Publication:
Institutionalizing the Management of Sick Young Infants:Kenya’s Experience in Revising National Guidelines onIntegrated Management of Newborn and Childhood Illnesses

Abstract

Introduction:In 2015, the World Health Organization (WHO)developed guidelines for the management of sick young infants(SYIs) with possible serious bacterial infection (PSBI) where refer-ral is not feasible. The Ponya Mtoto project was designed as animplementation research project to demonstrate how to adopt theWHO PSBI guidelines in the Kenyan context.Ponya Mtoto Project Description:Between October 2017 andJune 2021, Ponya Mtoto was implemented in 4 Kenyan countieswith higher infant and newborn mortality rates than the nationalmean. A total of 48 health facilities stratified by level of serviceswere selected as study sites.Implementation Approach:The following activities were done toinstitutionalize the management of SYIs with PSBI where referralis not feasible in Kenya’s health system: (1) participating in acocreation workshop and development of a theory of change;(2) revising the national integrated management of newbornand childhood illnesses guidelines to incorporate the manage-ment of PSBI where referral is not feasible; (3) improving avail-ability of essential commodities; (4) strengthening providerconfidence in the management of SYIs; (5) strengthening aware-ness about PSBI services for SYIs at the community level; and (6)harmonizing the national integrated management of newbornand childhood illnesses guidelines to address discrepancies in thecontent on the management of PSBI. In addition, the project fo-cused on strengthening quality of care for SYIs and using imple-mentation research to track progress in achieving project targetsand outcomes.Conclusion:Using an implementation research approach to intro-duce new WHO guidelines on PSBI where referral is not feasibleinto Kenya’s health care service was critical to fostering engage-ment of a diverse range of stakeholders, monitoring provider skillsand confidence-building, strengthening provision of key commodi-ties for managing SYIs with PSBI, and sustaining community-facilitylinkages

Cite this Publication
Liambila, W., Mwaura, P., Githanga, D., Mbuthia, J., Mungai, Samuel, Kinuthia, D., Govoga, A., Charlotte E. , W., K’Oduol, K., Gitaka, J., Natecho, A., Odwe, G., Abuya, T., Were, F., & Gitaka, J. (2023). Institutionalizing the Management of Sick Young Infants:Kenya’s Experience in Revising National Guidelines onIntegrated Management of Newborn and Childhood Illnesses. Global Health Sciences And Practices. https://erepository.mku.ac.ke/handle/123456789/5813

Usage Statistics

Share this Publication

  • Total Views 0
  • Total Downloads 7

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

Global Health Sciences And Practices