Pauline Njoki Kariuki

Genetic diseases are chronic in nature and very problematic. The aim of this study was to determine the impacts of genetic diseases on the affected children’s parents in the African region. A scoping review of eleven electronic databases was done. Only original peer-reviewed qualitative research studies published in peer-reviewed journals and periodicals published in English language between 2018 and 2022 were included. Thematic content analysis and synthesis was employed to analyze and present the findings. Out of 4765 identified articles, only 12 studies fully met the inclusion criteria. The study concluded that parents of children with genetic diseases face many challenges such as; (i) low quality of life—physically, socially, psychologically and environmentally; (ii) lack of information; (iii) lack of specialized services; (iv) financial strain; (v) negative or inappropriate coping mechanisms; and (vi) existential concerns. The study recommends that; (i) counselling and social support for affected parents to help mitigate the impact of genetic diseases; (ii) raising awareness of genetic diseases among the affected parents and their families, as well as the public in general; (iii) international and national policies and programmes should be instituted to enhance screening and detection of genetic disorders, coordination of clinical management of genetic diseases, facilitation of training of medical genetics/genomics professionals, and the stimulation of research in genetic diseases; (iv) ensure affordability of treatment and healthcare services to parents with children with genetic diseases; (v) promote resilience and positive adaptive coping mechanisms; and (vi) provision of trauma counselling to the affected parents.

ABSTRACT Equitable access to safe and effective vaccines is critical to ending the COVID-19 pandemic. However, nearly one-third of healthcare workers were unvaccinated against COVID-19 by mid-September 2021. This study sought to determine the uptake of COVID-19 vaccine among nurses in a sub county hospital in Nyamira County, Kenya. Saturated sampling design was employed. Using a cross-sectional design, data was collected in July 2021 using a structured self-administered questionnaire. SPSS version 22 was used to code, enter, analyse, organize, present and store data. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the findings. Inferential analysis using Chi-Square and Logistic Regression were performed. Data was presented using tables. The results showed an uptake of 51.6 % for at least one dose of COVID 19 vaccine, while 48.4 % of the respondents were hesitant in receiving the vaccine. Chi-Square analysis of the demographic characteristics showed positive associations with uptake of the COVID-19 vaccine. However, from the regression analyses, gender (p=.223, 95 % CI, SE .795, OR 1.250), level of nursing education (p=.132, 95 % CI, SE .491, OR 1.141), years of experience (p=.228, 95 % CI, SE .453, OR 1.256), and knowledge (.583, CI 95%, SE .758, OR 1.792) were all positively associated with uptake of COVID-19 vaccine, while age showed negative association (p=-.033, 95 % CI, SE .381, OR .968). The study concluded that there was hesitancy in the uptake of COVID-19 vaccine. It is, therefore, recommended that measures to increase nurses’ uptake of the COVId-19 vaccine, such as education on the vaccine among other strategies, be instituted.

The Glasgow Coma Scale is a tool used to aid in objectively measuring the neurological status of a patient. The objectives of the study were to (i) examine the relationship of the demographics of the nurses and their knowledge of the Glasgow Coma Scale; (ii) find out about exposure of the nurses to the Glasgow Coma Scale; and (iii) assess their knowledge of Glasgow Coma Scale. The study was conducted in Masaba North Sub-County Hospital, Nyamira County, Kenya. The study population was all the nurses working in that hospital. The eligibility criteria were all nurses working during the data collection period and the exclusion criteria was all the nurses on study leave, maternity leave, and sick leave. The study design was cross-sectional using a quantitative approach to data collection. Data were collected using a structured self-administered questionnaire. The study concluded that: (i) there was low level of knowledge about Glasgow Coma Scale; and (ii) there was inappropriate application of basic theoretical knowledge to clinical scenarios. It is therefore recommended that: (i) the length and depth of both the teaching of the theoretical concepts and the skill of performing Glasgow Coma Scale assessment be reviewed by nursing schools for basic and post-basic educational programmes for nursing students with the view of adapting more comprehensive in-depth teaching combined with demonstrations in classrooms and during clinical experiences in order to enhance nurses’ knowledge of the Tool; and (ii) implementation of regular refresher training sessions.