Clinical skills of general practitioners in Nairobi, Kenya: a cross-sectional study
Background: Quality service delivery in primary care requires motivated and competent health professionals. In the Kenyan private sector, GPs with no postgraduate training in family medicine offer primary care. There is a paucity of evidence on the ability of primary care providers to deliver compre...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Royal College of General Practitioners
2022-09-01
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| Series: | BJGP Open |
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| Online Access: | https://bjgpopen.org/content/6/3/BJGPO.2021.0233 |
| _version_ | 1798000429745831936 |
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| author | Gulnaz Mohamoud Robert Mash |
| author_facet | Gulnaz Mohamoud Robert Mash |
| author_sort | Gulnaz Mohamoud |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: Quality service delivery in primary care requires motivated and competent health professionals. In the Kenyan private sector, GPs with no postgraduate training in family medicine offer primary care. There is a paucity of evidence on the ability of primary care providers to deliver comprehensive care and no such evidence is available for GPs practising in the private sector in Kenya. Aim: To evaluate GPs’ training and experience in the skills required for comprehensive primary care. Design and setting: A cross-sectional descriptive survey in 13 primary care clinics in the private sector of Nairobi, Kenya. Method: A questionnaire, originally designed for a national survey of primary care doctors in South Africa, was adapted. The study collected self-reported data on performance of clinical skills by 25 GPs. Data were analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS, version 25). Results: GPs were mostly aged <40 years, with ≤10 years of experience, and there was an equal sex distribution. GPs reported moderate performance with adult health, communication and consultation, and clinical administration; and weak performance with emergencies, child health, surgery, ear, nose, and throat (ENT) and eyes, women’s health, and orthopaedics. The GPs lacked training in specific skills such as proctoscopies, contraceptive devices, skin procedures, intra-articular injections, red reflex tests, and use of genograms. Conclusion: GPs lacked training and performed poorly in some of the essential skills required in primary care. Continuing professional development, training in family medicine, broadening the model of care, and deployment of family physicians to the clinics could improve care comprehensiveness. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T11:20:07Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-08c0e90132bc459bb5a8f83f4ea55b55 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2398-3795 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T11:20:07Z |
| publishDate | 2022-09-01 |
| publisher | Royal College of General Practitioners |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BJGP Open |
| spelling | doaj.art-08c0e90132bc459bb5a8f83f4ea55b552022-12-22T04:27:04ZengRoyal College of General PractitionersBJGP Open2398-37952022-09-016310.3399/BJGPO.2021.0233Clinical skills of general practitioners in Nairobi, Kenya: a cross-sectional studyGulnaz Mohamoud0Robert Mash1Division of Family Medicine and Primary Care, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South AfricaDivision of Family Medicine and Primary Care, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South AfricaBackground: Quality service delivery in primary care requires motivated and competent health professionals. In the Kenyan private sector, GPs with no postgraduate training in family medicine offer primary care. There is a paucity of evidence on the ability of primary care providers to deliver comprehensive care and no such evidence is available for GPs practising in the private sector in Kenya. Aim: To evaluate GPs’ training and experience in the skills required for comprehensive primary care. Design and setting: A cross-sectional descriptive survey in 13 primary care clinics in the private sector of Nairobi, Kenya. Method: A questionnaire, originally designed for a national survey of primary care doctors in South Africa, was adapted. The study collected self-reported data on performance of clinical skills by 25 GPs. Data were analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS, version 25). Results: GPs were mostly aged <40 years, with ≤10 years of experience, and there was an equal sex distribution. GPs reported moderate performance with adult health, communication and consultation, and clinical administration; and weak performance with emergencies, child health, surgery, ear, nose, and throat (ENT) and eyes, women’s health, and orthopaedics. The GPs lacked training in specific skills such as proctoscopies, contraceptive devices, skin procedures, intra-articular injections, red reflex tests, and use of genograms. Conclusion: GPs lacked training and performed poorly in some of the essential skills required in primary care. Continuing professional development, training in family medicine, broadening the model of care, and deployment of family physicians to the clinics could improve care comprehensiveness.https://bjgpopen.org/content/6/3/BJGPO.2021.0233primary health caregeneral practicefamily medicineclinical skillscomprehensive health careprivate sectorprimary care |
| spellingShingle | Gulnaz Mohamoud Robert Mash Clinical skills of general practitioners in Nairobi, Kenya: a cross-sectional study BJGP Open primary health care general practice family medicine clinical skills comprehensive health care private sector primary care |
| title | Clinical skills of general practitioners in Nairobi, Kenya: a cross-sectional study |
| title_full | Clinical skills of general practitioners in Nairobi, Kenya: a cross-sectional study |
| title_fullStr | Clinical skills of general practitioners in Nairobi, Kenya: a cross-sectional study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Clinical skills of general practitioners in Nairobi, Kenya: a cross-sectional study |
| title_short | Clinical skills of general practitioners in Nairobi, Kenya: a cross-sectional study |
| title_sort | clinical skills of general practitioners in nairobi kenya a cross sectional study |
| topic | primary health care general practice family medicine clinical skills comprehensive health care private sector primary care |
| url | https://bjgpopen.org/content/6/3/BJGPO.2021.0233 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT gulnazmohamoud clinicalskillsofgeneralpractitionersinnairobikenyaacrosssectionalstudy AT robertmash clinicalskillsofgeneralpractitionersinnairobikenyaacrosssectionalstudy |