Effect of Employee Biographical Characteristics and Perceived Organisational Support on Academic Staff Retention: A Case of Academic Staff in Universities in Kenya

The global problem of academic staff retention affects developed countries the same way as it affects developing countries. Perceived organizational support (POS) is a situation where employees develop an attitude or a belief about the degree to which their organization values their contributions and cares about their welfare. The objective of the present study is to examine the effects of perceived organisational support and employee biographical characteristics (age, gender, tenure in the university, tenure as an academic, job position and education) on academic staff retention in universities in Kenya. The sample of the study consisted of 388 academic staff drawn from a population of 13,441 academic staff in 31 public universities and 32 private universities in Kenya. Questionnaire method was used to collect data which was analyzed using inferential statistics which included Independent Samples t-Test, One Way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), Pearsons Correlation analysis and Multiple Regression analysis. The analyses showed that the mean scores of Perceived Organisational Support (employees welfare) and POS (employees opinion and goals) did not differ significantly on the basis of gender, age, tenure in the university, tenure as an academic and university sector. In addition, the study found that the mean scores of POS (employees’ opinions and goals) differed significantly on the basis of job position while mean scores of POS (employees’ welfare) differed significantly on the basis of level of education. Further, the results showed that the mean scores of retention differed significantly on the basis of age, tenure in the university, tenure as an academic and job position. The results of correlation analysis showed that Perceived Organisational Support had a significant positive relationship with academic staff retention. Further, the results of multiple regression analysis showed that age and Perceived Organisational Support were significant positive predictors of retention. Finally, the results of multiple regression analysis showed that POS (employees welfare) influenced retention in public universities while POS (employees’ opinions and goals) influenced retention in private universities. The study recommended that Universities should improve welfare matters such as pay, incentives, medical insurance among others and that Universities managers should be willing to listen to the employees concerns, soliciting their opinions and giving credit for implemented suggestions. The study further recommended that top university policy makers should implement various retention strategies targeting academics in the positions of senior lecturer and professors, and those with longer tenure in academics and in their universities. Keywords: Biographical Characteristics, Perceived Organisational Support, Retention, Universities. DOI: 10.7176/EJBM/13-8-04 Publication date: April 30th 202

Including PrEP for key populations in combination HIV prevention: a mathematical modelling analysis of Nairobi as a case-study

Background: The role of PrEP in combination HIV prevention remains uncertain. We aimed to identify an optimal portfolio of interventions to reduce HIV incidence for a given budget, and to identify the circumstances in which PrEP could be used in Nairobi, Kenya. Methods: A mathematical model was developed to represent HIV transmission among specific key populations (female sex workers (FSW), male sex workers (MSW), and men who have sex with men (MSM)) and among the wider population of Nairobi. The scale-up of existing interventions (condom promotion, anti-retroviral therapy (ART) and male circumcision) for key populations and the wider population as have occurred in Nairobi is represented. The model includes a detailed representation of a Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) intervention and is calibrated to prevalence and incidence estimates specific to key populations and the wider population. Findings: In the context of a declining epidemic overall but with a large sub-epidemic among MSM and MSW, an optimal prevention portfolio for Nairobi should focus on condom promotion for MSW and MSM in particular, followed by improved ART retention, earlier ART, and male circumcision as the budget allows. PrEP for MSW could enter an optimal portfolio at similar levels of spending to when earlier ART is included, however PrEP for MSM and FSW would be included only at much higher budgets. If PrEP for MSW cost as much $500, average annual spending on the interventions modelled would need to be less than$3·27 million for PrEP for MSW to be excluded from an optimal portfolio. Estimated costs per infection averted when providing PrEP to all FSW regardless of their risk of infection, and to high risk FSW only, are $65,160 (95$43,520 - $90,250) and$10,920 (95% credible interval: $4,700 -$51,560) respectively. Interpretation: PrEP could be a useful contribution to combination prevention, especially for underserved key populations in Nairobi. An ongoing demonstration project will provide important information regarding practical aspects of implementing PrEP for key populations in this setting

Caring for caregivers: An HIV/AIDS workplace intervention for hospital staff in Zambia—Evaluation results

The Horizons Program collaborated on a Caring for Caregivers initiative in Zambia whose objective was to develop and test a risk-reduction workplace program for hospital staff. This was motivated by the recognition that hospital workers are often overlooked in HIV programming, and yet many are infected or affected by HIV. It was also motivated by the fact that hospital staff are heterogeneous, with both clinical and non-clinical staff having varying levels of understanding regarding HIV transmission. Caring for Caregivers was a peer education program targeted at hospital staff and implemented in two hospitals in Zambia, with a combined staff of about 1,700 employees. Although it encountered severe challenges, it was generally well-received and demonstrated some positive outcomes. HIV prevention, treatment, and care strategies should involve healthcare workers not just as a means to reach the community, but as direct and priority beneficiaries as well

Microfinance, retention in care, and mortality among patients enrolled in HIV 2 Care in East Africa

