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Adherence to world health organization guidelines on prevention of surgical sites infections among nurses in Karatina sub-county hospital in Nyeri, Kenya
No full textSurgical Site Infection (SSI) is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality. A surgical
site infection (SSI) occurs within 30 days of surgery or one year if an implant is used.
The invasive nature of the procedures break the first line of defense for the body
making the patient vulnerable to infections especially by pathogens such as Escherichia
coli, staphylococcus aureus , and klebsiella. A study by US department of health
reported 2-4% cases develop SSI with 3% resulting in mortality and a study by Tarwadi
2016, in AKU, Kenya revealed 4.9%cases resulted in SSI. The levels of the
morbidities have not had significant decline since the inception of guidelines on their
prevention. Therefore, this study sought to assess the adherence to WHO blueprints on
the prevention of SSIs among nurses and to establish the nurse-related as well as
facility-associated factors that influence the protocols to the compliance. This study
was based upon the following specific objectives; to assess the level of adherence to
WHO Guidelines on prevention of SSIs among nurses working in Karatina sub-county
hospital, Nyeri County, to assess the nurse-related factors influencing the adherence to
WHO Guidelines on prevention of SSIs among nurses working in Karatina sub-county
hospital, Nyeri County, to assess facility-linked factors that influence adherence to
WHO Guidelines on prevention of SSIs among nurses working in Karatina sub-county
hospital, Nyeri County. To accomplish this, the study was shaped by the theory of
planned behavior. On methodology, a descriptive cross-sectional design was employed
to help in describing variables under study. The study population entailed nurses
working in surgical, outpatient, theatre, and maternity departments at Karatina Sub County Hospital in Nyeri, Kenya with a total of 98 nurses sampled through
proportional stratified purposive method taking part in the study. The data was gathered
through an observational checklist as well as a self-administered questionnaire. A pre test was conducted at Mukurweini Sub-county hospital in Nyeri which offers similar
services to Karatina sub-county hospital. Data analysis was realized through descriptive
statistics which incorporated calculating frequencies, percentages, mean, as well as
standard deviation using data from SPSS version 25.0. The results showed that there
were more male nurses who adhered to the SSI prevention guidelines than
female(p<.001), the availability of hospital policies on SSI prevention significantly
contributed to high level of adherence(p <.001).These outcomes were presented in
tables, pie charts, and bar graphs. The results will be vital to informing strategies that
need to be adopted to lower the cases of SSIs based on identified areas of non compliance or recommendations. On analysis, it was observed that the majority of the
nurse’s level of adherence was low at 55.1% (n=54). Increase in age was found to be
significantly associated with low adherence level to the guidelines. The nurses’ age,
gender, has advanced training, more years of experience and nurses knowledge on
infection prevention influence adherence level to WHO guidelines on infection
prevention. The study recommended that the human resource management to evaluate
their staffing and employ younger nurses as their work force
Determining the Prevalence and Risk Factors Associated with Leishmaniasis among Residents of Rural Marigat Sub-County, Baringo County- Kenya
No full textLeishmaniasis is a parasitic and vector-borne disease with two primary forms: Cutaneous Leishmaniasis and Visceral Leishmaniasis, respectively, with an annual global incidence of 0.95 and 0.3 million cases. The study looked on the prevalence of Leishmaniasis and the risk factors linked with it in Kenya's Baringo County. The researchers used a mixed method analytical cross-sectional study design. In Kenya's Baringo County, 333 heads of households were recruited for the study. To enroll study participants, researchers utilized purposive and multistage sampling procedures. Leishmaniasis was reported by 96 out of 333 subjects, resulting in a prevalence of 28.8%. Increased odds of contracting Leishmaniasis were associated with living in a temporary house (OR = 5, 95% CI 2.64 – 9.44), Living below the poverty line (OR = 2.4, 95% CI 0.23 – 0.78), primary level of education (OR = 8.6, 95% CI 0.14 – 0.97), presence of termite hills (OR = 7.6, 95% CI 0.60 – 0.97) and presence of soil cracks (OR = 3.6, 95% CI 0.16 – 0.50). Having bed net (OR = 3.5, 95% CI 1.90 – 6.57), use of repellent (OR = 3.7, 95% CI 1.58 – 8.58), and wearing long sleeves after sunset (OR = 2.5, 95% CI 0.24 – 0.84) were associated with decreased odds of Leishmaniasis infection.
