Challenges of technological trends in nursing and coping strategies by nurses at Kenyatta National Hospital

Background: Technology in nursing has been shown to reduce redundancy and improve efficiency of work. Information Communication and technology (ICT) incorporation in nursing at Kenyatta national Hospital (KNH) has been ongoing for some years yet the uptake seemingly is slow. Challenges that could be associated with the slow incorporation of technology into nursing practice have not been studied.Objective: To identifying the challenges faced by nurses as a result of technology trends in nursing practice and to establish ways in which nurses are coping with the challenges.Design: Cross-sectional descriptiveSetting: Kenyatta National HospitalParticipants: Nurses in medical and surgical wards.Interventions: Simple random sampling was used to select 91 participants after applying fishers’ formula. Purposive sampling was used to select 5 nurse managers as key informants. Data on challenges of technological trends in nursing and coping strategies by nurses was collected using a pre-tested semi-structured questionnaire. Chi-square test was used to determine Association between challenges faced and Electronic health records (EHR) usage levels, also between technological skills and challenges faced at confidence level of 95% at a p-value of 0.05.Results: Majority of the nurses (62.6%, n = 57) reported experiencing challenges related to technology developments in their departments. The study established that less technological skills among nurses led to more challenges experienced with technology (Chi= 7.2, DF=1, P=0.007). The study also found that reports on more challenges experienced was significantly related to decreased level of use of EHR (Chi= 16.8, DF=3, P=0.001) and (Chi=11.8, DF=3, P=0.008).Conclusion: Nurses are facing many challenges as a result of technological trends in nursing. Special attention should be paid towards tackling the challenges by including comprehensive training on technological skills and formulating policies on proper handling of the challenges to enhance integration of ICT in nursing

Challenges of technological trends in nursing and coping strategies by nurses at Kenyatta National Hospital

Background: Technology in nursing has been shown to reduce redundancy and improve efficiency of work. Information Communication and technology (ICT) incorporation in nursing at Kenyatta national Hospital (KNH) has been ongoing for some years yet the uptake seemingly is slow. Challenges that could be associated with the slow incorporation of technology into nursing practice have not been studied.Objective: To identify the challenges faced by nurses as a result of technology trends in nursing practice and to establish ways in which nurses are coping with the challenges.Design: Cross-sectional descriptiveSetting: Kenyatta National HospitalSubjects: Nurses in medical and surgical wards.Interventions: Simple random sampling was used to select 91 participants after applying fishers’ formula. Purposive sampling was used to select five nurse managers as key informants. Data on challenges of technological trends in nursing and coping strategies by nurses was collected using a pre-tested semistructured questionnaire. Chi-square test was used to determine Association between challenges faced and Electronic health records (EHR) usage levels, also between technological skills and challenges faced at confidence level of 95% at a p-value of 0.05.Results: Majority of the nurses (62.6%, n = 57) reported experiencing challenges related to technology developments in their departments. The study established that less technological skills among nurses led to more challenges experienced with technology(Chi= 7.2, DF=1, P=0.007). The study also found that reports on more challenges experienced was significantly related to decreased level of use of EHR(Chi= 16.8, DF=3, P=0.001) and(Chi=11.8, DF=3, P=0.008).Conclusion: Nurses are facing many challenges as a result of technological trends in nursing. Special attention should be paid towards tackling the challenges by including comprehensive training on technological skills and formulating policies on proper handling of the challenges to enhance integration of ICT in nursing

Cross-breeding cattle for milk production in the tropics: achievements, challenges and opportunities

