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Article History

Received: 12 November 2024

Accepted: 15 July 2025

First Online: 6 August 2025

Declarations

:

: The authors declare no competing interests.

: This study involved the analysis of anonymized data from existing records and did not involve direct interaction with participants. The research protocol was reviewed and approved by The AIDS Support Organization (TASO) Research and Ethics Committee (REC) under REF TASO-2023-321 and the Uganda National Council for Science and Technology (UNCST) under REF HS3892ES. These institutions waived the requirement for individual informed consent in accordance with applicable ethical guidelines and in accordance with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki and its future amendments []. In addition to ethical approvals, the study also obtained formal written consent from the Iganga Hospital administration to access the records. This consent ensured that the institutional privacy guidelines were respected while accessing sensitive information. Furthermore, only authorized personnel had access to this data, and its use was limited to the necessary individuals involved in the analysis. For statistical analysis, only de-identified data was shared. This approach balanced the need for reliable data with stringent privacy protections, aligning with ethical standards and safeguarding participant confidentiality.

: The views and content expressed in this article are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the National Institutes of Health, the United States Agency for International Development, the United States Government, Iganga General Hospital or the Ministry of Health, Makerere University, and Social & Scientific Systems, Inc., a DLH Holdings company.

: Not Applicable.