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Evaluation of the implementation of biosafety & biosecurity practices among laboratory workers in Narok County Hospitals

Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Title: Evaluation of the implementation of biosafety & biosecurity practices among laboratory workers in Narok County Hospitals Authors: Orina, Grace Moraa Abstract: Background: Biosafety and biosecurity (BB) are of paramount importance in putting measures to protect humans, animals, and the environment from biological hazards, as well as preventing the misuse of biological agents. Biosafety training integrates both theoretical knowledge and practical application to help LWs to protect themselves from acquiring the highly infectious agents in biological specimens on daily basis. The implementation of BB is crucial in mitigating laboratory-acquired infections (LAIs) and potential bioterrorism threats. Despite existing WHO and Ministry of Health (MOH) guidelines, there is limited data on the extent of BB implementation among LWs in Narok County hospitals. This study assessed the implementation of BB practices in laboratory settings across the county. This study assessed the implementation of BB among LWs in Narok county hospitals (NCHs). Objectives: This study is designed to determine the demographic factors, knowledge, skills and altitudes, constraints and compliance of BB of the laboratory workers in NCHs. Methods: A Mixed-method design was utilized in this study. A total of 102 participants were recruited through census sampling. The participants comprised laboratory workers and laboratory in-charges in both public and private and total hospital laboratories were seventy (70). Eligible participants responded to a structured questionnaire containing both open- and closed-ended questions. The 15 laboratory in-charges were interviewed by the researcher. In addition, site visits were conducted for observation purposes using a checklist completed by the researcher, Data analysis was performed using SPSS for Windows (version 30.0). Descriptive statistics; including frequencies and percentages were computed. Inferential statistics, including Chi-square tests and P-values, were used to examine associations between independent variables (clinical skills learning resource setting and staff views) and the dependent variable (the self-evaluation of clinical skills competence). The ethical clearance MTRH/ was obtained from MU-Institutional Scientific and Ethical Review Committee (ISERC)- No. 0005188, NACOSTI License and permission was obtained from the County Director of Health of Narok county. Written and verbal informed consent was obtained from each participant before entering the study. Results: A total of 102 participants completed the self-administered study questionnaire. There was significant deference in higher education (p=0.020), years of experience (p=0.033) and prior BB training (p=<0.001), while age (p=0.081) and gender (p=0.379) had no significant influence. Inadequate resources, poor infrastructure, staff shortages, and limited training were major constraints. Out of 102 participants, 27 (26.5%) had high compliance, 44 (43.1%) respondents had moderate compliance while 31 (30.4%) had low compliance. Only 102 (100%) lab workers were observed for skills more emphasis on use of SOPs.43.66%(1) had LAIs and all 102 had an exposure infectious agent. Conclusion: High professional level, work experience and additional BB training significantly improved knowledge and practical competence, while age and gender had no significant influence. Inadequate resources, poor infrastructure, staff shortages, and limited training were major constraints. Recommendations: The national government to strengthen funding targeted to County health governments in matters of biosafety and BB training. Monitoring of BB training by KMLLTB. The county health department to enhance support professional development for LWs and employment of more LWs for better BB implementation.

Numerical ranges and Spetra of inner product type integral transfomers on Hilbert Spaces

Wed, 01 Jan 2025 00:00:00 GMT

Title: Numerical ranges and Spetra of inner product type integral transfomers on Hilbert Spaces Authors: Ohuru, Priscah Moraa Abstract: The theory of linear operators in Hilbert spaces has seen substantial progress, particularly for integral operators of inner product-type, which are known to satisfy fundamental in equalities like Cauchy-Schwarz and Landau within unitarily invariant norm ideals. While these inequalities provide explicit formulas for operator norms, they do not inherently characterize or exclude the study of numerical range and spectrum- rather, they offer complementary information that bounds these spectral properties without fully describing them. This reveals a significant gap: explicit norm formulas exist but leave the numerical range, spectrum, and their relationship uncharacterized. This research addresses these gaps by systematically investigating the numerical range and spectrum of inner product type integral operators. Using operator-theoretic techniques including rank-one operators and tensor products, we construct the algebraic numerical range. Through spectral anal ysis employing abelian properties, commutators, and von Neumann algebra methods, we classify the spectrum into point, continuous, and residual components. Convexity arguments via the Toeplitz-Hausdorff theorem and norm inequalities establish bounds for the numerical range and ensure spectral inclusion. Our results demonstrate that the numerical range maintains essential classical properties, with the spectrum contained within its closure. The applications are substantial in quantum mechanics, providing a rigorous framework for characterizing quantum states and observables, with direct impli cations for evaluating system stability and dynamical behavior. We recommend future work develop more refined techniques- specifically, sharper spectral decomposition and numerical range characterization- to enable precise quantum dynamical predictions and extend these structures to open quantum systems.

