Health-seeking behaviours and pathways among people with disabilities in Eastern Uganda: A qualitative analysis

<ns3:p>Background Despite Uganda’s commitment to disability-inclusive healthcare, people with disabilities continue to face systemic barriers that affect their ability to access basic and specialised healthcare services. There is also a gap in the comprehensive understanding of the social, cultural, and systemic factors that influence the health-seeking behaviours of people with disabilities. Methods Qualitative in-depth interviews were conducted with persons with disabilities (n = 27) in Luuka district, a rural district in Eastern Uganda, to explore their health-seeking behaviours and pathways. Participants included people with cognitive impairment (n = 5), hearing impairment (n = 6), multiple impairments (n = 5), albinism (n = 1), physical impairment (n = 5), and visual impairment (n = 5). Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed and translated. Data were coded manually using Microsoft Excel, and thematically analysed, guided by Braun and Clarke’s six-step approach. Results Themes included 1) No treatment at all, 2) Self-treatment, 3) Home treatment, 4) Use of traditional medicine, and 5) Delayed treatment. Participants reported enduring illness without seeking care, often due to perceived stigma, previous negative healthcare-seeking experiences, or lack of support. Care-seeking was situational and reactive, often triggered by severe illness or chance encounters with supportive family members or friends. Therefore, participants sought care only as a last resort, often when conditions worsened, or resorted to self-treatment, traditional remedies like herbs, or home-based care, which they believed provided accessible and affordable care. Conclusion There is an urgent need to strengthen patient-centred and disability-inclusive healthcare approaches that respond to the diverse social and systemic healthcare access barriers faced by people with disabilities. Targeted training for healthcare workers, improved facility accessibility, and the inclusion of disability perspectives in service delivery and health planning are essential for building equitable and sustainable health systems in Uganda.</ns3:p>