Knowledge, attitude, and practice of peritoneal dialysis among health service providers in Kenya

Abstract

Background: Peritoneal Dialysis (PD) is a proven viable treatment for kidney failure (KF), but it is not popularly utilized in Kenya.
Objective: To evaluate the knowledge, attitude, and practice of PD among health service providers in Kenya.
Design: A descriptive cross-sectional study.
Setting: Six selected government dialysis centers in Kenya.
Participants: Health service providers
Interventions: Data was collected using a pre-tested structured/semi structured questionnaire. Bivariate analyses using Chi-square test or Fisher’s exact tests were used to test the association between the factors and level of practice. Multivariate logistic regression was used to re-affirm significance of the association between the factors and the level of practice. All data analyses were done in RStudio. P-values less than 5% were considered significant.
Results: Participants who had been taught on how to perform PD and those who had the knowledge that PD is an effective treatment modality were associated with the level of practice of PD. In the adjusted multivariate model, health service providers (HSP) who had been taught on how to perform PD were almost seven times more likely to practice PD (95% CI: 0.72-179.3; P=0.009961). Those who had the knowledge that PD is an effective treatment modality were more likely to practise PD (P=0.043).
Conclusion: Educating HSP on PD is a positive influencer of the level of practice.