Are outpatient costs for hypertension and diabetes care affordable? Evidence from Western Kenya.

Background: Diabetes and hypertension pose a significant socio-economic burden in developing countries such as Kenya, where financial risk-protection mechanisms remain inadequate. This proves to be a great barrier towards achieving universal health care in such settings unless mechanisms are put in place to ensure greater access and affordability to non-communicable disease (NCD) management services.

Aim: This article aims to examine outpatient management services costs for patients with diabetes and hypertension attending public primary healthcare facilities.

Intravenous ketamine for severe alcohol use disorder at Moi Teaching & Referral Hospital, Kenya: a case report.

Background: Alcohol use disorder is prevalent globally and in Kenya, and is associated with significant health and socio-economic consequences. Despite this, available pharmacological treatment options are limited. Recent evidence indicates that intravenous (IV) ketamine can be beneficial for the treatment of alcohol use disorder, but is yet to be approved for this indication.

Framework and case study for establishing impactful global health programs through academia - biopharmaceutical industry partnerships.

Background: The field of global health has grown with multiple different public and private stakeholders engaging in the effort to improve health outcomes for underserved populations around the world. There is, however, only limited published guidance on how to promote successful partnerships between academia and the biopharmaceutical industry.

Objective: This analysis will provide a framework for developing successful partnerships around five central principles.

Determining Role of Social Factors in Adoption of Electronic Health Records by Nurses.

This paper explored social factors influencing Electronic Health Records (EHR) adoption by Nurses at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH), Eldoret, Kenya. Correlation analysis showed that there existed an affirmative, strong and statistically substantial link between the social factors and EHR adoption, r (279) = 0.591, p < 0.

Approaches to Sustainable Capacity Building for Cardiovascular Disease Care in Kenya.

Cardiovascular diseases are approaching epidemic levels in Kenya and other low- and middle-income countries without accompanying effective preventive and therapeutic strategies. This is happening in the background of residual and emerging infections and other diseases of poverty, and increasing physical injuries from traffic accidents and noncommunicable diseases. Investments to create a skilled workforce and health care infrastructure are needed.

Building Sustainable Capacity for Cardiovascular Care at a Public Hospital in Western Kenya.

Cardiovascular disease deaths are increasing in low- and middle-income countries and are exacerbated by health care systems that are ill-equipped to manage chronic diseases. Global health partnerships, which have stemmed the tide of infectious diseases in low- and middle-income countries, can be similarly applied to address cardiovascular diseases. In this review, we present the experiences of an academic partnership between North American and Kenyan medical centers to improve cardiovascular health in a national public referral hospital.

The relationship of weekend admission and mortality on the public medical wards at a Kenyan referral hospital.

Background: Research has demonstrated disparities in the outcomes of patients admitted to hospital on weekends in high-income countries. No published research has evaluated if any similar discrepancy exists in low-resource settings.

Methods: To determine if any difference in mortality exists between weekend and weekday admissions on the public medical wards at a Kenyan referral hospital, we performed a retrospective observational study of inpatients over a 3-month study period.

Time series analysis of sexual assault case characteristics and the 2007-2008 period of post-election violence in Kenya.

Background: Following the declaration that President Mwai Kibaki was the winner of the Kenyan presidential election held on December 27, 2007, a period of post-election violence (PEV) took place. In this study, we aimed to identify whether the period of PEV in Kenya was associated with systematic changes in sexual assault case characteristics.

Methods And Findings: Medical records of 1,615 patients diagnosed with sexual assault between 2007 and 2011 at healthcare facilities in Eldoret (n = 569), Naivasha (n = 534), and Nakuru (n = 512) were retrospectively reviewed to examine characteristics of sexual assault cases over time.

The association between insurance status and in-hospital mortality on the public medical wards of a Kenyan referral hospital.

Background: Observational data in the United States suggests that those without health insurance have a higher mortality and worse health outcomes. A linkage between insurance coverage and outcomes in hospitalized patients has yet to be demonstrated in resource-poor settings.

Methods: To determine whether uninsured patients admitted to the public medical wards at a Kenyan referral hospital have any difference in in-hospital mortality rates compared to patients with insurance, we performed a retrospective observational study of all inpatients discharged from the public medical wards at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret, Kenya, over a 3-month study period from October through December 2012.

A retrospective analysis of maternal and neonatal mortality at a teaching and referral hospital in Kenya.

Objective: To measure the incidence of maternal and early neonatal mortality in women who gave birth at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) in Kenya and describe clinical and other characteristics and circumstances associated with maternal and neonatal deaths following deliveries at MTRH.

Methods: A retrospective audit of maternal and neonatal records was conducted with detailed analysis of the most recent 150 maternal deaths and 200 neonatal deaths. Maternal mortality ratios and early neonatal mortality rates were calculated for each year from January 2004 to December 2011.