Objective: To measure associations between participation in community-based microfinance groups, retention in HIV care, and death among people with HIV (PWH) in low-resource settings. Design and methods: We prospectively analyzed data from 3609 patients enrolled in an HIV care program in western Kenya. HIV patients who were eligible and chose to participate in a Group Integrated Savings for Health Empowerment (GISHE) microfinance group were matched 1 : 2 on age, sex, year of enrollment in HIV care, and location of initial HIV clinic visit to patients not participating in GISHE. Follow-up data were abstracted from medical records from January 2018 through February 2020. Logistic regression analysis examined associations between GISHE participation and two outcomes: retention in HIV care (i.e. >1 HIV care visit attended within 6 months prior to the end of follow-up) and death. Socioeconomic factors associated with HIV outcomes were included in adjusted models. Results: The study population was majority women (78.3%) with a median age of 37.4 years. Microfinance group participants were more likely to be retained in care relative to HIV patients not participating in a microfinance group [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 1.31, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.01–1.71; P = 0.046]. Participation in group microfinance was associated with a reduced odds of death during the follow-up period (aOR = 0.57, 95% CI 0.28–1.09; P = 0.105). Conclusion: Participation in group-based microfinance appears to be associated with better HIV treatment outcomes. A randomized trial is needed to assess whether microfinance groups can improve clinical and socioeconomic outcomes among PWH in similar settings

'I believe that the staff have reduced their closeness to patients': an exploratory study on the impact of HIV/AIDS on staff in four rural hospitals in Uganda

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Staff shortages could harm the provision and quality of health care in Uganda, so staff retention and motivation are crucial. Understanding the impact of HIV/AIDS on staff contributes to designing appropriate retention and motivation strategies. This research aimed 'to identify the influence of HIV/AIDS on staff working in general hospitals at district level in rural areas and to explore support required and offered to deal with HIV/AIDS in the workplace'. Its results were to inform strategies to mitigate the impact of HIV/AIDS on hospital staff.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A cross-sectional study with qualitative and quantitative components was implemented during two weeks in September 2005. Data were collected in two government and two faith-based private not-for-profit hospitals purposively selected in rural districts in Uganda's Central Region. Researchers interviewed 237 people using a structured questionnaire and held four focus group discussions and 44 in-depth interviews.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>HIV/AIDS places both physical and, to some extent, emotional demands on health workers. Eighty-six per cent of respondents reported an increased workload, with 48 per cent regularly working overtime, while 83 per cent feared infection at work, and 36 per cent reported suffering an injury in the previous year. HIV-positive staff remained in hiding, and most staff did not want to get tested as they feared stigmatization. Organizational responses were implemented haphazardly and were limited to providing protective materials and the HIV/AIDS-related services offered to patients. Although most staff felt motivated to work, not being motivated was associated with a lack of daily supervision, a lack of awareness on the availability of HIV/AIDS counselling, using antiretrovirals and working overtime. The specific hospital context influenced staff perceptions and experiences.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>HIV/AIDS is a crucially important contextual factor, impacting on working conditions in various ways. Therefore, organizational responses should be integrated into responses to other problematic working conditions and adapted to the local context. Opportunities already exist, such as better use of supervision, educational sessions and staff meetings. However, exchanges on interventions to improve staff motivation and address HIV/AIDS in the health sector are urgently required, including information on results and details of the context and implementation process.</p

Dataset on potential risk factors to COVID19 disease among Health Workers in Kenya

The authors hypothesized that occupational characteristics, as well as personal and health systems characteristics of the health workers, were associated with an increased risk of COVID-19 disease within the Kenyan tertiary-level hospital. Therefore, a dataset showing self-reported characteristics of health workers who worked in Kenyatta National Hospital between November 2021 to December 2021, was collected through a researcher-administered and literature-adopted questionnaire via phone interviews. The responses in the dataset therefore were treated as potential explanatory exposure variables for the study while the COVID-19 status was the study outcome. The participants consented to participation and their consent was documented before questionnaire administration. The collection of the data was approved by the Kenyatta National Hospital-University of Nairobi Ethics Review Committee(P462/06/2021), permission to conduct the study was also given by the administration of Kenyatta National Hospital and the study licence was also given by the National Commission For Science, Technology and Innovation for Kenya. The participants&apos; identifier information was removed and de-identified, first, by anonymizing the questionnaire responses, second, the contact information database used during phone interviews was strictly kept confidential, restricted and password-protected and used for this particular study purpose only.The dataset was then cleaned in Ms EXCEL to remove obvious errors and exported into R statistical software for analysis. Missingness of data was acknowledged prior to analysis. Aggregate variables of interest were derived based on the primary variables and multiple imputation of the dataset was applied to address missing data bias.This data was analysed by regression methods and future researchers can apply similar methods to prove or disapprove their hypotheses based on the dataset.THIS DATASET IS ARCHIVED AT DANS/EASY, BUT NOT ACCESSIBLE HERE. TO VIEW A LIST OF FILES AND ACCESS THE FILES IN THIS DATASET CLICK ON THE DOI-LINK ABOV

Dataset on potential risk factors to COVID19 disease among Health Workers in Kenya

