Background: Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) is an emerging public health problem threatening the life of over 2.4 million people globally. The present study sought to determine knowledge, attitude and practices (KAP) of health care workers (HCWs) toward COVID-19 in Makerere University Teaching Hospitals (MUTHs) in Uganda. Methods: An online cross sectional, descriptive study was undertaken through WhatsApp Messenger among HCWs in four MUTHs. HCWs aged 18 years and above constituted the study population. KAP toward COVID-19 was assessed by using a pre-validated questionnaire. Bloom's cutoff of 80% was used to determine sufficient knowledge (≥80%), positive attitude (≥4), and good practice (≥2.4). All analyses were performed using STATA 15.1 and GraphPad Prism 8.3. Results: Of the 581 HCWs approached, 136 (23%) responded. A vast majority of the participants were male (n = 87, n = 64%), with a median age of 32 (range: 20-66) years. Eighty-four (62%) were medical doctors and 125 (92%) had at least a bachelor's degree. Overall, 69% (n = 94) had sufficient knowledge, 21% (n = 29) had positive attitude, and 74% (n = 101) had good practices toward COVID-19. Factors associated with knowledge were age >40 years (aOR: 0.3; 95% CI: 0.1-1.0; p = 0.047) and news media (aOR: 4.8; 95% CI: 1.4-17.0; p = 0.015). Factors associated with good practices were age 40 years or more (aOR: 48.4; 95% CI: 3.1-742.9; p = 0.005) and holding a diploma (aOR: 18.4; 95% CI: 1-322.9; p = 0.046). Conclusions: Continued professional education is advised among HCWs in Uganda to improve knowledge of HCWs hence averting negative attitudes and promoting positive preventive and therapeutic practices. We recommend follow up studies involving teaching and non-teaching hospitals across the country.

Background The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic is a global public health concern affecting over 5 million people and posing a great burden on health care systems worldwide. Objective The aim of this study is to determine the knowledge, attitude, and practices of medical students in Uganda on the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods We conducted an online, descriptive cross-sectional study in mid-April 2020, using WhatsApp Messenger. Medical students in 9 of the 10 medical schools in Uganda were approached through convenience sampling. Bloom’s cut-off of 80% was used to determine good knowledge (≥12 out of 15), positive attitude (≥20 out of 25), and good practice (≥12 out of 15). Results The data of 741 first- to fifth-year medical students, consisting of 468 (63%) males with a mean age of 24 (SD 4) years, were analyzed. The majority (n=626, 84%) were pursuing Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery degrees. Overall, 671 (91%) had good knowledge, 550 (74%) had a positive attitude, and 426 (57%) had good practices. Knowledge was associated with the 4th year of study (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 4.1, 95% CI 1.6-10.3; P<.001). Attitude was associated with the female sex (aOR 0.7, 95% CI 0.5-1; P=.04) and TV or radio shows (aOR 1.1, 95% CI 0.6-2.1; P=.01). Practices were associated with the ≥24 years age category (aOR 1.5, 95% CI 1.1-2.1; P=.02) and online courses (aOR 1.8, 95% CI 1.1-3.2; P=.03). In total, 592 (80%) medical students were willing to participate in frontline care if called upon. Conclusions Medical students in Uganda have sufficient knowledge of COVID-19 and will be a large reservoir for health care response when the need arises.

Patient autonomy and participation have a significant impact on patient satisfaction and compliance with treatment. We aimed to establish and describe the level of shared decision-making (SDM) among the patients in a developing country. Uganda is a low resource country with a 2019 GDP of 35.17 billion US dollars. In some regions, over 60% of Ugandans live below the national poverty line and most of them depend on the underfunded health care system. Methods: A cross-sectional, quantitative study was carried out among the outpatients attending Kisenyi Health center IV, Kampala, Uganda. An interviewer-administered questionnaire with a 5-point Likert scale was used to assess patients' SDM. All statistical analysis was performed using STATA 15 software. Results: A total of 326 patients participated in this study. Majority of the participants were females (n=241, 73.9%) and aged 18-35 years (n=218, 66.9%). Only 22 (7%) of the participants knew the name of their consulting doctor. Most of the participants, 84% were given enough time to narrate their symptoms. Overall, only 11.3% (n=37) of the participants had adequately participated in SDM. The overall mean score of participation in SDM was 2.7 (SD:0.8). Participants who knew the name of their consulting doctor were approximately 11 times more likely to participate in SDM (OR: 10.7, 95% CI: 4.2-27.0, P<0.0001). Conclusion:The majority of patients attending Kisenyi Health Center IV did not adequately participate in SDM. Continued medical education should be organized for healthcare professionals to promote SDM.

