Browsing by Author "Ekakoro, Newton"

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Knowledge and attitude of nosocomial infection prevention and control precautions among healthcare personnel at Kiruddu Referral Hospital in Kampala, Uganda
(BMC Health Services Research, 2025-01-28) Ekakoro, Newton; Nakayinga, Ritah ; Kaddumukasa, Martha A. ; Mbatudde, Maria
Background A key concern for global public health is nosocomial infections. Essential to the fight against nosocomial infection, is healthcare professionals’ knowledge and attitudes. Therefore, this study investigated healthcare professionals’ knowledge and attitudes toward nosocomial infection at the Kiruddu Referral Hospital, Kampala, Uganda. Methods A facility-based cross-sectional study was carried out at Kiruddu Referral Hospital in Kampala, Uganda. We selected the participants using simple random sampling. Data were collected from a total of 78 healthcare personnel using pretested, structured, self-administered questionnaires. We used SPSS version 20.0 for data analysis and applied descriptive statistics to present the frequencies and percentages. Pearson’s Chi-square test was used to evaluate the association between independent factors and knowledge and attitude (KA) ratings on hospital-acquired infection (HAI) prevention. P-values less than 0.05 were regarded as statistically significant. Results Among the different categories of health workers, doctors exhibited the highest level of knowledge. There was a significant association between knowledge scores and occupation (χ2LR = 25.610; P = 0.000). The mean knowledge scores across different infection prevention aspects were as follows: hand hygiene (82.2 ± 18.9), PPE use (71.8 ± 23.1), sharp disposal and sharp injuries (59.2 ± 25.7), and waste management (57.4 ± 29.9). Notably, 20.5% of participants did not change PPE between patients, and 44.9% indicated that their workload negatively impacted their ability to follow infection prevention standards. Conclusion The study highlighted gaps in healthcare personnel’s knowledge and attitudes toward infection prevention. It is therefore important to provide regular targeted training programs emphasizing underrepresented areas, PPE availability, strengthen policy enforcement, and integrate infection prevention education into medical and nursing curricula.
Knowledge, attitude and practices among staff and in-patients on prevention and control of nosocomial infections at Kiruddu referral hospital, Uganda
(Kyambogo University (Unpublished work), 2024-07) Ekakoro, Newton
Worldwide, the number of hospitalised patients suffering from hospital acquired infections, or HAIs, is gradually increasing. Rising rates of morbidity, mortality, long-term disability, prolonged hospital stays, microbial resistance, increased healthcare costs for patients and their families, and an increase in the financial strain on the healthcare system have made it a growing public health concern that impacts both the medical community and the general public. The aim of the study was to assess the knowledge, attitude and practices among hospital staff and in-patients in the prevention and control of nosocomial infections. A cross-sectional study design with a quantitative approach was utilized in this study. A sample of 219 respondents was used for the study including 141 patients and 78 hospital staff. Questionnaires were used to obtain information from both the patients and the hospital staff. Majority 64.1% of respondents reported that used Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) should be disposed of using standard municipal disposal procedures. Majority 66.7% of hospital staff believed they had a very high risk of acquiring infections from their patients. Majority 66.0% of patients always wash hands with soap and water at the hospital. More than half of the staffs 53.8% agreed that used Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) should be discarded through regular dustbin. There was 8.209 x 106 times more likeliness to acquire nosocomial infection among the patients that felt that they don't have to wash their hands if they aren't visibly unclean than those who were not sure at a at adj. OR = 8.209 x106; 95% CI (3.112 x 106 – 2.165 x 107). Also, there was 4.227 times more likeliness to acquire nosocomial infection among the patients that felt that the cleaning staff should clean the floors of the wards twice in 24 hours’ than those that felt cleaning to be done four times in 24 hours at adj. OR = 4.227;95% CI (1.341 – 13.328). In conclusion ensuring sensitization and awareness campaigns of new and outgoing patients and hospital staff, formulation and updating policies on matters relating to hospital infections and isolation of patients in cases which have been identified could be helpful in improving the knowledge and practice towards infection prevention at the hospital.
Prevalence and predictors of stress, anxiety, and depression among healthcare workers during the COVID–19 pandemic at a mental referral hospital in Kampala, Uganda
(BMC Public Health, 2025-08-08) Otai, James; Ekakoro, Newton; Masaba, Henry; Nvumetta, Ruth
Background Healthcare workers faced immense psychological strain during the Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID – 19) pandemic due to increased workloads, infection risk, and limited protective equipment. This study assessed the prevalence of stress, anxiety, and depression among them and identified factors contributing to these mental health challenges during the outbreak. Methods A cross-sectional study was done at Butabika National Mental Referral Hospital between February and March of 2023. We gave self-administered, paper-based surveys to all willing Healthcare workers (HCWs) working day shifts during this period. Sections on socio-demographics characteristics, perceived stress (PSS–10), anxiety (GAD–7), and depression (PHQ–9) were all included in the questionnaire. The SPSS version 26.0 program was used to analyse the data. To determine the variables that predict psychological distress, we employed Modified Poisson regression. When the p-value was less than 0.05, statistical significance was declared. Results Among the 209 enrolled participants, 198 (94.7%) eligible subjects were included in the analysis. Majority of the participants (58.6%) were female, (73.7%) were married, (49.5%) were nurses and 58.6% had more working hours. The prevalence of symptoms of stress, anxiety and depression in healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic was 91.9%, 27.3% and 57.6%, respectively. In relation to perceived stress, being female (aRR = 1.219; 95% CI: 1.010–2.922), being younger in age (aRR = 1.672; 95% CI: 1.050–5.733) and having worked for 11–15 years (aRR = 1.274; 95% CI: 1.020–2.503) were significantly associated with higher risk of perceived stress. Participants with a bachelor’s degree had higher risk of generalized anxiety disorder symptoms (aRR = 2.577; 95% CI: 1.123–4.980), whereas being a nurse (aRR = 0.082; 95% CI: 0.040–0.900) showed lower risk of anxiety. Being married (aRR = 1.322; 95% CI: 1.042–2.260) and being younger in age (aRR = 1.037; 95% CI: 1.005–2.834) were significantly associated with higher risk of depressive symptoms, whereas being a technician (aRR = 0.683; 95% CI: 0.480–0.972) and having no change in work volume (aRR = 0.711; 95% CI: 0.532–0.987) were associated to lower risk of depression symptoms. Conclusion Psychological distress was high among mental health workers during COVID-19. Supportive measures such as adequate PPE, manageable workloads, mental health check-ins, and challenging societal stigma are needed to improve well-being, within study limitations.