbullying within institutions of higher learning. Such frameworks should facilitate the implementation of useful strategies to help victims of cyberbullying, and at the same, time offer deterrents to the perpetration of cyberbullying

Assessment of farmers’ willingness to pay for quality seed using dynamic auctions: The case of smallholder potato growers in Tanzania.

Irish potato is an important income and food security crop in many sub-Sahara Africa countries (SSA). However, the neglect of the potato Irish potato industry and failure of privatization to spur investment in seed potato production stifled the industry. Hence farmers have been forced to recycle seed, resulting in quality degradation and, in some cases resulting in up to 66-75% yield, and hence income, declines. The recent global food price swings has led to renewed interest in developing potato subsector in most producing SSA countries. One intervention by SSA governments has been in trying break the quality seed bottleneck by investing in generation of quality seed. Such investment involve construction of state of the art seed production labs to clean degraded seed and evaluate imported seed, on-station and on-farm testing, and promotion smallholder seed production. This study uses data collected from Tanzania to examine farmers’ willingness to pay such seed. Since 2009, Tanzania government has heavily invested in developing seed potato industry jointly with international and national research organization through donor support

Student self-assessment after Essential Surgical Skills training for final-year medical students at Gulu University, northern Uganda

Background: Medical practice depends on a set of essential clinical and surgical skills, yet inadequate attention is given to training these skills in medical school. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of Essential Surgical Skills® (ESS) training on self-report comfort levels in performing surgical skills among final-year medical students at Gulu University in Gulu, Uganda. Methods: This study analysed 5 years’ worth of pre- and post-course ESS self-evaluation questionnaires completed by final-year medical students attending Gulu University between 2013 and 2017. Pre- and post-course results were compared using Student’s t-test. ESS elements covered over the 5-day course were: surgery fundamentals; respiratory and anaesthesia skills; and skills related to gastrointestinal, obstetric, and orthopaedic surgery. Results: There was a significant improvement in the students’ level of comfort related to all ESS components when pre- and post-course questionnaire responses were compared (P < 0.001). Conclusions: Medical schools should emphasize training of essential clinical and surgical skills because these give medical students the confidence and proficiency needed in clinical practice. Keywords: surgical skills; education; training; medical school; Uganda; Somalia