Patient Experiences in HIV Care: A Qualitative Review from Ugandan Hospitals
Ssenkayi Julius
Department of Pharmacy Kampala International University Uganda
Email:Julius.ssenkayi@studwc.kiu.ac.ug
ABSTRACT
Ugandan HIV services have expanded rapidly, improving access and clinical outcomes; however, this review indicates that patient experience remains uneven, particularly in hospital-based settings. Reported problems cluster around stigma, confidentiality breaches, weak communication, and fragmented continuity of care, amplified by congestion, limited space, and hierarchical structures. Knowledge gaps persist because many studies under-sample groups with distinct pathways and disclosure vulnerability, including adolescents, men, pregnant and postpartum women, and key populations. We call for in-depth qualitative work that centers lived experience and explains how context shapes perceived respect, privacy risks, waiting time for care, and follow-up support. Comparative research contrasting hospitals with lower-level health centers is needed to clarify where experiences diverge and why. Moving beyond description, implementation research should test scalable solutions privacy-by-design layouts, improved patient flow, and appointment, triage, or differentiated service-delivery models to reduce congestion and inadvertent disclosure. Finally, routine quality improvement requires standardized measurement: develop and validate Ugandan, language-appropriate patient-reported experience measures and embed them in facility monitoring to guide redesign, strengthen trust, improve retention, and advance equitable outcomes.
Keywords: HIV care, patient experience, qualitative, Uganda, stigma, confidentiality, adherence, retention, personcentered care.
CITE AS: Ssenkayi Julius (2026). Patient Experiences in HIV Care: A Qualitative Review from Ugandan Hospitals. IDOSR JOURNAL OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH 11(2):114-118.
https://doi.org/10.59298/IDOSRJSR/2026/11.2.114118