Knowledge Attitudes and Practices of Clinicians From Mathari National Teaching and Referral Hospital Towards Management of Intentional Self-harm

Abstract

Background With the current suicide rate of 3.2 per 100.000 population in Kenya, intentional self-harm (ISH) represents a considerable burden. In ICD-10, it is included under external causes of mortality and morbidity, with the codes: X60 – X 84. A study in the UK, found that mental health nurses had negative behaviors towards patients who engaged in intentional self-harm. Another study in Sweden found that, nurses made over realistic promises to patients in regard to their treatment. The experience from the other countries suggests that the care provided to patients with self-harm may be suboptimal. Study Objective The main objective of this study was to determine the knowledge, attitudes, practices, and challenges of nurses and psychiatrists of Mathari National Teaching and Referral Hospital (MNTRH) in regard to the management of patients with ISH. Methodology The study design for this research was an exploratory qualitative that was achieved by collecting data through interviews and analysis using QSR International NVIVO version 10 software application. This research was conducted at Mathari National Teaching and Referral Hospital (MNTRH) in July 2021, in Nairobi Kenya. Study population The 22 participants in this study were 10 mental health nurses, 5 resident doctors, 5 psychiatrists, 1 clinical psychologists and 1 social workers, of Mathari national teaching and referral hospital. Data analysis The audio data from the interviews was transcribed verbatim into text. After transcription, it was uploaded on the QSR International NVIVO version 10 software application for analysis. The researcher adopted an integrated analysis approach of both inductive/grounded and deductive methods to identify themes and sub themes.................................................................................................