The 64th Annual Scientific Conference of Nurses took place from the 12th of October to the 14th of October 2022 at St Patrick Pastoral Centre in Bungoma. The theme of the Scientific Conference was “Invest in Nursing and Respect Rights to Secure Global Health.”
The theme was intended to challenge and stimulate nurses and the entire nursing fraternity on the socio-economic roles in key results areas of health care offered to Kenyan communities against the existing constraints without compromising quality.
The President of the Nurses Association of Kenya (NAK) and International Council of Nurses delegates from Rwanda and Uganda graced the well-attended conference. The nurses presented interesting research projects in teaching, research, and clinical practice.
For instance, a systematic review of the Devolution of the Health Care System was presented by Mr. John Kennedy Moturi. It presented evidence of the progress and challenges of Kenya’s devolved healthcare system. This review established that there was an improvement in the health structural development that was brought about by devolution in Kenya. However, devolution is not free of challenges like delayed and inadequate resources from the national government and understaffed health facilities.
The study recommends the allocation of resources to counties commensurate with devolved functions. The study calls for further research on equity and equality in the devolved healthcare system in Kenya.
KUTRRH’s Senior Nurse Purity Kibathi presented two research papers. One paper was a mixed-method research study that she carried out to determine the health-related quality of life of diabetes patients with COVID-19 at KUTRRH and Aga Khan University Hospital. Her second presentation was on the continuous quality improvement project on preventing pressure injuries through evidence-based practice.
Ms. Jackeline Tindi, the Deputy Director of Nursing Services, also took the participants through KUTRRH and its organizational culture, core functions and services in the Hospital, and the Training of specialized nurses at KUTRRH.