Leishmaniasis was discovered to be exacerbated in the study region by a lack of education, living below the poverty line, living in a temporary house, the presence of termite hills, and soil cracks near the residential area. People should eliminate dormant termite mounds near their homes, and the government should collaborate with development partners to improve people's livelihoods
AN ANALYSIS OF SYSTEM SECURITY VULNERABILITIES TOWARDS ENHANCING AUTHENTICATION TECHNOLOGIES IN COVID-19 ERA
Get PDFThe purpose or objective of this study was to examine the security weaknesses of existing systems
as well as the internal dynamics that make them vulnerable to cyber-security attacks and then
propose a better security system to help overcome the obstacles. There are a lot of vulnerabilities
in the current systems due to an increase in spoofing attacks on the sensors. Furthermore, due to
the physical touch nature of most authentication systems, they have been rendered useless with the
outbreak of covid-19. Identity theft, spoofing, and the trustworthiness of authentication systems in
higher education institutions are only a few of the major concerns jeopardizing system integrity
and impeding excellent service delivery. Biometric systems have been applied in several areas
such as education institutions, banks, and hospitals for authentication purposes. The use of
biometric security techniques has been widely adopted in higher education institutions to monitor
class attendance. These systems are increasingly being integrated into the webbased Management
information systems thus increasing their vulnerability to spoofing. Moreover, existing biometr
A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Award of Master of Public Health Degree in Monitoring and Evaluation of Mount Kenya University
Get PDFNon-communicable diseases are the leading cause of morbidity as well as mortality. In 2020 about 19.3 million newly cases diagnosed and 10.0 million people die of cancer annually worldwide. In Kenya cancer come second cause of mortality besides cardiovascular diseases accounting for 7% of total mortality thus making it a public health concern. In the 2020 GLOBOCAN report, National cancer estimates stand at 42,116 new cancer cases diagnosed and a mortality of 27,092. In Thika level five Hospital cancer cases are unknown. The main objective of this study was to assess cancer morbidity and mortality between the years 2013-2017 at Thika level five Hospital, Kiambu County, Kenya. The primary target for this study was all cancer patients attending Thika hospital. A descriptive, cross-sectional design was employed to gather data presented in all cancer patients. A sum of 261 cancer patients’ records observed from patients treated between January 2013 and December 2017. An interview was done using a structured questionnaire with 98 patients from the department of cancer pain management in the hospital. Data on independent variables including age, sex, primary anatomical sites of cancer origin. Data were analyzed, and summarized into frequencies and proportions, because of a small number of cancer cases only the top five were considered. The proportionate cancer frequency for incidence rate, and prevalence, as well as mortality, were calculated. The frequency recorded was absolute, and the proportions were in percentages. Data were presented in graphs and tables. The questionnaire interviews were analyzed using SPSS version 21. Proportionate cancer morbidity for five years and proportionate mortality rate since 2017 was analyzed Approval acquired from Mount Kenya Institutional Research Ethics Committee and a license was obtained from the National Commission of Science, Technology, and Innovation (NACOSTI). Permission to collect data obtained at Thika level five Teaching and Referral Hospital. The data were abstracted from 261 records out of which 179 (69%) female while 82 (31%) males. Primary data were obtained from a questionnaire for 98 cancer patients out of which 79 (77.6%) were alive while 22 (22.4%) die in combined gender. The top five cancer by sites were cervix 59 (22.6%), breast 40 (15.3%), esophagus 37 (14.2%), stomach 31 (11.9%), and prostate 13 (5 %). The proportionate cancer morbidity for five years for all ages was 73.9 per 100, population. The proportionate mortality rate for 2017 is 8.4 per 100 populations. In conclusion, major cancer in females and males were cervical and prostate, respectively. Recommendation, there is a need to emphasize provider-initiated cervical and prostate cancer screening during triage at the health facility as this may facilitate documentation of unseen cases
Investigation of Antibacterial and Antioxidant essential oils in nano Emulsions
