| dc.description.abstract | Background: Kenya continues to experience a growing gap of paramedics at all levels of service provision within its health infrastructure. As a consequence, this gap is a big impediment in her quest to achieve the health objectives and the millennium development goals. Retention of health workers due to motivational causes amongst others has been cited as the major contributing factor. This study examines factors influencing retention of health workers in primary health care facilities.
Methods: A cross sectional study design using semi - structured questionnaires was used for the study. 93 healthcare workers of different cadres at government health facilities in Kakamega County participated in the study. Semi-structured questionnaires were used for data collection. Data entry and analysis was done in SPSS V17.
Descriptive analysis was used to profile the characteristics of the respondents; Chi square tests were used to determine the differences between respondents who had stayed at their working station for a period of at least two years prior to the study or those who had left within the same time. Multinomial Logistic Regression was used to perform an analysis of the extent of each factor that was considered significant in determining whether healthcare personnel stayed or left.
Results: Age, duration of working, flexibility and ability to balance work and personal life, fair evaluation, administrator's competence, manageable work load and equipment were statistically associated with whether health care workers would leave or continue staying at their current work stations.
Conclusion: The results show that financial incentives are not the only factors in retention of health workers. Work family balance, workload and equipment is an area that needs to be addressed in retention strategies. Competent administrators are required for enhanced retention of health workers at primary health facilities. Deducing from the results, social and professional factors are key in retention of primary health care workers.
The following measures are recommended; placement of competent administrators; provision of equipment to do the necessary work; work - family balance to be instituted as a means to retaining professional motivated primary health workers in Kakamega county. | en_US |
