Aimable Nkurunziza

• PhD Student at Western University

Background Menstrual hygiene practices among visually impaired young girls are a significant public health concern in Rwanda. Limited knowledge about menstruation leads to inadequate hygiene practices, increasing the risk of cervical cancer, urinary tract infections, and reduced quality of life. The menstrual hygiene needs of visually impaired girl...

Background In low-income countries, many menstruating persons continue to face numerous challenges regarding menstrual hygiene management. Visual impairment further compounds the difficulties faced by in-school adolescent girls, but little is known about its consequences in Rwanda. Objective To explore the lived experiences of menstrual hygiene ma...

Young people are particularly vulnerable to substance use and addiction and need reliable access to services to prevent and manage them. Access to substance use intervention programs was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to the adoption of virtual intervention programs for substance use prevention. Delivering virtual services through plat...

Adolescent pregnancy is a significant global health issue, particularly prevalent in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). In these regions, adolescent pregnancy is often seen as deviant, irresponsible, and shameful behavior, impacting not just the young mother but her entire family and community. Consequently, adolescent mothers frequently fac...

Background Informal abortions, commonly known as unsafe abortions, refer to all induced abortions that occur outside of formal healthcare settings conducted without the assistance of a licensed, trained healthcare provider. Despite the legalization of safe induced abortion care services, informal abortions continue to be among the major causes of m...

Background To contribute to a reduction in teenage pregnancy among in-school adolescents in Rwanda, a sexual and reproductive health peer education programme (SRHPEP) was developed and implemented. Reflecting on the unique characteristics of this newly implemented programme, and understanding peer educators’ (PEs) and facilitators’ perspectives, ca...

In low and middle income countries (LMICs), the rate of teenage pregnancy continues to be high, with significant implications for maternal health. The prevalence of teenage pregnancy is worrisome in Rwanda, and little is known about the consequences faced by teen mothers aged 15–19. Therefore, the present study aims to explore the consequences of a...

Introduction Adolescent mothers require trauma- and violence-informed care during the perinatal period due to trauma histories and ongoing violence as a result of pregnancy. Nurses and midwives play a critical role in caring for adolescent mothers in primary healthcare settings in Rwanda in the perinatal period. Purpose To explore the experiences...

Background: In low-income countries, many menstruating persons continue to face numerous challenges regarding menstrual hygiene management (MHM). Visual impairment further compounds the difficulties faced by in-school adolescent girls, but little is known about its consequences in Rwanda. Objective: To explore the lived experiences of MHM among in-...

IntroductionInterprofessional collaboration (IPC) is beneficial in delivering quality healthcare. Lack of IPC increases healthcare errors and work under stress. Despite its importance, achieving a desired IPC continue to be a challenge worldwide. In Rwanda, different maternal death audits identified poor IPC as one of the contributing factors. Howe...

Introduction In Rwanda, maternal community health workers play a critical role to improving maternal, newborn and child health, but little is known about their specific experiences with adolescent mothers, who face unique challenges, including trauma, ongoing violence, stigma, ostracism, mental health issues, barriers within the healthcare system,...

Background Antenatal care (ANC) helps ensure the best health conditions of the mother and foetus during pregnancy. However, achieving optimal ANC attendance and adherence to the World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations remains a global challenge, with significant disparities in attendance rates. A qualitative study was conducted exploring pr...

Background Patient waiting time as an important indicator of quality of services has been along-standing concern in health care.Objective The aim of this study was to assess patient waiting time in primary health caresettings in Rwanda.Methods This was a mixed-method study design. In quantitative phase, Patient Flow TimeLog was used to track the ti...

Introduction Comprehensive abortion care is an emerging intervention being integrated into nursing and midwifery curricula. Yet, no studies have been conducted in Rwanda to determine whether faculty perceive themselves as capable of teaching comprehensive abortion care. This study aims to evaluate the perceived self-efficacy to teach comprehensive...

Background Over the past decade, global public health has increasingly focused on studying mistreatment of women during facility-based childbirth. However, in Rwanda, research on disrespectful care experienced by mothers during childbirth remains limited, indicating the necessity for further studies. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study in...

Background Promoting family planning (FP) is a key strategy for health, economic and population growth, and achieving sustainable development goals (SDGs) especially SDG 3, which promotes health and well-being for all. The quality of FP services depends on the training of competent nursing and midwifery graduates before entering the workforce. In o...