Introduction Road traffic accidents are among the leading causes of death in Uganda. Taxi operators are at a high risk of RTA and can potentially be first responders. This study, aimed to assess knowledge, attitude, and practice of first aid among taxi operators in the new taxi park, Kampala Uganda. Methods A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in 2021 among taxi drivers and conductors in the New Taxi Park, Kampala City, Uganda. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect quantitative data from taxi operators after informed consent. Chi-square or Fisher's exact test and logistic regression were performed in STATA 16 to assess the association between first aid knowledge and demographics. P < 0.05 was statistically significant. Results A total of 345 participants, majority males ( n = 338, 98%) aged between 18 and 45 years (76.5%), were recruited. Although 97.7% ( n = 337) had heard about first aid, only 19.4% ( n = 67) had prior first aid training. Overall mean knowledge score was 40.1% (SD = 14.5%), with 29.9% ( n = 103) having good knowledge (≥50%). Participants who had witnessed more than five accidents (aOR = 2.9, 95% CI = 1.7–4.8, p < 0.001), those with first aid kits (aOR = 1.7, 95% CI = 1.0–3.0, p = 0.38) were more likely to have good knowledge while those below post-secondary education level i.e., Primary (AOR = 0.2, 95% CI = 0.1–0.5, p ≤0.001) and secondary (aOR = 0.2, 95% CI = 0.1–0.6, p = 0.001), were less likely to have good knowledge. About 97% and 93% perceived first aid as important and were willing to undergo training, respectively; however, only 69% were willing to give first aid. Only 181(52.5%) had ever attended to accident victims. Conclusion Majority of taxi operators had poor first aid knowledge. Factors associated with good knowledge included level of education, number of accidents witnessed, having first aid kits. Although their attitudes were favorable, practice was poor. Comprehensive training and refresher courses can help increase first aid knowledge, and improving practice.

BACKGROUND The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic is a global public health concern affecting over 5 million people and posing a great burden on health care systems worldwide. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study is to determine the knowledge, attitude, and practices of medical students in Uganda on the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS We conducted an online, descriptive cross-sectional study in mid-April 2020, using WhatsApp Messenger. Medical students in 9 of the 10 medical schools in Uganda were approached through convenience sampling. Bloom’s cut-off of 80% was used to determine good knowledge (≥12 out of 15), positive attitude (≥20 out of 25), and good practice (≥12 out of 15). RESULTS The data of 741 first- to fifth-year medical students, consisting of 468 (63%) males with a mean age of 24 (SD 4) years, were analyzed. The majority (n=626, 84%) were pursuing Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery degrees. Overall, 671 (91%) had good knowledge, 550 (74%) had a positive attitude, and 426 (57%) had good practices. Knowledge was associated with the 4th year of study (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 4.1, 95% CI 1.6-10.3; <i>P</i>&lt;.001). Attitude was associated with the female sex (aOR 0.7, 95% CI 0.5-1; <i>P</i>=.04) and TV or radio shows (aOR 1.1, 95% CI 0.6-2.1; <i>P</i>=.01). Practices were associated with the ≥24 years age category (aOR 1.5, 95% CI 1.1-2.1; <i>P</i>=.02) and online courses (aOR 1.8, 95% CI 1.1-3.2; <i>P</i>=.03). In total, 592 (80%) medical students were willing to participate in frontline care if called upon. CONCLUSIONS Medical students in Uganda have sufficient knowledge of COVID-19 and will be a large reservoir for health care response when the need arises.