No full textEssential oils extracted from edible, therapeutics and herbal plants have been
well recognized as natural antimicrobial and antioxidant additives. As viable
antimicrobials, essential oils have been observed to progressively control the
food borne microbes and as well maintain the wellbeing of the body from other
chronic conditions. Due to the hydrophobic nature of the essential oils it’s
difficult to achieve high antimicrobial property when mixing in the nourishment
based items. This has seen the emergence of the Nano-emulsions based essential
oils as the solution to this problem. The aim of this study was to formulate the
non-emulsion oil containing oregano oil and tea tree oil and after which evaluate
its antibacterial and antioxidant activity. The Nano-emulsion was prepared
following the standard procedures and it contained the oil phase, aqueous phase
and the surfactant. The antibacterial and antioxidant activity of the essential oil
based Nano-emulsions were evaluated by disc diffusion and DPPH free radical
scavenging assays respectiverly. L-ascorbic and was used as the standard
antioxidant while ciprofloxacin was used as the standard antibiotic. The
antibacterial activity was evaluated against three bacteria; Pseudomonas
aeruginosa, E.coli and Staphylococcus aureus. The pH results for the two
essential oils at the two different concentration were 6.925± 0.025 and 7.030±
0.020 for 1% and 2% tea tree oil and 7.855 ± 0.005 and 7.390 ± 0.010 for 1%
and 2% oregano oil. The results for the antibacterial activity showed both
essential oil at 2 % had significantly higher antibacterial activity (p<0.05)
against all the bacterial. The Nano-emulsion containing oregano had higher
antibacterial activity against E.coli while the tree tea oil was more effective
against Psudomonanos aeuruginosa. The results for the antioxidant activity of
the tea tree oil Nano-emulsion was not significantly different from each another
at all dose for both 1% and 2% (p>0.05). However, L-ascorbic acid recorded
higher antioxidant activity by recording lower IC50 concentration of 309.9
followed by 2 % tea tree oil Nano emulsion with 570.7 and lastly 1 % tea tree
oil Nano emulsion with 1639.6. In conclusion, the incorporation of the essential
oils in Nano-emulsions which is formulated in different ingredients enhances
their antimicrobial and antioxidant activit
Challenges in the provision of sewerage services in Kenol town, Murang’a County, Kenya
No full textABSTRACT
Emergence of unplanned urban settlements has over decades been a challenge to provision of efficient social services. Globally about 2.6 billion people do not have efficient sanitation services. Most of these challenges are found in third world countries that lack sufficient and adequate drainage and solid waste collection strategies. Most Countries in the sub-Saharan Africa have unplanned or poorly planned settlements that are inadequately maintained; undesigned and poorly planned systems which make it difficult to provide high quality services. Kenol town in Murang’a County emerged as a market centre and a stopover point for vehicle refueling and subsequently grew into an urban settlement with little or no prior planning. There is no documented study that has been carried out to determine challenges being encountered by the Murang’a County government in provision of the sewerage services to the residents of Kenol town. The objective of the study was to evaluate the provision of sewerage services among the residents of Kenol town, Murang’a County. To achieve this objective the study adopted descriptive research design. The specific objectives included; to establish the effect of unplanned settlements in the provision of sewerage services in Kenol town in Murang’a County; to evaluate the effects of financial constraints; to investigate the effects of technological knowhow; to determine the extent to which physical environment affects the provision of sewerage services in Murang’a County. The study population comprised of 44,007 people out of which the target population was 778. The study collected both qualitative and quantitative data from a sample of 264 respondents. The data was collected using interview guides and questionnaires. Collected data was analyzed using SPSS Version 21 by using Linear Regression Analysis to help establish existing relationship between the independent variables (challenges facing provision of sewerage services) and the dependent variable (provision of sewerage services). The study established that there were numerous challenges. These included; unplanned settlements at coefficient value of -2.701 with a p-value of 0.036 which is less than 0.05 indicating that unplanned settlements was a significant factor. Financial constraint was at coefficient