Women's experiences of care after stillbirth and obstetric fistula: A phenomenological study in Kenya.

Background: Stillbirth and (obstetric) fistula are traumatic life events, commonly experienced together following an obstructed labour in low- and middle-income countries with limited access to maternity care. Few studies have explored women's experiences of the combined trauma of stillbirth and fistula.

Aim: To explore the lived experiences of women following stillbirth and fistula.

'There is trauma all round': A qualitative study of health workers' experiences of caring for parents after stillbirth in Kenya and Uganda.

Background: Stillbirth is a traumatic life-event for parents. Compassionate care from health workers supports grief and adjustment, alleviating psychological distress and minimising serious adverse health and social consequences. Bereavement support in facilities in LMICs, including in sub-Saharan Africa, often fails to meet parents' needs.

The impact of cultural beliefs and practices on parents' experiences of bereavement following stillbirth: a qualitative study in Uganda and Kenya.

Background: Stillbirth is an extremely traumatic and distressing experience for parents, with profound and long-lasting negative impacts. Cultural beliefs and practices surrounding death vary considerably across different contexts and groups, and are a key influence on individual experiences, impacting grief, adjustment, and support needs. Few studies have explored cultural influences surrounding stillbirth in an African context.

African midwifery students' self-assessed confidence in postnatal and newborn care: A multi-country survey.

Background: Majority of maternal and new-born deaths occur within 28 hours and one week after birth. These can be prevented by well-educated midwives. Confidence in postnatal and newborn care skills depend on the quality of midwifery education.

African midwifery students' self-assessed confidence in antenatal care: a multi-country study.

: Evidence-based antenatal care is one cornerstone in Safe Motherhood and educated and confident midwives remain to be optimal caregivers in Africa. Confidence in antenatal midwifery skills is important and could differ depending on the provision of education among the training institutions across Africa.: The aim of the study was to describe and compare midwifery students' confidence in basic antenatal skills, in relation to age, sex, program type and level of program.

Evaluation of an educational board game to improve use of the partograph in sub-Saharan Africa: A quasi-experimental study.

Background: The partograph is a tool used to record labour observations and support decision-making. Although used globally, it has not reached its full potential. We aimed to determine whether an educational board game can improve labour-monitoring skills and influence practice.

A grounded theory of regaining normalcy and reintegration of women with obstetric fistula in Kenya.

Background: Obstetric fistula is a reproductive health problem causing immense suffering to 1% of women in Kenya that is formed as sequelae of prolonged obstructed labour. It is a chronic illness that disrupts women lives, causing stigma and isolation. Fistula illness often introduces a crisis in women's life begetting feelings of shame and serious disruption to their social, psychological, physical and economic lives, in addition to dealing with moral and hygiene challenges.

A qualitative study of partner engagement in HIV testing in Malawi and Kenya.

In low-income settings, partner engagement in HIV testing during pregnancy is well recognised, but uptake remains low. To understand why men fail to engage, 76 in-depth, individual interviews were conducted with women ( = 23), men ( = 36) and community stakeholders ( = 17) in Malawi and Kenya. Transcribed data were analysed thematically.

'I stayed with my illness': a grounded theory study of health seeking behaviour and treatment pathways of patients with obstetric fistula in Kenya.

Background: Obstetric fistula classic symptoms of faecal and urinary incontinence cause women to live with social stigma, isolation, psychological trauma and lose their source of livelihoods. There is a paucity of studies on the health seeking behaviour trajectories of women with fistula illness although women live with the illness for decades before surgery. We set out to establish the complete picture of women's health seeking behaviour using qualitative research.

Screening for Sexually Transmitted Infections in Adolescent Girls and Young Women in Mombasa, Kenya: Feasibility, Prevalence, and Correlates.

Introduction: As adolescents and young women become sexually active, they are at risk of adverse reproductive health outcomes including sexually transmitted infections (STIs). We assessed feasibility and acceptability of STI screening among 15- to 24-year-old women in Mombasa, Kenya.

Methods: After sensitization activities, participants were recruited from 3 high schools and 1 university.

Parents' and teachers' views on sexual health education and screening for sexually transmitted infections among in-school adolescent girls in Kenya: a qualitative study.

Background: To successfully develop and implement school-based sexual health interventions for adolescent girls, such as screening for Chlamydia trachomatis, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, and Trichomonas vaginalis, it is important to understand parents' and teachers' attitudes towards sexual health education and acceptability of sexually transmitted infection (STI) screening interventions.

Methods: In this qualitative study, we approached parents and teachers from three high schools to participate in in-depth interviews (IDIs) and focus-group discussions (FGDs). Parents and teachers were asked about their general knowledge of STIs and sexual health education.

Success Stories: Overcoming Barriers to Research in Southern and Eastern African Countries.

There is an ever-growing need for clinically focused, culturally relevant research on which nurses can base their practice. However, there may not be a concurrent rise in efforts to strengthen infrastructure needed to promote research in developing and low-income countries. In such cases, nurse researchers must find innovative ways to address and overcome barriers to research.

Barriers and Facilitators of Screening for Sexually Transmitted Infections in Adolescent Girls and Young Women in Mombasa, Kenya: A Qualitative Study.

Objective: Young women bear the greatest burden of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), so it is important to identify and address barriers to STI screening in this population. We conducted a qualitative study to explore the feasibility of STI screening among adolescent girls and young women in Mombasa, Kenya.

Methods: We conducted 17 in-depth interviews (IDIs) (8 with adolescent girls and 9 with young women) and 6 focus group discussions (FGDs) (4 with adolescent girls and 2 with young women, total 55 participants).

Clinical Nursing and Midwifery Research Priorities in Eastern and Southern African Countries: Results From a Delphi Survey.

Background: Because of the profound shortage of nurse and midwifery researchers in many African countries, identification of clinical nursing and midwifery research is of highest priority for the region to improve health outcomes.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to gain consensus from experts on the priorities of clinical nursing and midwifery research in southern and eastern African countries.

Method: A Delphi survey was conducted among experts in the region.

A pilot quasi-experimental study to determine the feasibility of implementing a partograph e-learning tool for student midwife training in Nairobi.

Objective: the partograph is a tool used globally to record labour progress. Although it has the potential to improve maternal and neonatal outcomes, some midwives struggle with using it in practice. Training in partograph use is limited, and the theory is often divorced from practice.

'Moving with the times' taking a glocal approach: a qualitative study of African student nurse views of e learning.

Background: Information technology is a rapidly increasing means of communication in education and healthcare. This is also true in low resource settings, where electronic communication provides an opportunity for sharing information about health and wellbeing and enhancing learning for healthcare professionals.

Methods: A qualitative study whereby 51 year 3 and 4 student nurses at the University of Nairobi participated in 5 focus group discussions.

Contraception knowledge and practice among fistula patients at referral centers in Kenya.

Objective: To establish knowledge and practice of contraception among patients presenting with a fistula attending fistula care services at 4 centers in Kenya.

Methods: In a descriptive cohort study carried out between January and December 2011, patients presenting with a history of urine and/or stool leakage were screened and those with confirmed diagnosis of fistula were assessed and prepared for surgery. Informed consent was obtained from study participants before surgical intervention.