Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present the findings of research on mothers and midwives’ understanding of the concept of respectful care in the Ugandan public health settings. It focusses on one aspect of respect; namely communication that is perhaps least resource-dependent. The research found endemic levels of disrespect and tries to understand the reasons behind these organisational cultures and the role that governance could play in improving respect. Design/methodology/approach The study involved a combination of in-depth qualitative interviews with mothers and midwives together with focus groups with a cohort of midwives registered for a degree. Findings The findings highlight an alarming level of verbal abuse and poor communication that both deter women from attending public health facilities and, when they have to attend, reduces their willingness to disclose information about their health status. Respect is a major factor reducing the engagement of those women unable to afford private care, with health facilities in Uganda. Research limitations/implications Access to quality care provided by skilled birth attendants (midwives) is known to be the major factor preventing improvements in maternal mortality and morbidity in low income settings. Although communication lies at the agency end of the structure-agency continuum, important aspects of governance contribute to high levels of disrespect. Originality/value Whilst there is a lot of research on the concept of respectful care in high income settings applying this to the care environment in low resource settings is highly problematic. The findings presented here generate a more contextualised analysis generating important new insights which we hope will improve the quality of care in Uganda health facilities.

Background Quarantine has been adopted as a key public health measure to support the control of the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in many countries Uganda adopted institutional quarantine for individuals suspected of exposure to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) to be placed in institutions like hotels and/or hostels of institutions for at least 14 days. This study explored experiences of individuals who underwent institutional quarantine in Uganda to inform measures to increase its effectiveness and reduce its associated negative impact. Methods We conducted a qualitative description study using in-depth interviews with 20 purposively selected individuals who had spent time in institutional quarantine facilities. These were mainly phone-based interviews that were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. Electronic data coding was conducted using Atlas.ti 7 software. Thematic content analysis was used to synthesize the findings with similar codes grouped to form sub-themes and ultimately study themes. The findings are presented thematically with typical participant quotes. Results Study participants spent between 14 to 25 days in institutional quarantine. Four themes emerged describing the experiences of study participants during institutional quarantine, which determined whether participants’ experiences were positive or negative. These themes were: quarantine environment including facility related factors and compliance with COVID-19 measures; quarantine management factors of entity paying the costs, communication and days spent in quarantine; individual factors comprising attitude towards quarantine, fears during and post-quarantine and coping mechanisms; and linkage to other services such as health care and post-quarantine follow-up. Conclusion The planning, management and implementation of the quarantine process is a key determinant of the experiences of individuals who undergo the measure. To improve the experience of quarantined individuals and reduce its associated negative impact, the pre-quarantine process should be managed to comply with standards, quarantined persons should be provided as much information as possible, their quarantine duration should kept short and costs of the process ought to be minimised. Furthermore, quarantine facilities should be assessed for suitability and monitored to comply with guidelines while avenues for access to healthcare for the quarantined need to be arranged and any potential stigma associated with quarantine thoroughly addressed.

Background Quarantine has been adopted as a key public health measure to support the control of the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in many countries including Uganda. Uganda adopted institutional quarantine for individuals suspected of exposure to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) to be placed in institutions like hotels and/or hostels of institutions for at least 14 days. This study explored experiences of individuals who underwent institutional quarantine in Uganda to inform measures to increase its effectiveness and reduce its associated negative impact.Methods We conducted a qualitative description using in-depth interviews with 20 purposively selected individuals who had spent time in institutional quarantine facilities. These were mainly phone-based interviews that were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. Electronic data coding was conducted using Atlas.ti 7 software. Thematic content analysis was used to synthesize the findings with similar codes grouped to form sub-themes and ultimately study themes. The findings are presented thematically with typical participant quotes.Results Study participants spent between 14 to 25 days in institutional quarantine. Four themes emerged describing the experiences of study participants during institutional quarantine, which determined whether participants’ experiences were positive or negative. These themes were: quarantine environment including facility related factors, compliance with COVID-19 measures; quarantine management factors of entity paying the costs, communication, days spent in quarantine; individual factors including attitude towards quarantine, fears during and post-quarantine and coping mechanisms; and linkage to other services such as health care and post-quarantine follow-up. Conclusion The planning, management and implementation of the quarantine process is a key determinant of the experiences of individuals who undergo the measure. To improve the experience of quarantined individuals and reduce its associated negative impact, the pre-quarantine process should be better managed to comply with standards, quarantined persons should be provided as much information as possible, their quarantine duration should kept short and costs of the process ought to be minimized. Furthermore, quarantine facilities should be assessed for suitability and monitored to comply with guidelines while avenues for access to healthcare for the quarantined need to be established and any potential stigma addressed.