value of 0.329 with a p-value of 0.047 which was less than 0.05 indicating that financial constraint as a factor was significant. Technological knowledge had a coefficient value of 5.851 with a p-value of 0.048 which was less than 0.05, indicating that technological knowledge a was significant factor and physical environment with a coefficient value of 20.167 with a p-value of 0.030 which was less than 0.05 indicating that physical environment factor was significant. Thus, the study recommends that the County Government should ensure that all buildings and any other form of settlement are planned. The County Government should allocate more financial resources towards provision sewerage services. The County Government should offer training opportunities for its staff to advance their skills in modern sewerage system. The County Government should formulate a policy which puts strict and punitive measures to any individual who does not adhere to physical planning and sewerage designs while setting up any structure
Empirical analysis of microfinance institutions support systems on performance of dairy farmers in Kakamega county, Kenya
No full textEfforts by the National Government and County Government of Kakamega have been directed toward improving dairy performance in the County. The county government has partnered with some MFIs to support dairy farming in the county in attempt to optimise milk supply and thus achieve dietary diversity, which is one of the 2030 Agenda For sustainable development (SDGs), as the county as well as the entire world rely on milk and dairy products from other counties. However, little attention has been directed toward the relationship between MFI support systems and the performance of smallholder dairy farmers in Kakamega. This study sought to find out an empirical study on microfinance institution's support systems' influence on the performance of dairy farmers in Kakamega County. The study's specific goals were to look into the impact of MFI technical support systems on dairy farmers' performance in Kakamega County, assess the influence of the MFI credit system on the performance of dairy farmers in Kakamega County, establish the influence of MFI micro insurance support systems on the performance of dairy farmers in Kakamega County, establish the influence of MFI saving systems on the performance of dairy farmers in Kakamega County and determine the influence of government policy on the relationship between microfinance institution support systems and the performance of dairy farmers in Kakamega County. The following three theories guided the research:knowledge-based theory, prospect theory, credit rationing theory and expected utility theory. The researcher identified Kakamega County as the target region of study because it has low milk production despite huge due potential in dairy farming. The study target population was1310 dairy farmers spread in 12 sub-counties as obtained from 17 Microfinance institutions in the county. The study sample size was 297 .Primary data was collected using questionnaires and an interview guide. Secondary data was obtained using document analysis. A pilot study was conducted. The findings were presented using tables, models, and charts. The Micro Finance Institutions' processes have a considerable impact on the performance of dairy producers in Kakamega, according to the data. Microfinance technical systems have played a key role in dairy farming performance because they improve the quality and quantity of dairy products by upgrading production technology. Micro Finance Institutions' credit systems had a positive contribution to the dairy performance. MFIs micro-insurance systems had a significant contribution to dairy farming through prompt compensation. MFI saving had a significant positive contribution to dairy farming performance. Government policies had substantial regulating variables on the association among dairy farming performance besides Micro Finance Institutions saving as well as technical systems. The study recommended that the Micro Finance Institutions need to collaborate with other organization and institution both government and non-government to ensure that farmers receive technical systems which will support dairy farmers
The electronic effect of quinoline moieties on the lability of platinum(II) complexes of tridentate N^N^N and N^C^N ligands: a kinetic, mechanistic and theoretical analysis
