Current status of family medicine in Kenya; family physicians' perception of their role.

BACKGROUND: Family medicine (FM) was introduced in Kenya in 2005. Up to date (August 2019), 42 family physicians have graduated from Kenyan Universities. AIM: The aim of the study was to establish the current state of FM in Kenya and identify areas for more research and actions to support and improve FM in Kenya. SETTING: Interviews were conducted at the different work sites of the participants, four of them in hospitals, one at a University and one in a hotel where a FM conference was held. METHODS: An online questionnaire (response rate = 56%) and six semi-structured interviews were conducted amongst family physicians who completed their studies in Kenya. However, the focus was on the interviews. RESULTS: Family physicians have different ideas of how FM should look like ideally, but all agree that family physicians should be team leaders of a primary healthcare team, taking care of a defined population. Lack of policies, low numbers of family physicians and the misunderstanding of FM by all stakeholders are the major challenges. Sixty-four percent of the participants work in rural areas, and 77% perceive their current work as FM. CONCLUSION: Family medicine must be defined and properly promoted. Various areas have been identified that require further research: assessing required number of family physicians, reasons and solutions for the low number of family physicians, funding possibilities, and research the most suitable definition of a Kenyan family physician.

Knowledge and Perceptions Regarding Palliative Care Among Religious Leaders in Uasin Gishu County, Kenya: Survey and Focus Group Analysis.

Spirituality and religion are at the core of Kenyan life. Pastoral leaders play a key role in shaping the individual and community's response to living with chronic and life-threatening illnesses. Involvement of religious leaders would therefore be critical in advocacy and education efforts in palliative care (PC) to address the needs of this population. The goal of this study was to evaluate the knowledge and perceptions of religious leaders in Western Kenya regarding PC. This was a mixed-methods study with 86 religious leaders utilizing a 25-question survey followed by 5-person focus group discussions. Eighty-one percent of participants agreed that pastors should encourage members with life-threatening illnesses to talk about death and dying. However, almost a third of participants (29%) also agreed with the statement that full use of PC can hasten death. The pastors underscored challenges in end-of-life spiritual preparation as well as the importance of traditional beliefs in shaping cultural norms. Pastors supported the need for community-based PC education and additional training in PC for religious leaders. The results of this study confirm the dominant role of religion and spirituality in PC in Kenya. This dominant role in shaping PC is tied closely to Kenyan attitudes and norms surrounding death and dying.

CRYPTOCOCCAL meningitis in a HIV negative newly diagnosed diabetic patient: a CASE report.

BACKGROUND: This case report emphasizes the need to recognize cryptococcus as a possible cause of meningitis in non-HIV patients in Sub-Saharan Africa and to highlight the possibility of grave outcomes due to the paradoxical immune response in diabetic patients with cryptococcus meningitis. It also highlights the need for widespread availability of amphotericin-B and flucytosine in hospitals in Sub-Saharan Africa. CASE PRESENTATION: A 27 year old African lady was admitted with generalized tonic clonic seizures lasting 5 to 10 min. These seizures were preceded by severe frontal headaches radiating to the occiput and neck and associated with chills, photophobia and loss of consciousness. She was tachycardic and had tongue bites on the lateral aspects of her tongue. Kernig's and Brudzinski's signs were positive. India ink was positive on two cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples. She had hyperglycemia and glucosuria as well. She was diagnosed with cryptococcal meningitis in diabetes and had a remarkable response to fluconazole monotherapy. She went home on maintenance dose of fluconazole having made full recovery. and is currently on prophylactic doses of fluconazole. CONCLUSIONS: With the rising prevalence of diabetes in Sub-Saharan Africa, coupled with the low levels of adequate glucose control, cryptococcal meningitis should be considered in the differential diagnosis for diabetic patients presenting with chronic headache, fever and neurologic deficits.

Retrospective assessment of the quality of diabetes care in a rural diabetes clinic in Western Kenya.

BACKGROUND: Sub-Saharan Africa continues to face the highest rate of mortality from diabetes in the world due to limited access to quality diabetes care. We assessed the quality of diabetes care in a rural diabetes clinic in western Kenya. METHODS: To provide a comprehensive assessment, a set of clinical outcomes, process, and structure metrics were evaluated to assess the quality of diabetes care provided in the outpatient clinic at Webuye District Hospital. The primary clinical outcome measures were the change in HbA1c and point of care blood glucose. In assessing process metrics, the primary measure was the percentage of patients who were lost to follow up. The structure metrics were assessed by evaluating different facets of the operation of the clinic and their accordance with the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) guidelines. RESULTS: A total of 524 patients were enrolled into the diabetes clinic during the predefined period of evaluation. The overall clinic population demonstrated a statistically significant reduction in HbA1c and point of care blood glucose at all time points of evaluation after baseline. Patients had a mean baseline HbA1C of 10.2% which decreased to 8.4% amongst the patients who remained in care after 18 months. In terms of process measures, 38 patients (7.3%) were characterized as being lost to follow up as they missed clinic visits for more than 6 months. Through the assessment of structural metrics, the clinic met at least the minimal standards of care for 14 out of the 19 domains recommended by the IDF. CONCLUSION: This analysis illustrates the gains made in various elements of diabetes care quality which can be used by other programs to guide diabetes care scale up across the region.