This paper reviews experiences with cross-breeding for milk production in the tropics. Data were compiled from 23 different studies evaluating the performance of different grades of cross-bred animals as well as local breeds. Relative performance of indigenous breeds compared with different grades of cross-breeds was calculated for three climatic zones. Traits considered were milk yield per lactation, age at first calving, services per conception, lifetime milk yield and total number of lactations completed. At 50 percent Bos taurus blood, lactation milk yields were 2.6, 2.4 and 2.2 times higher than those of local cattle in the highland, tropical wet and dry, and semi-arid climatic zones, respectively; lactation lengths increased by 1.2, 1.2 and 1.9 months in the above-mentioned climatic zones, respectively; there was a reduction in calving interval by 0.8 times and in age at first calving by 0.9 times. Similarly, cross-breds with 50 percent B. taurus genes had 1.8 times higher lifetime milk yields and a 1.2 times higher number of total lactations. Although cross-breeding faces a number of challenges such as better infrastructure, higher demand for health care, there are many advantages of using it. These are higher production per animal, higher income for the families and provision of high-value food. It is therefore likely to continue to be an important livestock improvement tool in the tropics in the future, where farmers can provide sufficient management for maintaining animals with higher input requirements and access to the milk market can be secured

The women's group programme in the S.R.D.P.

This paper is based primarily on research carried out as part of the Second Overall Evaluation of the Special Rural Development Programme conducted by the Institute for Development Studies in 1975. The paper begins with a general description and evaluation of the Women's Group Programme and then presents case studies of the six S.R.D.P. areas: Kapenguria, Kwale, Mbere, Migori/Kuria, Tetu and Vihiga/Hamisi. Eor each area, a brief description is given of the women who attended the leaders training courses offered as part of the Programme. The courses themselves are also described. Membership figures are given for the women's groups in the six areas, as well as brief accounts of group activities and plans. Finally, the role of local government officers is described - the frequency of contacts, the specific offices and ministries involved, and the nature of the assistance given. In general, the Women's Group Programme i s found to be a successful effort in the field of rural development which should be continued and expanded. A number of recommendations are made for improvement, both of the Programme in general and in specific S.R.D.P. areas. The broad participation and increased cooperation of a number of ministries and other agencies is recommended, both at the national level and in the field. It is also suggested that the objectives and curricula of the courses for women's leaders be brought more sharply into focus. Emphasis should also be placed on new approaches to income generation for women's groups, in addition to the traditional focus on family welfare and handicrafts. (I The general section of this paper appeared as Chapter Fifteen of I.D.S. Occasional Paper No. 12, and the case studies first appeared as I.D.S. Working Papers Nos. 231 - 236

A running breeding program for indigenous chickens in Ethiopia: Evaluation of success

In 2008 a breeding program to increase production level in indigenous chickens was initiated at the Debre Zeit Agricultural Research Center in Ethiopia and is currently producing its 8th generation. Aim of this paper was to evaluate the success of the breeding program. Selection was on own performance for bodyweight at 16 weeks of age (BW16) and for the hens also on cumulative egg number at week 45 of laying (EN45). Heritability for BW16 in the 6th generation (G6) was 0.37, and for EN24 was 0.32. Phenotypic correlation between BW16 and EN24 was 0.36, but genetic correlation was -0.12. Genetic correlations of BW16 with cumulative egg production earlier in the laying series were 0.51 at 8 weeks of laying, decreasing to 0.22 at 16 weeks of laying. The genetic trends were positive for both traits under selection from generation 4 (G4) and G6

Breeding objectives for Red Maasai and Dorper sheep in Kenya—A participatory approach

The Red Maasai sheep breed is under threat due to indiscriminate crossbreeding and strategies are needed to conserve and improve the breed. The aim of this study was to understand farmers’ preferences for important traits of flocks of Red Maasai, Dorper and crosses in two different areas, Amboseli and Isinya, in Kenya. Farmers identified three ewes that represented the best, average, and poorest within its breed group of each farm and gave reasons for their ranking. The most important traits were body size and growth rate and thereafter milk yield. The Red Maasai was preferred for its better reproduction and tolerance against diseases and drought. In the harshest area, Amboseli, all breed groups had about the same body weight, whereas in Isinya, where conditions are better and farmers are more market oriented, Dorper and crosses had superior weights