Dr Susan Atuhairwe successfully defends PhD thesis
RACHEAL NINSIIMA
On March 27 2023, Dr Susan Atuhairwe, a THRiVE-2 PhD fellow successfully presented and defended her thesis on ‘Safety, effectiveness and acceptability of Misoprostol for treatment of incomplete mid trimester abortion in Uganda.’ She was supervised by Profs Kristina Gemzell Danielsson from Karolinska Institutet; Josephat Byamugisha and Nazarius Mbona Tumwesigye of Makerere University and Claudia Hanson from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. The defense took place in Makerere University College of Health Sciences Boardroom.
Her research presented a big-picture analysis of the effectiveness and treatment outcomes for incomplete second trimester abortion using misoprostol when provided by midwives versus physicians in Uganda. Additionally, it cast light on health workers experiences and perceptions towards using misoprostol for management of second trimester incomplete abortion. Findings partly reveal that treatment success and feeling calm and safe enhance satisfactory acceptability whereas bleeding patterns reduce satisfaction.
The research was conducted in 18 districts in Uganda’s Central and Eastern regions and 43 public and Private not for Profit Health Facilities. It engaged 3315 women with severe abortion complications; 1191 women with second trimester incomplete abortion; 16 physicians and 32 midwives.
The defense chair, Prof. Annette Nakimuli congratulated Dr Atuhairwe whom she credited as having excelled over and beyond the examiners’ expectations at the defense. In her acceptance speech, Dr Atuhairwe appreciated Almighty God for having granted her strength for pulling through the journey, THRiVE for having funded her studies and her colleagues, family and research team for standing with her too.
THRiVE congratulates Dr Atuhairwe upon the fantastic job done and wishes you the best to your future endeavors!