Predictors of post-partum family planning uptake in Webuye Hospital, western Kenya.

BACKGROUND:  A short inter-pregnancy interval increases the risk for maternal and neonatal deaths in addition to other pregnancy complications including: preterm delivery, low birth weight, anaemia and premature rupture of membranes. However, only one half of Kenyan women, who have no desire to conceive immediately after birth, are using contraception one year after delivery. Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the predictors of uptake of post-partum family planning (PPFP). Setting: The study was conducted among post-partum women accompanying their children for their first measles vaccination at Webuye County Hospital (WCH), in western Kenya. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study involving 259 randomly sampled post-partum women, accompanying their children for their first measles vaccination. A structured, interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to collect data. Logistic regression was used to identify correlates of PPFP uptake. Results: The uptake of PPFP among women at 9 months post-partum at WCH was found to be 78.4% ± 5.0%. The odds of PPFP uptake among women living with their sexual partners was 88.2% less than among those not living with their partners with the true population effect between 97% and 51% (OR = 0.118; 95% CI: 0.028-0.494; p = 0.003). Conclusions: Not living with her sexual partner in the same house is the key predictor of a woman's PPFP uptake in WCH. This study recommends that any programme aimed at improving post-partum contraceptive use in WCH should target women who live with their partners in the same house.

Strengthening Primary Care Through Family Medicine Around the World Collaborating Toward Promising Practices.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: There is a limited evidentiary base on the development of family medicine in different contexts and countries. The lack of evidence impedes our ability to compare and characterize family medicine models and identify areas of success that have led to the effective provision of care. This paper offers a comparative compilation and analysis of the development of family medicine training programs in seven countries: Brazil, Canada, Ethiopia, Haiti, Indonesia, Kenya, and Mali. METHODS: Using qualitative case studies, this paper examines the process of developing family medicine programs, including enabling strategies and barriers, and shared lessons. An appreciative inquiry framework and complex adaptive systems thinking inform our qualitative study. RESULTS: Committed partnerships, the contribution of champions, health policy, and adaptability were identified as key enablers in all seven case studies. The case studies further reveal that some enablers were more salient in certain contexts as compared to others, and that it is the interaction of enablers that is crucial for understanding how and why initiatives succeeded. The barriers that emerged across the seven case studies include: (1) resistance from other medical specialties, (2) lack of resources and capabilities, (3) difficulty in sustaining support of champions, and (4) challenges in brokering effective partnerships. CONCLUSIONS: A key insight from this study is that the implementation of family medicine is nonlinear, dynamic, and complex. The findings of this comparative analysis offer insights and strategies that can inform the design and development of family medicine programs elsewhere.

Current Status of Family Medicine Faculty Development in Sub-Saharan Africa.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Reducing the shortage of primary care physicians in sub-Saharan Africa requires expansion of training programs in family medicine. Challenges remain in preparing, recruiting, and retaining faculty qualified to teach in these pioneering programs. Little is known about the unique faculty development needs of family medicine faculty within the sub-Saharan African context. The purpose of this study was to assess the current status and future needs for developing robust family medicine faculty in sub-Saharan Africa. The results are reported in two companion articles. METHODS: A cross-sectional study design was used to conduct a qualitative needs assessment comprising 37 in-depth, semi-structured interviews of individual faculty trainers from postgraduate family medicine training programs in eight sub-Saharan African countries. Data were analyzed according to qualitative description. RESULTS: While faculty development opportunities in sub-Saharan Africa were identified, current faculty note many barriers to faculty development and limited participation in available programs. Faculty value teaching competency, but institutional structures do not provide adequate support. CONCLUSIONS: Sub-Saharan African family physicians and postgraduate trainee physicians value good teachers and recognize that clinical training alone does not provide all of the skills needed by educators. The current status of limited resources of institutions and individuals constrain faculty development efforts. Where faculty development opportunities do exist, they are too infrequent or otherwise inaccessible to provide trainers the necessary skills to help them succeed as educators.

