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http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/1460
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| Title: | Lack of effective communication between communities and hospitals in Uganda: a qualitative exploration of missing links |
| Authors: | Rutebemberwa, Elzeus
Ekirapa-Kiracho, Elizabeth
Okui, Olico
Walker, Damien
Mutebi, Aloysius
Pariyo, George |
| Keywords: | Health services
Communication
Hospitals
Management |
| Issue Date: | Aug-2009 |
| Publisher: | BioMed Central |
| Citation: | Rutebemberwa, E., Ekirapa-Kiracho, E., Okui, O., Walker, D., Mutebi, A., Pariyo, G.W. (2009). Lack of effective communication between communities and hospitals in Uganda: a qualitative exploration of missing links. BMC Health Services Research, 9(146) |
| Abstract: | Background: Community members are stakeholders in hospitals and have a right to participate in the
improvement of quality of services rendered to them. Their views are important because they reflect the
perspectives of the general public. This study explored how communities that live around hospitals pass
on their views to and receive feedback from the hospitals' management and administration.
Methods: The study was conducted in eight hospitals and the communities around them. Four of the
hospitals were from three districts from eastern Uganda and another four from two districts from western
Uganda. Eight key informant interviews (KIIs) were conducted with medical superintendents of the
hospitals. A member from each of three hospital management boards was also interviewed. Eight focus
group discussions (FGDs) were conducted with health workers from the hospitals. Another eight FGDs
(four with men and four with women) were conducted with communities within a five km radius around
the hospitals. Four of the FGDs (two with men and two with women) were done in western Uganda and
the other four in eastern Uganda. The focus of the KIIs and FGDs was exploring how hospitals
communicated with the communities around them. Analysis was by manifest content analysis.
Results: Whereas health unit management committees were supposed to have community
representatives, the representatives never received views from the community nor gave them any feed
back from the hospitals. Messages through the mass media like radio were seen to be non specific for
action. Views sent through suggestion boxes were seen as individual needs rather than community
concerns. Some community members perceived they would be harassed if they complained and had
reached a state of resignation preferring instead to endure the problems quietly.
Conclusion: There is still lack of effective communication between the communities and the hospitals
that serve them in Uganda. This deprives the communities of the right to participate in the improvement
of the services they receive, to assume their position as stakeholders. Various avenues could be instituted
including using associations in communities, rapid appraisal methods and community meetings. |
| URI: | http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6963/9/146
http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/1460 |
| Appears in Collections: | Research Articles (Health-Sciences)
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Files in This Item:
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| retebemberwa-chs-res.pdf | | 257Kb | Adobe PDF | View/Open |
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