"I thought I was going to die": Experiences of COVID-19 patients managed at home in Uganda

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dc.contributor.authorNakireka, Susan
dc.contributor.authorMukunya, David
dc.contributor.authorTumuhaise, Crescent
dc.contributor.authorOlum, Ronald
dc.contributor.authorNamulema, Edith
dc.contributor.authorNapyo, Agnes
dc.contributor.authorSerwanja, Quraish
dc.contributor.authorIngabire, Prossie Merab
dc.contributor.authorMuyinda, Asad
dc.contributor.authorBongomin, Felix
dc.contributor.authorMusaba, Milton
dc.contributor.authorMutaki, Vivian
dc.contributor.authorNantale, Ritah
dc.contributor.authorAkunguru, Phillip
dc.contributor.authorAinembabazi, Rozen
dc.contributor.authorNomujuni, Derrick
dc.contributor.authorOlwit, William
dc.contributor.authorNakawunde, Aisha
dc.contributor.authorNyiramugisha, Specioza
dc.contributor.authorMwa Aol, Pamela
dc.contributor.authorRujumba, Joseph
dc.contributor.authorMunabi, Ian
dc.contributor.authorKiguli, Sarah
dc.date.accessioned2024-02-02T12:58:24Z
dc.date.available2024-02-02T12:58:24Z
dc.date.issued2023-12-12
dc.description.abstractBackground In Uganda, approximately 170,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 3,630 deaths have been reported as of January 2023. At the start of the second COVID-19 wave, the Ugandan health system was overwhelmed with a sudden increase in the number of COVID-19 patients who needed care, and the Ministry of Health resorted to home-based isolation and care for patients with mild to moderate disease. Before its rollout, the COVID-19 homebased care strategy had neither been piloted nor tested in Uganda. Objective To explore the experiences of COVID-19 patients managed at home in Uganda. Methods This was a qualitative study that was conducted to explore the lived experiences of COVID19 patients managed at home. The study was carried out among patients who presented to three hospitals that were designated for treating COVID-19 patients in Uganda. COVID-19 patients diagnosed at these hospitals and managed at home were followed up and contacted for in-depth telephone interviews. The data were analysed using thematic content analysis with the aid of NVIVO 12.0.0 (QRS International, Cambridge, MA). Results Participants experienced feelings of fear and anxiety: fear of death, fear of losing jobs, fear of infecting loved ones and fear of adverse events such as loss of libido. Participants also reported feelings of loneliness, hopelessness and depression on top of the debilitating and sometimes worsening symptoms. In addition to conventional medicines, participants took various kinds of home remedies and herbal concoctions to alleviate their symptoms. Furthermore, COVID-19 care resulted in a high economic burden, which persisted after the COVID-19 illness. Stigma was a major theme reported by participants. Participants recommended that COVID-19 care should include counselling before testing and during and after the illness to combat the fear and stigma associated with the diagnosis. Another recommendation was that health workers should carry out home visits to patients undergoing homebased care and that COVID-19 treatment should be free of charge. Conclusion COVID-19 home-based care was associated with fear, anxiety, loneliness, depression, economic loss and stigma. Policymakers should consider various home-based follow-up strategies and strengthen counselling of COVID-19 patients at all stages of care.en_US
dc.description.sponsorshipsupport from Fogarty International Center of the National, Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of State’s office of the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator andHealth Diplomacy (S/GAC), and President’sEmergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) under Award Number 1R25TW011213.en_US
dc.identifier.citationNakireka, S., Mukunya, D., Tumuhaise, C., Olum, R., Namulema, E., Napyo, A., ... & Kiguli, S. (2023). " I thought I was going to die": Experiences of COVID-19 patients managed at home in Uganda. Plos one, 18(12), e0295113.en_US
dc.identifier.urihttps://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0295113
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14270/448
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.publisherPLOS ONEen_US
dc.relation.ispartofseriesPLOS ONE;2023
dc.subjectConvid 19 managementen_US
dc.subjectconvid 19 treatmenten_US
dc.subjectPatients with conviden_US
dc.subjectUgandaen_US
dc.title"I thought I was going to die": Experiences of COVID-19 patients managed at home in Ugandaen_US
dc.typeArticleen_US

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