Future of Family Medicine Faculty Development in Sub-Saharan Africa.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: High-quality family medicine education is needed in sub-Saharan Africa to facilitate the future growth of primary care health systems. Current faculty educators recognize the value of dedicated teacher training and ongoing faculty development. However, they are constrained by inadequate faculty development program availability and institutional support. METHODS: A cross-sectional study design was used to conduct a qualitative needs assessment comprised of 37 in-depth, semi-structured interviews of individual faculty trainers from postgraduate family medicine training programs in eight sub-Saharan African countries. Data were analyzed according to qualitative description. RESULTS: Informants described desired qualities for a family medicine educator in sub-Saharan Africa: (1) pedagogical expertise in topics and perspectives unique to family medicine, (2) engagement in self-directed, lifelong learning, and (3) exemplary character and behavior that inspires others. Informant recommendations to guide the development of faculty development programs include: (1) sustainability, partnership, and responsiveness to the needs of the institution, (2) intentional faculty development must begin early and be supported with high-quality mentorship, (3) presumptions of teaching competence based on clinical training must be overcome, and (4) evaluation and feedback are critical components of faculty development. CONCLUSIONS: High-quality faculty development in family medicine is critically important to the primary care workforce in sub-Saharan Africa. Our study describes specific needs and recommendations for family medicine faculty development in sub-Saharan Africa. Next steps include piloting and evaluating innovative models of faculty development that respond to specific institutional or regional needs.

Assessing the accuracy of a point-of-care analyzer for hyperlipidaemia in western Kenya.

OBJECTIVES: The prevalence of hyperlipidaemia, along with other non-communicable diseases, is on the rise in low- and middle-income countries. CardioChek PA is a point-of-care lipid measuring device, which seeks to overcome laboratory-based diagnostic barriers by providing immediate results without dependency on significant laboratory infrastructure. However, it has not been validated in Kenya. In this study, we assess the accuracy of CardioChek PA with respect to the gold standard laboratory-based testing. METHODS: In Webuye, Kenya, two blood samples were collected from 246 subjects to simultaneously measure the lipid levels via both CardioChek PA and the gold standard. All subjects were adults, and geographic stratified sampling methods were applied. Statistical analysis of the device's accuracy was based on per cent bias parameters, as established by the United States National Institutes of Health (NIH). The NIH recommends that per cent bias be ≤±3% for low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, ≤±5% for high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, ≤±5% for total cholesterol (TC) and ≤±4% for triglycerides (TG). Risk group misclassification rates were also analysed. RESULTS: The CardioChek PA analyzer was substantially inaccurate for LDL cholesterol (-25.9% bias), HDL cholesterol (-8.2% bias) and TC (-15.9% bias). Moreover, those patients at higher risk of complications from hyperlipidaemia were most likely to be misclassified into a lower risk category. CONCLUSION: CardioChek PA is inaccurate and not suitable for our clinical setting. Furthermore, our findings highlight the need to validate new diagnostic tools in the appropriate setting prior to scale up regardless of their potential for novel utility.

Family medicine training in sub-Saharan Africa: South-South cooperation in the Primafamed project as strategy for development.

BACKGROUND: Health-care systems based on primary health care (PHC) are more equitable and cost effective. Family medicine trains medical doctors in comprehensive PHC with knowledge and skills that are needed to increase quality of care. Family medicine is a relatively new specialty in sub-Saharan Africa. OBJECTIVE: To explore the extent to which the Primafamed South-South cooperative project contributed to the development of family medicine in sub-Saharan Africa. METHODS: The Primafamed (Primary Health Care and Family Medicine Education) project worked together with 10 partner universities in sub-Saharan Africa to develop family medicine training programmes over a period of 2.5 years. A SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis was done and the training development from 2008 to 2010 in the different partner universities was analysed. RESULTS: During the 2.5 years of the Primafamed project, all partner universities made progress in the development of their family medicine training programmes. The SWOT analysis showed that at both national and international levels, the time is ripe to train medical doctors in family medicine and to integrate the specialty into health-care systems, although many barriers, including little awareness, lack of funding, low support from other specialists and reserved support from policymakers, are still present. CONCLUSIONS: Family medicine can play an important role in health-care systems in sub-Saharan Africa; however, developing a new discipline is challenging. Advocacy, local ownership, action research and support from governments are necessary to develop family medicine and increase its impact. The Primafamed project showed that development of sustainable family medicine training programmes is a feasible but slow process. The South-South cooperation between the ten partners and the South African departments of family medicine strengthened confidence at both national and international levels.

An online tool for mapping insecticide resistance in major Anopheles vectors of human malaria parasites and review of resistance status for the Afrotropical region.

