Browsing by Author "Matsimbe, Thokozani"

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    Association between knowledge and adoption of healthy living practices among hypertensive patients at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital
    (Kamuzu University of Health Sciences, 2020-11-11) Kakowa, Zinenani; Matsimbe, Thokozani; Kankhuni, Maranatha
    Hypertension remains the most rapidly rising cardiovascular disease in Africa. It is a highly prevalent Non-Communicable Disease (NCD) in Malawi with nearly a third of 25-to-64-year-olds having raised blood pressure or taking antihypertensive medication. Lifestyle modification is the first step in hypertension management. The high prevalence of hypertension calls for implementation of healthy living practices. In Malawi there is limited or no data on the knowledge and practice of healthy living practices among hypertensive patients hence this study. Therefore, this study will focus on the association between knowledge and adoption of healthy living practices among hypertensive patients at QECH. The chief objective is to assess the association between knowledge and adoption of healthy living practices amongst hypertensive patients. This study is necessary because it will enlighten the Ministry of Health on how many hypertensive patients are aware and adopt healthy living practices. Depending on the percentage of those who are aware and those who are not, the Ministry will be able to put in place interventions that will educate people on the healthy living practices hence managing and preventing hypertension. This will be a cross sectional descriptive study and will use mixed methods, both quantitative and qualitative. The study will be conducted at QECH in Blantyre, Malawi as captioned in the title. The study participants will be any patient within the age range of 25 to 64 years old admitted in the medical ward but has hypertension and those hypertensive patients coming to the general clinic. Convenience sampling method will be used to identify possible study participants and 126 participants are expected to be enrolled. The study participants will be only those hypertensive patients that are found at the hospital at that particular time. Data will be collected by doing indepth interviews with the study participants using an interview guide and the data will be analyzed using Epi-info. It is expected that not all the hypertensive patients that are aware of the healthy living practices adopt them, some are aware and adopt the healthy living practices and some who are not aware at all. All ethical regulations will be followed to ensure that the information assembled in this study is acceptable and probable limitations of this study will be managed to ensure that the data is precise. Finally, the data collected from this study will be presented at the CoMREC research dissemination.
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    Factors associated with cannula failure in paediatric patients in Malawi: an observational study
    (Kamuzu University of Health Sciences, 2022-04-11) Chipeta, Sandra; Matsimbe, Thokozani; Tiyamike, Matsimbe; Kamanga, Eneya
    EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Background Peripheral Intravenous Cannulas (PIVC) are used in the delivery of medications, blood and blood products and fluids for resuscitation to achieve homeostasis in the paediatric setting in Malawi. Success in the placement and securement of PIVCs along with the type of treatments administered in inpatient care plays an important role in cannula failure rates. High failure rates can predispose children to cannula-related infections and other associated complications. The Type of Research Study This study will be an observational study conducted in Children Ward A, Children Ward B, Children Ward C, the Emergency Department and the Outpatient Paediatric Department in Kamuzu Central Hospital (KCH). The Problem [to be studied] In Malawi, there is no data that describes PIVC success and failure rates. This study seeks to describe the gap in the literature about the PIVC first time insertion success rates, the current practice of securement and dressing of PIVCs, and to ascertain the duration and failure of these devices in paediatric acute care at KCH. Main Objectives The main objective is to evaluate the lifespan of the PIVCs and identify the factors which affect the lifespan of PIVCs in paediatric patients at KCH. Specifically, the study will seek to: 1. To determine the risk factors for cannula failure in paediatric inpatients at KCH 2. To ascertain the reasons for cannula removal and evaluate the lifespan of a cannula in paediatric inpatients at KCH 3. To describe the incidence rates of cannula-related infections and associated complications as a result of periphery intravenous cannulation in paediatric inpatients at KCH 11-Apr-2022 11 Methodology The study will utilize a mixed-methods design involving prospective cohort study design with cross-sectional sampling methods. The population of choice will be all the paediatric patients needing first time cannulation and health personnel cannulating patients in KCH paediatric wards and the outpatient department. Both paediatric participants and health personnel will be recruited based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. The data will be collected by structured observational checklists and questionnaires. Post-cannulation, there will also be continuous follow up and supervision throughout the data collection period. Data will be analysed using EPI-INFO or SPSS. The study period for this research is 6 weeks, in which we shall collect data, analyse it and write a report Ethical Considerations Informed consent, confidentiality, non-maleficence, beneficence, and the right to voluntarily participate or withdraw from the study will be granted to the study participants in order to achieve ethical validity. The proposal will also be submitted to COMREC for approval. Permission to conduct our research at KCH shall also be sought from the hospital director. Expected Findings and their dissemination The expected findings for this study are that PIVC failure rates will be high and these rates will differ in neonates, infants and children. These results shall be presented during the Kamuzu University of Health Sciences 4th year research dissemination which invites all academic staff and members of the University, as well as, undergraduate research coordinator, The College of Medicine Research and Ethics Committee, Kamuzu University of Health Sciences Library, Head of Department of Paediatrics at KCH and the study supervisors