Information and its value to health workers in rural Uganda: a qualitative perspective*

Musoke, Maria G. N.

doi:10.1111/j.1471-1842.2000.00289.x

Cited by 10 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 10 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Eight of the 35 studies looked at information needs as perceived by health workers, patients and family/community members. Seven of these were carried out in Africa (Gambia [ 7 ], Ghana [ 8 ], Kenya [ 9 , 10 ], South Africa [ 11 ], Uganda [ 12 ], one multicentre (East Africa) [ 13 ]) and one in Indonesia [ 14 ]. All eight studies used interviews and/or questionnaires.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…One particular study in primary care health centres in rural Uganda found that the few books donated to the facilities were too technical, contained inappropriate content and were generally irrelevant to the local needs. As one doctor put it "...Information in some of the textbooks we have about paediatrics, public health, internal medicine and pathology is not very relevant to our current tropical health situation because they were written in the West ... the focus is not tropical medicine"[ 12 ].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Since I came here, I feel the gap ... I feel professionally 'insecure' without these materials ..." (Doctor) [ 12 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Availability of health information provides confidence in clinical decision-making, improves practical skills and attitude to care [ 12 , 38 ] and alleviates professional isolation, yet this resource remains invisible in the complex health care systems. However, where information has been made available through manuals and treatment guidelines, reports show confusion and discrepancies between recommended care and practice [ 17 , 28 , 39 ], which underscores two points most often ignored – (1) improving the usability of materials (ensuring, for example, that guidelines are clear, easy to use, authoritative, referenced, in the right language, visually attractive and without unnecessary detail); and (2) training of health workers on the use of information.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Information needs of health care workers in developing countries: a literature review with a focus on Africa

2009

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Health care workers in developing countries continue to lack access to basic, practical information to enable them to deliver safe, effective care. This paper provides the first phase of a broader literature review of the information and learning needs of health care providers in developing countries.A Medline search revealed 1762 papers, of which 149 were identified as potentially relevant to the review. Thirty-five of these were found to be highly relevant. Eight of the 35 studies looked at information needs as perceived by health workers, patients and family/community members; 14 studies assessed the knowledge of health workers; and 8 looked at health care practice.The studies suggest a gross lack of knowledge about the basics on how to diagnose and manage common diseases, going right across the health workforce and often associated with suboptimal, ineffective and dangerous health care practices. If this level of knowledge and practice is representative, as it appears to be, it indicates that modern medicine, even at a basic level, has largely failed the majority of the world's population. The information and learning needs of family caregivers and primary and district health workers have been ignored for too long. Improving the availability and use of relevant, reliable health care information has enormous potential to radically improve health care worldwide.

show abstract

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Since I came here, I feel the gap ... I feel professionally 'insecure' without these materials ..." (Doctor) [ 12 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Information needs of health care workers in developing countries: a literature review with a focus on Africa

2009

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Other argued [18] that only access to communication tools is not adequate for decreasing maternal death in remote rural areas. Impact of interventions on reduction of maternal mortality should pay particular attention to the rapid accessibility to quality emergency obstetric care [19]. …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Toll free mobile communication: overcoming barriers in maternal and neonatal emergencies in Rural Bangladesh

et al. 2014

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

BackgroundToll free mobile telephone intervention to support mothers in pregnancy and delivery period was tested in one sub district of Bangladesh. Qualitative research was conducted to measure the changes of mobile phone use in increasing communication for maternal and neonatal complications.MethodsIn-depth interviews were conducted among twelve Community Skilled Birth Attendants and fourteen mothers along with their husbands prior to intervention. At intervention end, six Community Skilled Birth Attendants were purposively selected for in-depth interview. Semi structured interviews were conducted among all 27 Community Skilled Birth Attendants engaged in the intervention. One Focus Group Discussion was conducted with 10 recently delivered mothers. Thematic analysis and triangulation of different responses were conducted.ResultsPrior to intervention, Community Skilled Birth Attendants reported that mobile communication was not a norm. It was also revealed that poor mothers had poor accessibility to mobile services. Mothers, who communicated through mobile phone with providers noted irritability from Community Skilled Birth Attendants and sometimes found phones switched off. At the end of the project, 85% of mothers who had attended orientation sessions of the intervention communicated with Community Skilled Birth Attendants through mobile phones during maternal health complications. Once a complication is reported or anticipated over phone, Community Skilled Birth Attendants either made a prompt visit to mothers or advised for direct referral. More than 80% Community Skilled Birth Attendants communicated with Solution Linked Group for guidance on maternal health management. Prior to intervention, Solution Linked Group was not used to receive phone call from Community Skilled Birth Attendants. Community Skilled Birth Attendants were valued by the mothers. Mothers viewed that Community Skilled Birth Attendants are becoming confident in managing complication due to communication with Solution Linked Group.ConclusionsThe use of mobile technology in this intervention took a leap from simply rendering information to providing more rapid services. Active participation of service providers along with mothers’ accessibility motivated both the service providers and mothers to communicate through mobile phone for maternal health issues. These altogether made the shift towards adoption of an innovation.

show abstract

Information behaviour of primary health care providers in rural Uganda

Musoke

2007

Journal of Documentation

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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

show abstract

Information and its value to health workers in rural Uganda: a qualitative perspective*

Cited by 10 publications

References 10 publications

Information needs of health care workers in developing countries: a literature review with a focus on Africa

Information needs of health care workers in developing countries: a literature review with a focus on Africa

Toll free mobile communication: overcoming barriers in maternal and neonatal emergencies in Rural Bangladesh

Information behaviour of primary health care providers in rural Uganda

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About