Factors influencing the utilization of public primary health care facilities in Tetu Sub County, Nyeri County, Kenya

Abstract

Primary health care institutions are optimally situated to provide person-centred and community-oriented care necessary to prevent or delay morbidities. This insight prompted Nyeri County to spend significantly in the development and equipping of health centres and clinics to enhance accessibility of services for the populace. Nevertheless, just 14% of the adult population availed themselves of these services. Demographic, economic, regional, and health-system issues may be contributing to this issue. Nonetheless, it remains unclear which of these reasons may be contributing to the underutilisation in Nyeri County. This research aimed to evaluate the variables affecting the use of public primary health care services in Tetu Sub-County, Nyeri County, Kenya. The research aimed to assess the extent of use of public primary healthcare facilities and identify individual and health facility-related variables affecting this utilisation. Two hundred and seventy-one adult residents of Tetu Sub County were the subjects of this analytical cross-sectional study, which included quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection. Using a multi-stage sampling process, the participants were chosen. The National Commission for Science and Technology granted a research authorisation, and the Chuka University Ethical Review Committee granted ethical approval. The researcher administered a semi-structured questionnaire to collect quantitative data. The qualitative data was gathered via the use of a conversation guide in focus groups. To ensure the data collection instruments were viable, a pre-test was carried out in Mukurwe-ini Sub-county. Our quantitative data was analysed using SPSS version 28, which is a statistical package for the social sciences. Descriptive statistics, chi-square, and logistic regression were used to the data. Qualitative data was analysed using thematic analysis in NVIVO version 14. Narratives, tables, and figures all contributed to the presentation of the study's findings. Results showed that 38.7 percent made use of free or low-cost primary care clinics. Women used public primary healthcare facilities 1.14 times more often than males, and this difference was statistically significant (p=0.01). People with lower levels of education were 2.5 times more likely to utilise public primary healthcare facilities, suggesting a strong correlation between education and the use of these services (p<0.01). Among health-facility related factors, the results showed a substantial association (p<0.001) between the availability of medication and the utilisation of public primary healthcare facilities. The research determined that the use rate of public basic healthcare facilities in Tetu Sub-County, Nyeri County, Kenya, was low primarily owing to the lack of medicine and other supplies. It is advised that the Nyeri county government guarantee primary healthcare facilities are routinely supplied with critical pharmaceuticals and equipped with required diagnosis and treatment services.