Research at UDHA builds innovative approaches through proven theories and informs planning for Community based interventions that impact positively on the target groups, the department embraces partnerships with institutions of higher learning like Makerere University – Iganga/Mayuge Demographic Surveillance Site (DSS) in collaboration with the different District Health Teams in Busoga sub region, Karolinska Institutet, Busoga University, Uganda Christian University, Mbarara University of Science and Technology

EQUIP Project

Expanded Quality management Using Information Power for Maternal and Newborn Health in Africa (EQUIP) is a pre‐post intervention study with a non‐randomized comparison group It includes data collection at three levels (household, health facility, and district). Quantitative data at household and health facility levels is collected via continuous surveys in both intervention and comparison districts. Qualitative data from all three levels is collected separately to the continuous survey. Quantitative data collected during the continuous surveys reflects service provision, processes, behaviors and coverage across the continuum of care from pre‐pregnancy to the first 28 days of life of the newborn. results

Uganda Newborn Survival Study (UNEST)

UNEST a two-arm cluster randomized controlled design with 31 intervention and 32 control areas is aimed at developing and costing an integrated maternal-newborn care package that links community and facility care, and evaluate its effect on maternal and neonatal practices in order to inform policy and scale-up in Uganda. As a result Kangaroo mother care room, a newborn unit, neonatal clinic for sick newborn babies were established in Iganga hospital.

 

Maternal and Newborn Scale-up Project (MANeSCALE)

Improving quality of care is an important intervention towards increasing clients’ utilization of skilled attendance at birth and accelerating improvements in newborn’s and maternal survival and well being (Kigenyi, Tefera et al. 2013). Uganda’s hospitals have been generally lagging behind in adhering to standards of quality service provision. As a result, they were increasingly becoming a major contributor to maternal and neonatal deaths despite increases in health facility births.

MNH has since 2014 has been working with six hospitals of Busoga region to strengthen health systems interventions for improving care for both the mother and the baby in a network of six hospitals i.e. Jinja Regional Referral hospital, Buluba Hospital, Bugiri Hospital, Kamuli Mission Hospital, Kamuli government Hospital and Iganga Hospital. MANeSCALE sets out to; Training of health workers to impart skills, Mentorship to sustain the skills, and catalytic provision of key commodities including equipment and drugs.  MANeSCALE Lessons Learnt 2014-2016

Maternal and Newborn Study (MANEST)

Makerere University School of Public Health, Uganda in collaboration with Ministry of Health (MOH), Association de santé publique de Genève (UDHA) and partners, with funds from WHO and DFID are implementing the Maternal Newborn Study (MANEST) in three interventions Health Sub Districts (HSD) of Luuka, Buyende, and Iganga in Eastern Uganda. MANEST established as a quasi-experimental study with the intervention phase which started in July 2013, to learn how to integrate and scale-up interventions aimed at increasing access to institutional deliveries, and care of complications through vouchers, and improving newborn care and uptake of PMTCT through home visits by essentially Village Health Team (VHT) within the existing health system in Uganda. (for details click here)