W A Tumwikirize

Publications (4)1.09 Total impact

• Source

  Available from: ajol.info

  Article: Adverse drug reactions in patients admitted on internal medicine wards in a district and regional hospital in Uganda.

  W A Tumwikirize, J W Ogwal-Okeng, A Vernby, W W Anokbonggo, L L Gustafsson, S C Lundborg
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  ABSTRACT: The burden of both community and hospital acquired adverse drug reactions (ADRs) are some of the important issues in pharmacotherapy. At the time of this study there was very scanty literature in this area from Africa. This study was done to determine the frequency and characteristics of ADRs in patients admitted on medical wards in public hospitals. This was a longitudinal observational study on 728 adult patients on medical wards in one regional and one district hospitals. Community and hospital acquired ADRs were assessed. Thirty three patients (4.5%) were admitted with suspected ADR, and an ADR was the reason for hospitalization in 1.5%. Most ADRs were due to antiparasitic products, mainly quinine (61%). Community acquired ADRs prolonged hospital stay, 5.6 days vs 4.0 days (p-value < 0.001). During hospitalization ADRs occurred in 49.5% of the patients. Antiparasitic products, predominantly quinine, were the commonest drugs class associated with ADRs (85.9%). Hospital acquired ADRs did not affect hospital stay, 4.2 days vs 3.9 (p-value 0.129). ADRs are an important cause of morbidity in patients, both in the community and in hospitals, and the majority are associated with the commonly used drugs.
  African health sciences 03/2011; 11(1):72-8.
• Article: Adherence to HIV antiretroviral therapy in HIV+ Ugandan patients purchasing therapy.

  J Byakika-Tusiime, J H Oyugi, W A Tumwikirize, E T Katabira, P N Mugyenyi, D R Bangsberg
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  ABSTRACT: Our objective was to determine the level of adherence and reasons for non-adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) among HIV-positive (HIV+) people on ART in a resource-limited setting. Patients receiving ART were recruited into the cross-sectional study from three treatment centres in Kampala, Uganda. The number of missed doses over the last three days was assessed by structured patient interviews and dichotomized at +/-95% adherence. Reasons for non-adherence were assessed with both structured patient interviews and unstructured qualitative interviews. Independent predictors of non-adherence were assessed with multivariate logistic regression. In all, 304 HIV-infected persons on ART were enrolled into the study. Factors associated with non-adherence were marital status (odds ratio (OR) = 2.93, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.32-6.50) and low monthly income <50 US$ [OR = 2.77, 95% CI 1.64-4.67]. We concluded that levels of self-reported adherence in patients receiving ART in Kampala are comparable to levels in resource-rich settings with inability to purchase and secure a stable supply as a major barrier to adherence.
  International Journal of STD & AIDS 02/2005; 16(1):38-41. · 1.09 Impact Factor
• Article: Impact of a face-to-face educational intervention on improving the management of acute respiratory infections in private pharmacies and drug shops in Uganda.

  W A Tumwikirize, P J Ekwaru, K Mohammed, J W Ogwal-Okeng, O Aupont
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  ABSTRACT: In Uganda, although private retail pharmacies and drug shops are the most common sources of drugs for the majority of the population, the quality of care received from these outlets has been reported as suboptimal. It is believed that lack of adequate knowledge is an important underlying factor to such practices. In this study, we investigated the impact of a face-to-face educational intervention on counter attendants' dispensing behaviour for mild and severe acute respiratory infections (ARI) in children at private pharmacies and drug shops. We used a quasi-experimental research design with comparison groups to analyse counter attendants' management of ARI before and after an intervention. The study was conducted in Kampala District, and used a sample of 191 registered drug outlets (27 pharmacies and 164 drug shops), stratified into two groups: 1) An experimental group that received training; 2) A control group unexposed to training. Data on the practices in the drug outlets from both groups were collected at two time-points: seven months before the intervention, and at one-month after the intervention. Two main outcome measures were considered: a) Assessment of the child's condition. b) The dispensing practices of counter attendants. The study found that despite the training, the assessment of the child's condition remained inadequate in both groups, where the child's age was the only question asked in more than 90% of cases. High levels of inappropriate dispensing practices for both mild and severe ARI were still persistent in both groups after the intervention. Antibiotic prescribing for both conditions was very common, and barely any advice or instruction was given with dispensed drugs. Client demand for particular drugs, competition among drug outlets, and inability of most clients to afford the recommended treatments were the main reported barriers that emerged from the focus group discussions with the counter attendants. The evaluation of the practices one month after the face-to-face educational intervention showed that the management of ARI did not improve in the drug outlets. While study design issues may have contributed to such findings, there are many other factors not related to knowledge and education that may indirectly hamper the promotion of appropriate dispensing in the private pharmacies and drug shops in Uganda. It is possible that a combination of interventions may contribute to improved management of ARI by counter attendants in the private drug shops and pharmacies in Uganda.
  East African medical journal 03/2004; Suppl:S25-32.
• Article: Management of acute respiratory infections in drug shops and private pharmacies in Uganda: a study of counter attendants' knowledge and reported behaviour.

  W A Tumwikirize, P J Ekwaru, K Mohammed, J W Ogwal-Okeng, O Aupont
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  ABSTRACT: In Uganda, private pharmacies and drug shops are important sources of drugs for the majority of the population. In addition to selling drugs, these outlets often serve as primary sources of information about illness and drug therapy. However, the appropriateness of dispensing by staff in these drug outlets has been found to be suboptimal. Yet there has been no study documenting the determinants that underlie the dispensing pattern at these outlets. This study evaluated counter attendants' training background, their knowledge of acute respiratory infections (ARI), and their reported behaviour in the management of ARI in order to identify factors associated with dispensing behaviours. This descriptive study was conducted in Kampala District, Uganda and used a cross-sectional survey research design to analyse the practice of 197 drug outlets including 28 pharmacies and 169 drug stores. Counter attendants' training background; their knowledge of the causes, signs and symptoms of ARI; their perception of the dangers of ARI; and the drugs and advice offered for the management of mild and severe ARI. Majority of the counter attendants had medical or pharmacy training. Most of them were nurses. The attendants' workload was generally low. High levels of self-medication among clients were reported at the outlets. Staff at a management level had low knowledge of the aetiology, signs and symptoms, and dangers of ARI. Prescribing an antibiotic was found to be the usual practice for managing ARI cases. Counter attendants at those outlets seldom gave advice or referrals for ARI cases. In particular, patient demand was a main barrier to appropriate dispensing. Strategies suggested by attendants for improving rational dispensing were to educate the public, provide training for the attendants, and re-enforce government supervision of drug outlets. This study identified several self-reported inappropriate behaviours in the outlets. The formal training background and workload of counter attendants at drug shops and pharmacies were not found to be important contributors to irrational prescribing. The results of this study suggest that a combination of regulatory and educational interventions may yield to improvement in counter attendants' practices in private drug outlets.
  East African medical journal 03/2004; Suppl:S33-40.