Browsing by Author "Gitonga, L. K."

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Assessment of the Midwives Knowledge on Utilization of Partograph in Management of Labour in Public Health Facilities in Tharaka Nithi County
(International Journal of Health Sciences and Research, 2021) Mwari, P. S.; Mukhwana, E. S.; Gitonga, L. K.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended Partograph as a labor management tool due to its impact in reducing obstetric labor complications and maternal deaths over the years. This labor management tool is inexpensive and appropriate for use in low-resource settings, particularly in developing countries. Despite the fact that many African countries, including Ethiopia, Kenya, and Nigeria, have adopted the Partograph in labor management, there is little information on midwives' knowledge on the use of the tool in labor management. Understanding of how to use a Partograph is essential for reducing complications and maternal deaths. The purpose of this study was to determine midwives' knowledge on using the Partograph in labor management. The study adopted a cross-sectional survey design. 45 midwives were randomly selected from 16 public health facilities in Tharaka Nithi County. Questionnaires were used to collect data. Focused Group Discussions were also conducted with 77 postnatal mothers who gave birth in the 16 health facilities. The collected data was analyzed using descriptive statistics (means, frequencies, and percentages) and Chi-Square tests. Thematic analysis was used to examine qualitative data. Results showed that 74% of midwives had used Partograph in labor monitoring, while 26% had never used the tool. 60% of the midwives had received Partograph training. Despite not having been trained, some midwives were using the Partograph. Findings revealed inconsistencies in the use of Partograph in labor management. A large proportion of midwives deviated from the WHO's recommended use of Partograph in the first stage of labor. The study recommended that the Tharaka Nithi County government, through the Ministry of Health, invest in Partograph utilization in-service training programs to provide nurses and midwives working in the maternity wing the necessary knowledge and skills for proper Partograph utilization. There is also a need for policy changes in institutions to ensure that nurses use of the Partograph as a strategy for reducing maternal mortality rates, improving motherhood, and labor management in the County.
Patient Related Factors Influencing Timely Diagnosis of Tuberculosis in Tharaka Nithi County, Kenya
(International Journal of Health Sciences and Research, 2023-10) Linda, B.K.; Gitonga, L. K.; Mukhwana E. S.; M’Kiunga, K. S.
Globally, the control of Tuberculosis (TB) has remained a public health challenge despite numerous prevention and treatment programs. Kenya is ranked among countries with a high TB burden globally and has the highest incidences of all types of tuberculosis compared to other East African Countries. The high prevalence of TB in Kenya been attributed to delays in the diagnosis of TB. The consequence of the delays has been the increased spread of the disease, disease advancement, poor treatment outcomes, and high cost of patient treatment and care the affected populations. The aim of this study was to assess patient related factors influencing timely diagnosis of TB in Tharaka Nithi County. Tharaka Nithi County is among the counties with the highest prevalence of TB in Kenya. The study adopted a descriptive cross-sectional survey study design. A sample of 154 patients randomly selected from three hospitals in Tharaka Nithi County was used. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data. The data was analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. Associations between patient related factors and duration of TB before diagnosis was tested using Chi-square. The study findings revealed that most (70.86%) of TB patients had delayed diagnosis. Persistent cough was the major sign that led patients to seek for care, while believe that signs and symptoms would disappear was major reason for delay in seeking treatment and care. Sex, age, marital status, employment, self-medication, stigma, work and smoking history were the patients related factors significantly associated with timely diagnosis of TB (P<0.05). The study recommends promotion of care seeking behavior through raising public awareness on tuberculosis, enhancing active case findings, strengthening community-hospital referral systems, boosting health system partnerships for early detection of TB.
Rapid,Economical and selective Compexometric Determination of Iron (III) in its synthetic alloys using 3 hydroxy-3 phynyl-1-(2,4,6-tribromophynyl)
(2019-09) Ombaka, O.; Musundi, S. W.; Gitonga, L. K.; Kibara, D.; Olivia, A. N.
The present study describes a simple, selective, rapid and economical method for the determination of iron (III) in its synthetic alloys using 3-hydroxy -3- phenyl-1- (2,4,6- tribromophenyl) triazene as metallochromic indicator in the 𝑃𝐻 and temperature range of 2.5-3.0 and 20 − 600𝑐 respectively. The colour and shape of the synthesized indicator was light yellow shinning needles having melting point of 590𝑐. It was crystallized from ethanol. The results of elemental study showed that, the values of C, H, N obtained experimentally agrees very well with those obtained theoretically. The colour at the end point changes from violet to light yellow using EDTA as a titrant. There is no interference in either determination from common metal and anion ions other than Pb(II), Cr(II), Mo(VI), Mn(II), U(vI), Cu(II), Cd(II), 𝐹−, 𝑃𝑂4 3−, 𝐶2𝑂4 2−, 𝐻𝑃𝑂4 2−. Reproducible and accurate results are obtained for 5.59 -1.12mg of Iron with relative error less than ±1.79% and standard deviation not more than 0.10%. The results of the test method and reference method (Atomic absorption spectrophotometric) showed that, there is no statistical difference in the results by the two methods.