PLOS Global Public Health · 4 authors, 4 centres
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This descriptive cross-sectional study analysed 14,685 outpatient records from a rural Ugandan clinic in 2019 to characterise the local disease burden. Infectious diseases (42%), respiratory diseases (19%), and gastrointestinal diseases (17%) were most commonly diagnosed, and nearly half (48.9%) of clients were children under five years of age.
This descriptive, cross-sectional study used secondary data from the Health Management Information System records of Akisyon a Yesu Presbyterian Clinic (AYPC) in Nakaale, a hard-to-reach parish in Nakapiripirit District, Uganda, covering January through December 2019. A total of 14,685 outpatient observations were extracted, representing 163 distinct diagnoses across 189 residential villages. Nearly half (48.9%) of clients were under five years of age, and females outnumbered males across most age groups. Infectious diseases (42%), respiratory diseases (19%), and gastrointestinal and hepatic diseases (17%) were the most common diagnostic categories. Over half (58%) of clients resided beyond the facility's immediate sub-county, including 15% from outside the district. The study is limited by its reliance on routine outpatient register data, which does not capture health care-seeking behaviour, new versus returning patients, or cases managed outside the facility.