No full textThe rate of the chloride ligand displacement by three thiourea neutral nucleophiles (Nu) of different steric demands, namely thiourea (Tu), N,N’-dimethylthiourea (Dmtu) and N,N,N,’N-tetramethylthiourea (Tmtu) in the complex 2,6-bis(8-quinolyl)-pyridine chloroplatinum(II) (Pt3), was investigated under pseudo-first-order conditions as a function of concentration and temperature using UV–visible spectrophotometry and compared with the literature data of complexes: 2,6-bis(2-pyridyl)pyridine chloroplatinum(II) (Pt1), 1,3-bis(pyridyl)phenyl chloroplatinum(II) (Pt2) and 1,3-bis(8-quinolyl)phenyl chloroplatinum(II) (Pt4). The observed pseudo-first-order rate constants for substitution reactions obeyed the simple rate law . The results demonstrated that the lability of the chloride ligand is dependent on the degree of synergy between electronic character and the planarity of architectural frame work of the ligands around the platinum centre. The second-order kinetics and large negative activation entropies (ΔS#) assert an associative mode of activation. DFT calculations were performed to support the interpretation and discussion of the experimental data
Implication of khat consumption and trade on the socio-economic wellbeing of the community in Kamukunji Sub-county, Nairobi County, Kenya
Get PDFThroughout history, all societies have records and experiences with mind altering drugs. These include stimulants and narcotics for drinking, smoking, or chewing. The socio-cultural values and norms had what was acceptable and what was regulated. One of these mood- and mind-altering drug is Khat (Catha edulis). While the effects of Khat consumption on the health of consumers has been well documented by medical practitioners, its socio-economic implications are not distinctly documented, specifically in Kenya. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of Khat consumption and trade on the socio-economic wellbeing of the community in Kamukunji Sub-County, Nairobi County, Kenya. The specific objectives of the study were to: examine the effects of Khat consumption on family relationships; explore the effects of Khat consumption on the consumers’ household economy; determine the effects of Khat consumption on consumer-community relationships and analyze the effects of Khat trade on the retailers’ household economy. The study was guided by both structural functionalism and conflict theories. The study applied exploratory and field survey descriptive designs, using a mixed method approach. The target population was families whose members consume Khat and the community which Khat consumers interact with on a regular basis, as well as Khat retail traders in the study area. A sample of 424 respondents were taken using purposive and snowball sampling techniques. The data were obtained through a blend of quantitative and qualitative methods. Structured questionnaires were administered and analyzed using SPSS version 20 for the generation of means and standard deviations, chi-square Tests and multiple linear regressions. Focus group discussions and key informant interviews were thematically analyzed and presented through narrative and verbatim. Validity of the instruments was determined using experts’ judgment while reliability was through piloting of the instruments. A reliability statistic of 0.914 was determined using Cronbach method. The study found that Khat consumption was widely accepted across marital status and by all age groups. The factors which had negative effect on household economy were singled out as number of days Khat was consumed per week, the variety of Khat consumed and the level of education. The study found a significant association between income of Khat consumers and marital status. From the study, Khat retail traders’ highest level of education completed had a positive significant influence on the household economy. Traders reported Khat trade to be more lucrative compared to other retail trade in the area. It was found that most respondents preferred Khat regulation as compared to total banning and recommended community sensitization on the implication of Khat consumption. It was also found that familial dysfunction generally arises due to weakening of essential roles and poor distribution of responsibilities. It is anticipated that this study will act as a benchmark of studying socio-economic implications of Khat consumption and trade. This is achieved through its evidence based informed results as well as informing intervening policies that will contribute to the overall stability and solidarity of the society. The study will also bridge the gap in knowledge and cost benefit analysis between drug use, and socioeconomic development.
Aim at masters and PhD, young Kenyan urged
No full textStudents pursuing the bachelor degrees have been urged to aim higher for master's and PhDs so they can be more marketable.
Such higher academic achievements will make them more competitive and avoid the crowded pool of job seekers with first degrees, Mount Kenya University VC Prof Deogratius Jaganyi said