A study was conducted in 1998/99 to investigate the accessibility and use of information by health workers in rural Uganda. Data were collected qualitatively using semi‐structured interviews. As a qualitative study, it focused in‐depth on a relatively small sample of health workers selected purposefully. Different categories of health workers were interviewed. Data were analysed using a grounded theory approach. In this paper, two main categories that emerged from the data will be discussed, namely: value of information and constraints. Information was valuable in clinical work, information dissemination, decision making, administration and detection. Constraints to effective information use included the quality and relevance of the information as well as the difficulties of sometimes putting theory into practice. Finally, the concepts that emerged from the analysis of the use of information pointed directly to the information needs of the health workers studied, which shows that information was valuable in meeting those needs. Some implications of the study and areas for further research are highlighted.

Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to investigate the accessibility and use of health information among primary health care providers. The study focused on women and health workers' experiences with information in rural Uganda. Design/methodology/approach -Face-to-face interviews (82) were conducted using an interview schedule that consisted of open questions and one relating to health information critical incidents. A holistic inductive paradigm was used with a grounded theory analysis. An "Interaction-value model" emerged from the study. The model was driven by the value and impact of information, unlike previous information models which have been driven by information needs. Findings -The findings have a number of implications for improving information provision, and further research. Originality/value -This study has demonstrated that, although an information need could trigger off an information activity, the subsequent information processes could only be sustained by the value of information. The study has also shown that health workers were generally active information seekers, whereas women were mainly passive. IntroductionThe development of effective information services for rural people, and the policies governing their implementation and use, depends on ample knowledge of rural people's information environment and behaviour. Hardly any empirical data exists on this topic in Uganda. Focusing research on rural health workers, who are professionally isolated, is an important step in improving their information infrastructure. This would indirectly enhance information provision to the communities they serve. At a local level, the study is important because the majority of Ugandans do not see high level health workers when they seek health care; it is provided within the family, community or health units run by nurses and clinical officers. The main aim of the study was therefore to investigate the accessibility and use of health information among women and health workers, who are at the lowest level of Primary Health Care (PHC) service delivery in rural Uganda.Unlike studies in the developed world which tend to focus on information systems and retrieval (Vakkari, 1999;Spink, 1999), the interest of an information researcher in a

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Purpose Given that repositories were proposed as one of the routes to open access (OA), this study sought to establish the achievements universities in East Africa had attained in initiating institutional repositories (IRs), the challenges in providing OA and strategies for the way forward. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected through literature searches, using the internet, journal databases and university websites in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda for information about OA and IRs in East Africa. Some of the findings were based on the author’s PhD “The management and accessibility of OA IRs in selected universities in East Africa”, which used face-to-face interviews with six librarians and self-administered questionnaires responded to by 183 researchers at Kenyatta University, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences and Makerere University. Findings Universities in East Africa were still in the intermediate stages of embracing OA, and only 40 libraries out of 145 universities had implemented IRs. However, most of the repositories had less than 1,000 items, with this challenge attributed to the absence of institutional and government/funder mandates that affected the collection/provision of OA, in addition to the lack of awareness of IRs among researchers. Originality/value The value in this research was establishing the extent of IR initiatives in universities in East Africa and their contribution to OA, which is regarded as more visible and accessible to scholars and government personnel who could leverage the information for further development in the region.

A study was conducted in 1998/99 to investigate the accessibility and use of information by health workers in rural Uganda. Data were collected qualitatively using semi-structured interviews. As a qualitative study, it focused in-depth on a relatively small sample of health workers selected purposefully. Different categories of health workers were interviewed. Data were analysed using a grounded theory approach. In this paper, two main categories that emerged from the data will be discussed, namely: value of information and constraints. Information was valuable in clinical work, information dissemination, decision making, administration and detection. Constraints to effective information use included the quality and relevance of the information as well as the difficulties of sometimes putting theory into practice. Finally, the concepts that emerged from the analysis of the use of information pointed directly to the information needs of the health workers studied, which shows that information was valuable in meeting those needs. Some implications of the study and areas for further research are highlighted.