Socio-Demographic Factors Affecting Competency of Health Care Providers in Cervical Cancer Prevention and Control in Kenya, Case Study of Machakos County

Abstract

Cervical cancer had been reported to be the best understood and most preventable type of cancer. Almost 90 per cent of deaths related to cancer occurring in middle-income and low-income countries are due to cervical cancer. HPV has been discovered to be the causative agent of most cervical cancers and this has led to innovation of highly competent prevention methods: using prophylactic HPV vaccination to control the early infections and use of sensitive HPV-based screening to diagnose and treat the cancer in pre-cancer stages. This study aimed at identifying socio-demographic factors of the health workers that influence their competency in controlling and preventing cervical cancer. A crosssectional descriptive survey study design was used to generate data through self-administered questionnaires. The questionnaire was structured to collect socio-demographic factors of health workers influencing prevention and control of cervical cancer. Reliability of the instrument was estimated using the split half method. Odd-even split method was used to obtain the two halves. The chronbach’s alpha was calculated for the tool and was at 0.817 which was considered good. Then was checked for Lavenes test for normality in distribution of participants and was 0.832. A sample size of 146 was used to generate quantitative data. Data collected was used for the sole purpose of research, informed consent and clearance for the study was sought. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 24. A p value of <0.05 was used to determine significant associations. The results revealed that the health workers department of work. On analysis, the respondents from MCH/FP, gynecology clinic and obstetric ward were found to be more efficient prevention and control of cervical cancer. These reflected that working in these departments had more chances of becoming competent than working in a female medical ward. In female medical wards, may be large numbers of the patients may explain why the health workers do not become competent in prevention and control of cervical cancer as for those in the other departments. In MCH/FP and gynecology clinics they mostly deal with mothers of reproductive age almost on one to one situations, this increases chances of the health worker to cater for the mother in a holistic manner. Years of experience were key determinants of health care provider’s competency in cervical preventing and controlling cancer of the cervix. There was a variation in number of years in which a respondent had worked in the current department. It was evident that the more number of years the respondent had worked in their current departments the more effective they were in preventing and controlling cervical cancer. Those who had worked for more than four years were more likely to be effective than those who had worked for less than one year. Therefore, experience was a determinant of health worker competency in prevention and control of cervical cancer. In conclusion, the study found out that the department the health worker was working in determined their competency in prevention and control of cervical cancer. Years of experience in cervical cancer screening was also significantly associated with competency in cervical cancer screening and prevention.