Strengthening Quality of Care Through a Blended Training Model at Private Not for Profit Health Facilities in Central and Eastern Uganda.
1
Program, LifeNet International, Kampala, Uganda
2
Program, LifeNet International, Washington D.C, United States
Popul. Med. 2026;8(Supplement Supplement 1):A1079
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Private Not for Profit (PNFP) health facilities play a critical role in Uganda’s health system, delivering up to 40% of primary and referral care, particularly in underserved areas. However, persistent gaps in health worker competencies, limited access to continuous professional development, and a weak supportive supervision mechanism continue to affect quality of care. Blended training approaches combining structured centralized learning with on-site mentorship and continuous performance monitoring offer a promising strategy to strengthen workforce capacity and improve service delivery. This study assessed the effect of LifeNet Iinternational’s blended training and mentorship model on quality of care at PNFP health facilities in Central and Eastern Uganda.
METHODS:
We conducted a pre-post implementation study across 24 LifeNet partner health facilities from 2023 to 2025. The intervention combined centralized training focused on best medical practices and management systems, followed by regular onsite mentorship and supportive supervision aligned with LifeNet’s quality scorecard (QSC) framework. The QSC is a standardized tool measuring adherence to clinical standards, patient safety practices, documentation, and management systems with an 80% minimum module competency. Health facility performance was assessed using QSC for both medical and management domains at baseline and endline. Paired tests analyzed changes in health facility performance.
RESULTS:
Improvements were observed across both medical and management domains following implementation of the blended training model. Mean medical QSC scores increased from 53.78% at baseline to 85.96% at endline (+32.18%, p<0.001). Management performance improved from 42.66% to 86.83% (+44.17%, p< 0.001).
CONCLUSIONS:
Blended training significantly improved quality of care in PNFP health facilities strengthening both clinical and managerial practices demonstrating that sustained, practice-oriented capacity building improves service delivery. This approach provides a scalable and context-appropriate model for health system strengthening in resource-limited settings.
Private Not for Profit (PNFP) health facilities play a critical role in Uganda’s health system, delivering up to 40% of primary and referral care, particularly in underserved areas. However, persistent gaps in health worker competencies, limited access to continuous professional development, and a weak supportive supervision mechanism continue to affect quality of care. Blended training approaches combining structured centralized learning with on-site mentorship and continuous performance monitoring offer a promising strategy to strengthen workforce capacity and improve service delivery. This study assessed the effect of LifeNet Iinternational’s blended training and mentorship model on quality of care at PNFP health facilities in Central and Eastern Uganda.
METHODS:
We conducted a pre-post implementation study across 24 LifeNet partner health facilities from 2023 to 2025. The intervention combined centralized training focused on best medical practices and management systems, followed by regular onsite mentorship and supportive supervision aligned with LifeNet’s quality scorecard (QSC) framework. The QSC is a standardized tool measuring adherence to clinical standards, patient safety practices, documentation, and management systems with an 80% minimum module competency. Health facility performance was assessed using QSC for both medical and management domains at baseline and endline. Paired tests analyzed changes in health facility performance.
RESULTS:
Improvements were observed across both medical and management domains following implementation of the blended training model. Mean medical QSC scores increased from 53.78% at baseline to 85.96% at endline (+32.18%, p<0.001). Management performance improved from 42.66% to 86.83% (+44.17%, p< 0.001).
CONCLUSIONS:
Blended training significantly improved quality of care in PNFP health facilities strengthening both clinical and managerial practices demonstrating that sustained, practice-oriented capacity building improves service delivery. This approach provides a scalable and context-appropriate model for health system strengthening in resource-limited settings.
| eISSN: | 2654-1459 |
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