Evidence on how intra-urban inequalities could steer the use of modern family planning (mFP) services remains elusive. In this study, we examined the role of residence, socio-economic, family, and individual factors in shaping access to mFP use in Iganga Municipality and Jinja city, in central eastern Uganda. We used cross-sectional household survey data that were collected between November-December 2021 from 1023 women aged 15-49 years. We used logistic regression to assess the factors associated with mFP use and Stata user written command – iop, to assess the inequality in mFP due to different factors. We considered unfair circumstances as socio-economic status (wealth quartile, education level, and working level), place of residence, age, religion affiliation, and authority. The time of sexual intercourse was considered as fair circumstance. Overall mFP use was estimated at 48.8%, with close to 60% using long-term acting reversible methods. Overall, 24% of all heterogeneity in modern FP use was due to the observed circumstances and 18% was due to differential in unfair circumstances. An increase in age was inversely associated with mFP use [adjusted Odds Ratio (aOR) [95% Confidence Interval (95%CI)] =0.976[0.966-0.986]), while an increase in parity was positively associated with mFP use (aOR [95%CI]=1.404[1.249-1.578]). Compared to mainland non-slum and landing site residents, mainland slum residents were two-fold (aOR[95%CI]=2.065[1.735-2.458]) and three-fold (aOR[95%CI]=2.631[1.96-3.531]) more likely to use mFP, respectively. Whereas the odds of using mFP increased with the wealth status (Middle: aOR[95%CI]=1.832[1.52-2.209] and Better: aOR[95%CI]=5.276[4.082-6.819]), an interaction between the place of residence and wealth index showed that wealth index mattered only in non-slum mainland areas. Women with secondary or higher level of education and whose decisions to use mFP were independent of other authorities were more likely to use mFP.  Lastly, there were region affiliation and type of work differential in the use of mFP. In conclusion, about one-fifth of all heterogeneity in mFP use was   due to differentials in unfair circumstances. The findings highlight the need for intervention that are tailored to the different groups of urban residents. For instance, the package of interventions should consider the places of work and places of residences regardless of socioeconomic status.

Background: While partner involvement in health-related decision-making is linked with positive health behaviors, a key gap in the literature exists on how this construct should be measured and the specific ways men and women in Uganda perceive partner support in the context of family planning. The USAID-funded Social and Behavior Change Activity (SBCA) in Uganda explored the differences in male versus female priorities in the decision-making considerations and preferred measures of partner support related to family planning in order to design contextually relevant solutions. Methods: Cross -sectional study using a nationally representative telephone survey among 1177 men and women aged 18-49 years old in sexual partnerships. Key measures included current family planning use (Are you or your partner currently doing anything to prevent or delay becoming pregnant?); family planning decision-making considerations (In your experience, which of the following are the three most important considerations as you make family planning decisions?); and preferred partner support (What level of involvement would you like to see from your partner in your family planning decisions?). Multivariable logistic regressions explored factors associated with decision-making priorities and preferred partner support, adjusting for sociodemographic confounders. Results: Two-thirds (66%) of men and women wanted a high level of involvement from their partner, which was associated with higher odds of using family planning (aOR: 2.46, 95% CI: 1.87 - 3.24). Specific ways partners could be involved included accompanying them to health services (39%), permitting them to get family planning services (26%), and jointly discussing family planning options (23%). Of note, more women wanted their partner to accompany them (45%) than men (33%) while more men (29%) wanted to jointly discuss options than women (15%). Conclusions: Partner support needs to be operationalized differently for men and women; therefore, social and behavior change (SBC) interventions should employ a gender lens when implementing family planning programs. The project used these insights to implement a health campaign that leverages the views of key audiences; explicitly encourages partner dialogue across the various life stages; and empowers women with knowledge and skills to have honest conversations with their partners about when to have children and how many to have.