Integrated management of childhood illness in Rwanda: Impact of mentorship on the quality of care in Nyanza and Huye districts

Integrated management of childhood illness in Rwanda: Impact of mentorship on the quality of care in Nyanza and Huye districts

Background In Rwanda, health posts (HPs) are intermediary primary care facilities that provide comprehensive primary care services to communities and are located at a reasonable walking distance from people's homes. We assessed the readiness of HPs for Integrated Management of Childhood Illness...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Public health challenges Vol. 3; no. 1
Main Authors: Mirindi, Alain, Kayinamura, Assumpta Mwali, Ndibaza, Amedee Fidele, Uwamahoro, Liliane, Ndatimana, Dieudonne, Bikorimana, Ferdinand, Mazimpaka, Christian, Kalisa, Richard
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: London John Wiley & Sons, Inc 01-03-2024
Wiley
Subjects:
Children & youth
Data collection
facility readiness
Health facilities
health posts
Health services
Hospitals
Infections
Integrated Management of Childhood Illness
Laboratories
Medical equipment
mentorship
Nurses
Pediatrics
quality of care
Supervision
Supervisors
Workforce planning
Rwanda
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Summary:Background In Rwanda, health posts (HPs) are intermediary primary care facilities that provide comprehensive primary care services to communities and are located at a reasonable walking distance from people's homes. We assessed the readiness of HPs for Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI) services and examined changes in the quality of care for IMCI services between districts that implemented IMCI mentorship program (Nyanza district) and Huye district which it did not. Methods We conducted a prospective cohort study to assess whether there was change in the quality of IMCI care provided at 17 Nyanza HPs 1‐year after IMCI mentorship implementation. The readiness of HPs for IMCI was assessed across nine factors, resulting in essential (all factors) and desirable (less than seven factors) composite scores. Unpaired t‐tests were used to measure changes in IMCI quality. Results The HPs with IMCI mentorship had an increase in mean desirable (0.7–0.89) and essential (0.61–0.78) composite scores compared to non‐mentored HPs in Huye. The nurses who received mentorship program had improved scores in factors like IMCI training, service package availability, register availability, supportive supervision, and basic equipment availability. Quality improvements in IMCI assessments were observed in vital sign registration, danger sign detection, cough identification, malnutrition screening, and tuberculosis sign identification in the mentored HPs. Conclusion Mentorship of nurses in HPs holds promise for enhancing facility readiness and IMCI service quality. Before expanding clinical mentorship, identified gaps such as staffing, supply chains, and health financing need to be addressed. Integrated management of childhood illness in Rwanda: Impact of mentorship on the quality of care in Nyanza and Huye districts.
Bibliography:Christian Mazimpaka and Richard Kalisa are joint senior authorship.
ISSN:2769-2450
2769-2450
DOI:10.1002/puh2.170