Practicalities of health survey fieldwork research in a resource limited setting: challenges and lessons learnt from Uganda

Background: Countless research has been undertaken in sub-Saharan African countries to provide evidence for health policy interventions. However, despite the bulk of health research, very few studies have documented the experiences and practicalities of conducting health survey fieldwork in such settings. Methods: Results were obtained through synthesis of notes on fieldwork experiences documented during a household survey as part of a doctoral research project. Challenges faced and adaptive strategies developed to overcome or reduce the impact on the survey are highlighted. Results: Key challenges included infrastructure and electrical power outages; sampling and access to clients; ethics approval and political stability; and safety and wellbeing of researchers. Adaptive strategies were developed to overcome the different challenges faced. Conclusion: The experiences highlighted and strategies developed to overcome fieldwork challenges give practical advice for future data collection research in similar sub-Saharan African settings.