Information and its value to health workers in rural Uganda: a qualitative perspective*

A study was conducted in 1998/99 to investigate the accessibility and use of information by health workers in rural Uganda. Data were collected qualitatively using semi-structured interviews. As a qualitative study, it focused in-depth on a relatively small sample of health workers selected purposefully. Different categories of health workers were interviewed. Data were analysed using a grounded theory approach. In this paper, two main categories that emerged from the data will be discussed, namely: value of information and constraints. Information was valuable in clinical work, information dissemination, decision making, administration and detection. Constraints to effective information use included the quality and relevance of the information as well as the difficulties of sometimes putting theory into practice. Finally, the concepts that emerged from the analysis of the use of information pointed directly to the information needs of the health workers studied, which shows that information was valuable in meeting those needs. Some implications of the study and areas for further research are highlighted.