Women’s experiences of emergency post-abortion care at Kawempe National Referral Hospital, Uganda: A qualitative descriptive study
- 1Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, College of Health Sciences, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda
- 2Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Kawempe National Referral Hospital, Kampala, Uganda
Abstract
Background: Post-abortion care (PAC) encompasses emergency treatment, counselling, contraceptive services, and referral linkages. Emergency post-abortion care (EPAC), the life-saving component of PAC, addresses acute abortion-related complications, including haemorrhage, sepsis, retained products of conception, and severe pain. In Uganda, where abortion is legally restricted and socially stigmatised, women’s care experiences are shaped by clinical urgency, fear, moral vulnerability, provider interactions, and structural health system constraints. Despite EPAC’s centrality to maternal survival, qualitative evidence on how women interpret and evaluate their care experiences in referral hospital settings in Uganda remains limited. This study explored women’s experiences of EPAC at Kawempe National Referral Hospital (KNRH) and identified the factors that shaped those experiences. Methods: A qualitative descriptive design employing inductive thematic analysis was used. Sixteen in-depth interview transcripts from women who received EPAC at KNRH in March–April 2026 were analysed. The Socio-Ecological Model (SEM) was subsequently applied as a post-hoc organising framework to situate findings across individual, interpersonal, facility, and community levels. Results: Six themes were identified: (1) survival and physical relief as the immediate measure of good care; (2) pain, fear, and emotional distress during treatment; (3) reassurance and support as buffers against vulnerability; (4) dignity under pressure: communication and privacy in EPAC; (5) structural barriers across the pathway of care; and (6) experiences beyond discharge: incomplete recovery and uncertainty. Care was frequently evaluated through the lens of survival, yet these accounts co-existed with intense procedural pain, compromised privacy, delays, financial burden, and inadequate post-discharge support. EPAC at KNRH was experienced as a complex encounter shaped by bodily vulnerability, interpersonal dynamics, and system-level constraints. Conclusions: Strengthening EPAC requires patient-centred approaches that integrate clinical effectiveness with respectful communication, pain management, improved triage, and structured post-discharge support.
Related
- Strategies to improve uptake of adolescent family planning and post-abortion care services in Northern Uganda: a qualitative descriptive study
- Nursing students’ experiences with using generative artificial intelligence: a descriptive qualitative study
- Experiences of social participation and inclusion among primary caregivers of children with cerebral palsy in China: a qualitative descriptive study.
- Implementation and Performance of a Clinical Debriefing Programme in a Paediatric Emergency Department: A Descriptive Qualitative Review
- Facilitators and barriers to nurses’ adherence to traumatic brain injury management guidelines at the accident and emergency unit in a national referral hospital in Uganda: a qualitative study
BibTeX
@article{sessimba2026womens,
title = {{Women’s experiences of emergency post-abortion care at Kawempe National Referral Hospital, Uganda: A qualitative descriptive study}},
author = {Kawungu Saad Sessimba and Aburi Godfrey James and Baluku Andrew and Igirimbabazi Pious and Kibuuka Balikuddembe and Keesiga Annette and Herbert Kayiga},
journal = {PLOS One},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0357615},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0357615},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Women’s experiences of emergency post-abortion care at Kawempe National Referral Hospital, Uganda: A qualitative descriptive study
AU - Kawungu Saad Sessimba
AU - Aburi Godfrey James
AU - Baluku Andrew
AU - Igirimbabazi Pious
AU - Kibuuka Balikuddembe
AU - Keesiga Annette
AU - Herbert Kayiga
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/05
JO - PLOS One
DO - 10.1371/journal.pone.0357615
UR - https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0357615
AB - Background: Post-abortion care (PAC) encompasses emergency treatment, counselling, contraceptive services, and referral linkages. Emergency post-abortion care (EPAC), the life-saving component of PAC, addresses acute abortion-related complications, including haemorrhage, sepsis, retained products of conception, and severe pain. In Uganda, where abortion is legally restricted and socially stigmatised, women’s care experiences are shaped by clinical urgency, fear, moral vulnerability, provider interactions, and structural health system constraints. Despite EPAC’s centrality to maternal survival, qualitative evidence on how women interpret and evaluate their care experiences in referral hospital settings in Uganda remains limited. This study explored women’s experiences of EPAC at Kawempe National Referral Hospital (KNRH) and identified the factors that shaped those experiences. Methods: A qualitative descriptive design employing inductive thematic analysis was used. Sixteen in-depth interview transcripts from women who received EPAC at KNRH in March–April 2026 were analysed. The Socio-Ecological Model (SEM) was subsequently applied as a post-hoc organising framework to situate findings across individual, interpersonal, facility, and community levels. Results: Six themes were identified: (1) survival and physical relief as the immediate measure of good care; (2) pain, fear, and emotional distress during treatment; (3) reassurance and support as buffers against vulnerability; (4) dignity under pressure: communication and privacy in EPAC; (5) structural barriers across the pathway of care; and (6) experiences beyond discharge: incomplete recovery and uncertainty. Care was frequently evaluated through the lens of survival, yet these accounts co-existed with intense procedural pain, compromised privacy, delays, financial burden, and inadequate post-discharge support. EPAC at KNRH was experienced as a complex encounter shaped by bodily vulnerability, interpersonal dynamics, and system-level constraints. Conclusions: Strengthening EPAC requires patient-centred approaches that integrate clinical effectiveness with respectful communication, pain management, improved triage, and structured post-discharge support.
SN - 1932-6203
ER -