The Influence of Continuous Professional Development on Reproductive Health to Service Delivered to Women by Nurses at Mbagathi County Hospital, Nairobi-Kenya

Abstract

Continuous Professional Development (CPD) is based on the traditions of lifelong learning in the medical profession, for development of qualities and competencies in the working lives of health care providers. CPD in Nursing enhances competencies, which cannot be achieved without scientific knowledge, clinical skills and humanistic values. Reproductive health is important in every stage of life, it is about access to the safest, effective, affordable method of family planning or safe pregnancy, safe delivery for healthy mother and baby. Therefore, there is need for continuous professional development in reproductive health for all Health care providers. This study sought to evaluate the influence of CPD on reproductive health care service delivery by nurses at Mbagathi County Hospital. The objectives of this study were to establish how CPD on focused antenatal care (FANC) influenced services delivered to women attending

antenatal care clinic, determine how CPD on Emergency maternal obstetric and new- born care influenced services delivered to women and new-born in emergency

condition and establish how CPD on long lasting reversible contraception (LARC) influenced services delivered to women seeking contraception and identify challenges that Health Care Providers experience during service delivery. This was a cross sectional study. Study population were nurses working in units offering reproductive health services. Sampling method was census. Sixty one nurses who met the study criteria, filled semi structured questionnaires, 58 questionnaires were analysed. Data were analysed using MS Excel where cleaning, coding and tabulation of percentages, were conducted. Stata and Epi Info version 7 where tabulation of percentages and inferential analysis were conducted. The findings were presented by descriptive and inferential statistics. Results obtained indicated that 44 (76%) Nurses were trained on Focused antenatal care, 39 (67%) on EmONC and 31 (53%) on LARC. There was no influence of CPD to provision of Focused Antenatal care services at 95%CL: CI; 0.47- 5.52, P Value= 0.449 and EmONC: CI; 0.47-4.49, P- Value = 0.514. There was influence of CPD in provision of LARC services: CI; 1.82-30.65, P value =0.003. Inadequate staffing and inadequate commodities and supplies were the major challenges in provision of reproductive health services. Therefore, it is recommended that the hospital management explores other methods of training alongside workshops that have been found to be effective in transfer of skills for FANC, EmONC and LARC. Examples are online interactive sessions and on job training that are being used to deliver contents virtually in other platforms. It should be able to provide scheduled updates on long-acting reversible contraception to health care providers. Effective documented monitoring and evaluation of best practice and outcomes will greatly improve service provision. It should also recruit and train more health care providers to strengthen service delivery and ensure provision of adequate commodities and supplies for reproductive health services delivery.