BackgroundThe level of burnout among nurses working in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and Emergency Department (ED) is high, which adversely affects health and work-related outcomes for both nurses and patients. Little is known about burnout among ICU and ED nurses in Rwanda. ObjectiveTo explore the perceived effects of burnout among nurses and its management at a referral hospital in Rwanda. Methods A qualitative study design was carried out using focus groups. A purposive sample of six ICU and six ED nurses were recruited from the referral hospital in the capital city of Kigali. The discussions were audio-recorded in Kinyarwanda, transcribed verbatim into English and analysed inductively using thematic analysis. ResultsBurnout among the 12 nurses was high and the five main themes namely, high burnout, the Variability of care, Incomplete care, Erratic care and Improving situation to prevent burnout. ConclusionThe results of this study indicated that burnout is high between the ICU and ED study population and nurses need to be taken care of too. A good working environment addressing adequate staffing, specialty training, operational materials, and social activities are needed to improve unit functioning, and patient satisfaction and safety.Rwanda J Med Health Sci 2019;2(2):147-153.

Background: Globally, stunting affects 159 million Under-five-years-old (U-5) children. Stunting affects the physical, mental, and cognitive development of children increasing the risk of suffering and death. This paper aimed to determine the predictors and factors associated with stunting among under-five children in Rwanda.Methods: We retrieved data from the Rwanda Demographic and Health Survey (RDHS) 2014-2015 data set. A sample of 3599 U-5 eligible children with complete and valid anthropometric data was taken. Stata software was used to analyze the data extracted using a developed checklist. Descriptive statistics and Logistic regression analysis were performed to test the association between study variables.Results: Of 3599 U-5 children, 37.5% of children were stunted. The demographic characteristics: age (p< 0.001), sex (p<0.001), and place of residence (p< 0.001) and Household wealth index (p <0.001) were associated with stunting. Age, sex, and household wealth index were predictors of stunting.Conclusion: Stunting is still a burden in Rwanda. Age and sex were predictors of stunting among children under 5 years of age.Household wealth index was a predictor and significantly associated with stunting among children U-5 years in Rwanda. Investing in the interventions that target maternal and nutrition health support is imperative.Keywords: Predictors; Stunting; children; under five years; Rwanda.

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BackgroundHemodialysis is the most standard method of Renal Replacement Therapy (RRT) used in Rwanda. Nephrology nursing is a new speciality, and little is known about the nurses' work performance while caring for patients under going hemodialysis. Objective To explore factors influencing nurse's work performance in the care of hemodialysis patients in four nephrology units in Rwanda. Methods A qualitative descriptive design used a purposive sampling strategy to recruit 12 registered nurses working on the hemodialysis unit. Data were collected through interviews using a semistructured guide. Data analysis used a thematic approach with six phases. ResultsTwo themes and eight subthemes were revealed. Facilitating factors to increase work performance included the nurses' education and speciality training, good working environment, good interpersonal relationships among staff, and effective management and leadership. Barriers included, self-perceived knowledge and skills insufficiencies, moral distress, logistical concerns, and poor working conditions. ConclusionThe findings revealed specific facilitating factors and barriers to nurses' work performance. Nurses at these study sites, in conjunction with faculty in the Master's Nephrology Track at the University of Rwanda, could become change agents and begin to increase facilitating factors and decrease barriers. Continual improvement in facilitating factors is needed to keep nurses performing well.Rwanda J Med Health Sci 2019;2(2):178-184.