Motivation and barriers to Kangaroo mother care amongst health service providers in Kenya

Abstract

Introduction: Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) is a useful and cheap method of caring for low birth weight and  premature newborn infants in economically underprivileged countries where access to incubators is limited. Data  on knowledge of and barriers to this method amongst health care professionals are important in informing planning  for newborn care health services but are largely lacking for African population.  

Objective: This study aimed at assessing the knowledge of and barriers to Kangaroo Mother Care amongst health  care providers in Kenya.  

Method: A structured pretested questionnaire was administered to 155 health workers in Kenya to test the  knowledge and barriers to KMC. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 15.0 for windows and results presented  using tables, bar and pie charts.  

Results: All the 155 health care professionals had heard of Kangaroo Mother Care. Almost half did not have sufficient  information on benefits and requirements for KMC. Most respondents (91.2%) thought that personnel with special  skills on the practice were needed to oversee it. The most common barriers to practice of Kangaroo Mother Care  were inadequate skills (59%), uncooperative mothers (22%), reluctant health care provider (11%) and fear for the  safety of the baby (8%).  

Conclusion: Most of health professionals in Kenya are aware of Kangaroo Mother Care. Its practice is, however,  hampered by their lack of know-how of its benefits, requirements and inadequate skills. Training programs to  enlighten health care professionals are recommended.