Determinants of Implementation of Kangaroo Mother Care Services among Healthcare Workers in Makueni County,Kenya
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Date
2023
Authors
Matheka, Seraphine Mbinya
Kabue, Priscilla
Wanyoro, Antony
Muoki, Francis Matheka
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
IPRJB
Abstract
Purpose: Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) entails infants and mothers
having constant skin-to-skin contact. KMC is done in the hospital after
delivery to preterm infants or after early discharge. Mothers or caregivers
are sensitized on proper positioning, breastfeeding, hygiene, and
preventive measures to protect infants from infections. Proper follow-up
is critical to ensure effective results are achieved. The use of KMC was
endorsed by the World Health Organization (WHO) as routine care for
preterm infants with a birth weight of ≤2000 grams, especially the
clinically stable infants. This recommendation was based on the
available moderate-quality evidence that it works by providing warmth
(thermal care) and increasing breastfeeding opportunities irrespective of
setting, birth weight, or gestational age. Also, KMC has been strongly
acclaimed and used as a natural thermoregulator, infection prevention,
and nutrition for preterm infants, which are critical for physiological
functions that are strongly affected by physical immaturity. Although
this technique offers quality care to these babies, its implementation is
low. There is a need to determine the suitable methods to improve its
implementation in Kenya's healthcare facilities. This study aimed to
determine factors influencing the implementation of KMC in Makueni
County health facilities.
Methodology: The study was conducted in maternity units of six subcounty hospitals (Makueni county referral hospital, Makindu sub-county
hospital, Kibwezi sub-county hospital, Mbooni sub-county hospital,
Kilungu sub-county hospital, and Sultan-Hamud sub-county hospital) in
Makueni County. Cross-sectional study design with mixed methods was
used. Semi-structured questionnaires and KMC checklist were filled by
the researcher and research assistants. The convenience sampling
technique was carried out, and 90 healthcare providers and 6 Key
Informants were interviewed. Data was analyzed using version 23 of a
statistical package for social sciences using descriptive and inferential
statistics.
Findings: The study results reveal that young health care providers
portrayed better KMC implementation compared to the old (r=-.210,
p=0.047). In relation to gender, female health care providers had better
KMC implementation compared to the male (r= -.290,
p=0.006).Knowledge (r=.282, p=0.007) and health workers' perception
of KMC (r=.245, p=0.02) had a positive and significant relationship with
implementing KMC. Perception (β=1.149, p=0.05) and funds (β=0.958,
p=0.05) had a positive and significant effect on implementing KMC. R
squared indicated that jointly, age, gender, perception, and budget
accounted for 29.4% of the overall variation in the KMC
implementation. Results demonstrated a high level of KMC (33.3%)
implementation among the health facilities. The study concluded that
funds and collaboration had a positive and significant effect on
implementing KMC.
Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: The study
recommends that the hospital management should ensure there is
provision of adequate resources to support KMC implementation. In
particular, the hospital management should focus on strengthening
physical and human resources. There is also a need to link all relevant
programs, such as essential newborn care and Integrated Management of
Neonatal and Childhood Illnesses (IMNCI), to support KMC
implementation.
Description
Article
Keywords
Implementation, Kangaroo Mother Care Services, Healthcare Workers
Citation
Matheka, S., Kabue, P., Wanyoro, A., & Muoki, F. (2023). Determinants of Implementation of Kangaroo Mother Care Services among Healthcare Workers in Makueni County, Kenya. Journal of Health, Medicine and Nursing, 9(1), 49–56. https://doi.org/10.47604/jhmn.1941