Evidence map›Paper›PMID 25837490›Full record

ArticlePloS one2015

Portrayal of the human resource crisis and accountability in healthcare: a qualitative analysis of ugandan newspapers.

Silvia Wojczewski, Merlin Willcox, Vincent Mubangizi, Kathryn Hoffmann, Wim Peersman, Thomas Niederkrotenthaler, Silvia Natukunda, Samuel Maling, Manfred Maier, David Mant and 1 more

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in PloS one, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed
1.1field-weighted citation impact, top 15% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

6 citing papers in PubMed, 9 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors at 4 institutions in 4 countries.

Silvia WojczewskiDepartment of General Practice and Family Medicine, Centre of Public Health, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
Merlin WillcoxNuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, Radcliffe Observatory Quarter, Oxford, United Kingdom.
Vincent MubangiziMbarara University of Science and Technology, Mbarara, Uganda.
Kathryn HoffmannDepartment of General Practice and Family Medicine, Centre of Public Health, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
Wim PeersmanDepartment of Family Medicine and Primary Healthcare, Ghent University, University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium.
Thomas NiederkrotenthalerDepartment of Social Medicine, Centre of Public Health, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
Silvia NatukundaMbarara University of Science and Technology, Mbarara, Uganda.
Samuel MalingMbarara University of Science and Technology, Mbarara, Uganda.
Manfred MaierDepartment of General Practice and Family Medicine, Centre of Public Health, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
David MantNuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, Radcliffe Observatory Quarter, Oxford, United Kingdom.
Ruth KutalekDepartment of General Practice and Family Medicine, Centre of Public Health, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
Medical University of Vienna · ATMbarara University of Science and Technology · UGUniversity of Oxford · GBGhent University Hospital · BE

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundUganda is one of the 57 countries with a critical shortage of health workers. The aim of this study was to determine how the human resources and health service crisis was covered in Ugandan newspapers and, in particular, how the newspapers attributed accountability for problems in the health services.

methodsWe collected all articles related to health workers and health services for the calendar year 2012 in the two largest national newspapers in Uganda (collection on daily basis) and in one local newspaper (collection on weekly basis). These articles were analysed qualitatively regarding the main themes covered and attribution of accountability.

resultsThe two more urban national newspapers published 229 articles on human resources and health services in Uganda (on average over two articles per week), whereas the local more rural newspaper published only a single article on this issue in the 12 month period. The majority of articles described problems in the health service without discussing accountability. The question of accountability is raised in only 46% of articles (106 articles). The responsibility of the government was discussed in 50 articles (21%), and negligence, corruption and misbehaviour by individual health workers was reported in 56 articles (25%). In the articles about corruption (n=35), 60% (21 articles) mention corruption by health workers and 40% (14 articles) mention corruption by government officials. Six articles defended the situation of health workers in Uganda.

conclusionsThe coverage of accountability in the Ugandan newspapers surveyed is insufficient to generate informed debate on what political actions need to be taken to improve the crisis in health care and services. There exists not only an "inverse care law" but also an "inverse information law": those sections of society with the greatest health needs and problems in accessing quality health care receive the least information about health services.

Indexed as

BibliometricsHealth PersonnelHealth Services Needs and DemandHumansInformation DisseminationNewspapers as TopicSocial ResponsibilityUganda

Identifiers

PMID25837490
PMCPMC4383446
OpenAlexW2052279784

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.