Occupational characteristics, as well as personal and health systems characteristics of the health workers, were hypothesized to be associated with an increased risk of COVID-19 disease within the Kenyan tertiary-level hospital. Therefore, data collection was done using a researcher-administered and literature-based questionnaire via phone interviews on self-reported occupational and personal characteristics of health workers who worked in Kenyatta National Hospital between November 2021 to December 2021. The responses in the dataset therefore were treated as potential explanatory exposure variables for the study while the COVID-19 status was the study outcome. The participants consented to participation and their consent was documented before questionnaire administration. The collection of the data was approved by the Kenyatta National Hospital-University of Nairobi Ethics Review Committee(P462/06/2021), permission to conduct the study was also given by the administration of Kenyatta National Hospital and the study licence was also given by the National Commission For Science, Technology and Innovation for Kenya. The participants&apos; identifier information was removed and de-identified, first, by anonymizing the questionnaire responses, second, the contact information database used during phone interviews was strictly kept confidential, restricted and password-protected and used for the purpose of this study only.The dataset was then cleaned in Ms EXCEL to remove obvious errors and exported into R statistical software for analysis. Missingness of data was acknowledged prior to analysis. Aggregate variables of interest were derived based on the primary variables and multiple imputation of the dataset was applied to address missing data bias.This data was analysed by regression methods and future researchers can apply similar methods to prove or disapprove their hypotheses based on the dataset.THIS DATASET IS ARCHIVED AT DANS/EASY, BUT NOT ACCESSIBLE HERE. TO VIEW A LIST OF FILES AND ACCESS THE FILES IN THIS DATASET CLICK ON THE DOI-LINK ABOV

Dataset on potential risk factors to COVID19 disease among Health Workers in Kenya

Occupational characteristics, as well as personal and health systems characteristics of the health workers, were hypothesized to be associated with an increased risk of COVID-19 disease within the Kenyan tertiary-level hospital. Therefore, data collection was done using a researcher-administered and literature-based questionnaire via phone interviews on self-reported characteristics of health workers who worked in Kenyatta National Hospital between November 2021 to December 2021. The responses in the dataset therefore were treated as potential explanatory exposure variables for the study while the COVID-19 status was the study outcome. The participants consented to participation and their consent was documented before questionnaire administration. The collection of the data was approved by the Kenyatta National Hospital-University of Nairobi Ethics Review Committee(P462/06/2021), permission to conduct the study was also given by the administration of Kenyatta National Hospital and the study licence was also given by the National Commission For Science, Technology and Innovation for Kenya. The participants&apos; identifier information was removed and de-identified, first, by anonymizing the questionnaire responses, second, the contact information database used during phone interviews was strictly kept confidential, restricted and password-protected and used for this particular study purpose only.The dataset was then cleaned in Ms EXCEL to remove obvious errors and exported into R statistical software for analysis. Missingness of data was acknowledged prior to analysis. Aggregate variables of interest were derived based on the primary variables and multiple imputation of the dataset was applied to address missing data bias.This data was analysed by regression methods and future researchers can apply similar methods to prove or disapprove their hypotheses based on the dataset.THIS DATASET IS ARCHIVED AT DANS/EASY, BUT NOT ACCESSIBLE HERE. TO VIEW A LIST OF FILES AND ACCESS THE FILES IN THIS DATASET CLICK ON THE DOI-LINK ABOV

Dataset on potential risk factors to COVID19 disease among Health Workers in Kenya

Occupational characteristics, as well as personal and health systems characteristics of the health workers, were hypothesized to be associated with an increased risk of COVID-19 disease within the Kenyan tertiary-level hospital. Therefore, data collection was done using a researcher-administered and literature-based questionnaire via phone interviews on self-reported occupational and personal characteristics of health workers who worked in Kenyatta National Hospital between November 2021 to December 2021. The responses in the dataset therefore were treated as potential explanatory exposure variables for the study while the COVID-19 status was the study outcome. The participants consented to participation and their consent was documented before questionnaire administration. The collection of the data was approved by the Kenyatta National Hospital-University of Nairobi Ethics Review Committee(P462/06/2021), permission to conduct the study was also given by the administration of Kenyatta National Hospital and the study licence was also given by the National Commission For Science, Technology and Innovation for Kenya. The participants&apos; identifier information was removed and de-identified, first, by anonymizing the questionnaire responses, second, the contact information database used during phone interviews was strictly kept confidential, restricted and password-protected and used for the purpose of this study only.The dataset was then cleaned in Ms EXCEL to remove obvious errors and exported into R statistical software for analysis. Missingness of data was acknowledged prior to analysis. Aggregate variables of interest were derived based on the primary variables and multiple imputation of the dataset was applied to address missing data bias.This data was analysed by regression methods and future researchers can apply similar methods to prove or disapprove their hypotheses based on the dataset.THIS DATASET IS ARCHIVED AT DANS/EASY, BUT NOT ACCESSIBLE HERE. TO VIEW A LIST OF FILES AND ACCESS THE FILES IN THIS DATASET CLICK ON THE DOI-LINK ABOV