BACKGROUND: Malaria control programmes across Africa and beyond are facing increasing insecticide resistance in the major anopheline vectors. In order to preserve or prolong the effectiveness of the main malaria vector interventions, up-to-date and easily accessible insecticide resistance data that are interpretable at operationally-relevant scales are critical. Herein we introduce and demonstrate the usefulness of an online mapping tool, IR Mapper. METHODS: A systematic search of published, peer-reviewed literature was performed and Anopheles insecticide susceptibility and resistance mechanisms data were extracted and added to a database after a two-level verification process. IR Mapper ( http://www.irmapper.com) was developed using the ArcGIS for JavaScript Application Programming Interface and ArcGIS Online platform for exploration and projection of these data. RESULTS: Literature searches yielded a total of 4,084 susceptibility data points for 1,505 populations, and 2,097 resistance mechanisms data points for 1,000 populations of Anopheles spp. tested via recommended WHO methods from 54 countries between 1954 and 2012. For the Afrotropical region, data were most abundant for populations of An. gambiae, and pyrethroids and DDT were more often used in susceptibility assays (51.1 and 26.8% of all reports, respectively) than carbamates and organophosphates. Between 2001 and 2012, there was a clear increase in prevalence and distribution of confirmed resistance of An. gambiae s.l. to pyrethroids (from 41 to 87% of the mosquito populations tested) and DDT (from 64 to 91%) throughout the Afrotropical region. Metabolic resistance mechanisms were detected in western and eastern African populations and the two kdr mutations (L1014S and L1014F) were widespread. For An. funestus s.l., relatively few populations were tested, although in 2010-2012 resistance was reported in 50% of 10 populations tested. Maps are provided to illustrate the use of IR Mapper and the distribution of insecticide resistance in malaria vectors in Africa. CONCLUSIONS: The increasing pyrethroid and DDT resistance in Anopheles in the Afrotropical region is alarming. Urgent attention should be afforded to testing An. funestus populations especially for metabolic resistance mechanisms. IR Mapper is a useful tool for investigating temporal and spatial trends in Anopheles resistance to support the pragmatic use of insecticidal interventions.

Multiple cardiovascular risk factors in Kenya: evidence from a health and demographic surveillance system using the WHO STEPwise approach to chronic disease risk factor surveillance.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the distribution of cardiovascular risk factors in western Kenya using a Health and Demographic Surveillance System (HDSS). DESIGN: Population based survey of residents in an HDSS. SETTING: Webuye Division in Bungoma East District, Western Province of Kenya. PATIENTS: 4037 adults ≥ 18 years of age. INTERVENTIONS: Home based survey using the WHO STEPwise approach to chronic disease risk factor surveillance. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Self-report of high blood pressure, high blood sugar, tobacco use, alcohol use, physical activity, and fruit/vegetable intake. RESULTS: The median age of the population was 35 years (IQR 26-50). Less than 6% of the population reported high blood pressure or blood sugar. Tobacco and alcohol use were reported in 7% and 16% of the population, respectively. The majority of the population (93%) was physically active. The average number of days per week that participants reported intake of fruits (3.1 ± 0.1) or vegetables (1.6 ± 0.1) was low. In multiple logistic regression analyses, women were more likely to report a history of high blood pressure (OR 2.72, 95% CI 1.9 to 3.9), less likely to report using tobacco (OR 0.08, 95% CI 0.06 to 0.11), less likely to report alcohol use (OR 0.18, 95% CI 0.15 to 0.21) or eat ≥ 5 servings per day of fruits or vegetables (OR 0.87, 95% CI 0.76 to 0.99) compared to men. CONCLUSIONS: The most common cardiovascular risk factors in peri-urban western Kenya are tobacco use, alcohol use, and inadequate intake of fruits and vegetables. Our data reveal locally relevant subgroup differences that could inform future prevention efforts.

What challenges hamper Kenyan family physicians in pursuing their family medicine mandate? A qualitative study among family physicians and their colleagues.

BACKGROUND: Since 2005, Kenyan medical universities have been training general practitioners, providing them with clinical, management, teaching and research skills, in order to enhance access to and quality of health care services for the Kenyan population. This study assesses what expectations family physicians, colleagues of family physicians and policy makers have of family medicine, what expectations family physicians live up to and which challenges they face. METHODS: Family physicians were observed and interviewed about their expectations and challenges concerning family medicine. Expectations among their colleagues were assessed through focus group discussions. Policy makers' expectations were assessed by analysing the governmental policy on family medicine and a university's curriculum. RESULTS: Roles perceived for and performed by family physicians included providing comprehensive care, health care management, teaching, and to a lesser extent community outreach and performing research. Challenges faced by family physicians were being posted in situations where they are regarded as just another type of specialist, lack of awareness of the roles of family physicians among colleagues, lack of time, lack of funds and inadequate training. CONCLUSIONS: The ministry's posting policy has to be improved to ensure that family physicians have a chance to perform their intended roles. Creating an environment in which family physicians can function best requires more effort to enlighten other players in the health care system, like colleagues and policy makers, about the roles of family physicians.