Background Promoting family planning is a key strategy for health, economic and population growth, and to achieve sustainable development goals (SDGs). However, there is a lack of research on the capacity of nurses and midwives to deliver FP at higher learning institutions (HLIs) in Rwanda. Specific Aim To explore and describe the perceived self-e...

Aim: The aim of this discursive paper was to describe and expound on how paediatric nurses will be able to address the needs of children and adolescents through the lens of selected Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Rwanda. Design: A discursive analysis of SDGs relating to the roles of paediatric nurses in the context of Rwanda. Methods:...

Adolescent pregnancies that occur in schools remain a major public concern in Rwanda. Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) school based programs are less effective and discussing sexual health with adolescents is considered as taboo in Rwandan societies. Yet, adolescents still seek information about SRHR from their peers and research sh...

Background Interprofessional collaboration (IPC) contributes to optimum patient outcomes. The Training, Support, Access Model for Maternal, New Born, and Child Health (TSAM – MNCH), a project initiated as an innovative model for Rwanda, has provided a mentorship program to improve the quality of emergency obstetric and neonatal care (EmONC )includi...

Background HIV continues to be an important public health concern among adolescents. To reduce the high rate of mortality and improve the quality of life among people with HIV, WHO guidelines emphasize the early initiation of ART drugs in HIV-infected persons regardless of their CD4 count and clinical status. However, adherence to ART remains low i...

Background Although blended learning (BL) is being adopted in public and private higher learning institutions (HLIs) in Rwanda, little is known about students’ use of BL in their learning activities. This article describes a qualitative descriptive study of students’ perceptions and experiences of BL in Rwanda’s post-secondary nursing and midwifery...

Background Adolescent pregnancy is a global health concern. Many adolescent deaths occur due to early marriage and pregnancy. This study assessed knowledge and utilization of contraception among secondary school female adolescents at selected secondary schools in Rwamagana district.Methods Cross-sectional design using a self-administered questionna...

Introduction: Interruptions have been proven to cause medication administration errors in pediatric settings. Therefore, this study assessed the medication interruptions and associated factors among nurses in a pediatric unit at a selected referral hospital in Rwanda. Methods: A descriptive observational study was conducted among 59 nurses using a...

Background Adolescents living with HIV are vulnerable to depression with a negative effect on treatment outcomes. However, there are little data on the factors associated with depression in adolescents with HIV infection in Rwanda. Aim This article aims to assess the prevalence and sociodemographic factors related to depression among adolescents li...

Background: Despite a variety of mainly school-driven prevention strategies, the number of adolescent pregnancies in Rwanda is worryingly high and is even expected to increase. The aim of this study is to empower Kirehe secondary school students aged 15-19 years old in sexual and reproductive health (SRH) by developing a peer education program. M...

Background Worldwide, End stage renal disease (ESRD) is a public health concern increasing the number of patients maintained on the first choice of Renal Replacement Therapy (RRT) namely hemodialysis. Motivators and barriers to hemodialysis among ERSD patients in Rwanda are not well documented. Objective The objective of the study was to explore t...

Background: Medication Administration Errors (MAEs) are common among nurses and can threaten all patients’ outcomes. Furthermore, MAEs are the leading cause of incidents in patient safety records worldwide.Objective: To review the types of medication administration errors, factors contributing to MAEs and barriers to self-reporting among nurses.Met...

Background: Cervical cancer, although a largely preventable disease, is one of the most common cancers found in women living in low and middle-income countries. Cervical cancer management remains a challenge in most developing countries due to the fact that women seek medical care at a later stage. Purpose of the study: The purpose of this study is...

Background: Medication administration errors (MAEs) occur in health care settings however, the types, contributing factors to MAEs and barriers to reporting are not well studied in Rwandan context.Methods: Quantitative approach was adopted. Descriptive cross-sectional design was used. A convenience sampling was used to select 151 nurses working in...

Abstract Background In 2012, Human Resources for Health (HRH) Rwanda brought together international nursing experts with widely varying backgrounds, worldviews, and values. This phenomenon has generated an increased awareness of the impact of culture on attitudes, behaviors, and professional practices.DescriptionCulture is complex and it influences...