Strategies of enhancement of public private partnership and performance of public Technical Vocational Education and Training institutions in South Rift Region, Kenya

Wed, 01 Jan 2025 00:00:00 GMT

Title: Strategies of enhancement of public private partnership and performance of public Technical Vocational Education and Training institutions in South Rift Region, Kenya Authors: Jaafar Idd Faraj, Jaafar Idd Abstract: Technical Vocational Educational Training (TVET) sector remains a cornerstone for social-economy development and a driver for the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Therefore, promoting the performance of TVET institutions through their partnership with industry to form learning partnerships is inevitable. In spite of this, companies across sectors are struggling to find suitable candidates for job vacancies because the TVET courses offered at various training institutions often do not meet the requirements of the private sector. However, there are limited studies in the Kenyan context focusing on the impact of public private partnership practices on the performance of TVET institutions. In this regard the current study has been designed to investigate the impact of strategies of enhancement of public private partnership on performance of public Technical Vocational Education and Training Institutions in South Rift Region, Kenya. In this regard, the specific objectives of the study were to; find out the impact of partnership in infrastructure provision on performance of public Technical Vocational Education and Training Institutions , assess the impact of partnership in curriculum development on performance of public Technical Vocational Education and Training Institutions, analyse the impact of partnership in financing on performance of public Technical Vocational Education and Training Institutions, determine the impact of partnership in training on performance of public Technical Vocational Education and Training Institutions and assess the impact of partnership in staff development on performance of public Technical Vocational Education and Training Institutions in South Rift Region, Kenya. This study relied on resource-based view and stake holders’ theory. In a bid to effectively achieve this, the study adopted an Explanatory Sequential research design based on samples drawn from across the TVET institutions in South Rift Region which have public private partnership in their respective institutions. The target population was 470 trainers who included trainers of mechanical engineering departments, electrical engineering departments, building departments, management representative of TVET institutions in South rift region. Cluster, stratified random and sampling simple random technique was used. A sample size of 214 was drawn from a total population of 470 trainers. Data was collected by use of interview schedules and questionnaires from the respondents and analysed by use of both inferential statistics e.g., multiple regression, spearman’s correlation and descriptive statistics e.g., frequencies, standard deviation, means using SPSS version 25. From the findings, all the four predictors (Infrastructure, Curriculum development, Practical training and Staff development) jointly explained 72.4 per cent variation on Performance of public Technical Vocational Education and Training Institutions From the regression coefficient β values for Infrastructure (0.206), Curriculum development (0.268), Practical training (0.151) and Staff development (0.178) were positive. The positive β values indicate the direction of relationship between predictors and outcome. In the qualitative analysis of interviews, the findings showed that the public TVET institutions adopted private public partnership to ensure performance of public TVET institutions. The study therefore concludes that all the PPPs approaches under study positively and significantly affect performance of public TVET institutions. The study therefore recommends Therefore, there is need for strengthening private public partnership approaches to improve the performance of public TVET institutions.

Situational analysis of clinical learning environment for the undergraduate nursing students at selected health facilities in Central and Eastern Kenya

Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Title: Situational analysis of clinical learning environment for the undergraduate nursing students at selected health facilities in Central and Eastern Kenya Authors: Jemesunde, Millicent Kapigen Abstract: Background: Clinical learning environment has an impact on the learning outcomes and performance. Nursing students, nurse educators, nurse preceptors and administrators play a major role in clinical learning. However, the extent to which these roles are effectively performed depends on the quality of clinical learning environment and the level of support provided. Learning opportunities change, therefore, should be identified. Challenges can hinder skill acquisition, reduce confidence, and compromise students’ readiness for independent practice. Identification of strategies can strengthen clinical learning. However, gaps persist in many settings. A situational analysis of the clinical learning environment can help in establish the state of clinical learning environment. Objectives: To assess the role of stakeholders, explore opportunities, explore challenges and evaluate strategies used to improve clinical learning in selected health facilities in Central and Eastern Kenya. Methods: The study used mixed methods cross-sectional study design with empiricism and grounded theory approach. No hypothesis was used, the study sought to answer research questions in line with the objectives. Taro Yamane formula was used to get a sample size of 235 students and 153 nurse preceptors. A census was used for the 23 nurse educators and 7 administrators from selected universities and hospitals. Stratified random sampling was used for students according to the year of study as well as nurses according to the wards. Proportionate random sampling was used to select participants from each stratum. A semi-structure questionnaire and key informant interview guide were used to collect data. SPSS Version 26 was employed to analyze quantitative data. Qualitative data collected were put in broad categories of themes and analyzed in frequencies. Results: The findings showed that majority of students, preceptors, and educators were aware of their roles in the clinical learning environment, while the majority of the administrators said: “I appoint the clinical coordinators and approve placement of students in the clinical rotations.” Likert Score means for nursing students, nurse preceptors and nurse educators for the opportunities available in the clinical learning environment indicators were 3.8±0.3, 3.9±0.5 and 3.8±0.3 respectively indicating that the respondents’ opinions oscillated between neutral and agree. The majority of the administrators said, “... the goals of clinical learning are in line with the Nursing Council of Kenya and that means we have no problem with the regulatory body as far as clinical learning is concerned.” The means for the challenges in clinical learning environment indicators were 2.9±0.4, 2.9±0.7 and 2.9±0.5 respectively indicating that the respondents’ opinion oscillated between neutral and disagree. According to administrators, space is a challenge as one said, “... the clinical sites are not adequate in number and also too small in size to accommodate all the nursing students from the universities.” 36 (20.8%) of the students said that the learning resource centres should be located within the hospitals, 71 (50%) of nurse preceptors said clinical instructors should be proactive in supervising students. On the other hand, 6 (26.1%) of the nurse educators said the number of trained mentors should be increased to supervise students closely. Majority of administrators said, “... proper means of communication between students and supervisors would minimize frustrations and misunderstandings that can hinder smooth learning during clinical rotations.” Conclusion: This study concludes that all stakeholders are aware of their key roles on clinical learning environment. The clinical learning experience of nursing students is significantly influenced by opportunities and challenges identified in clinical learning environment. The most crucial strategy is the need to improve collaboration between universities and hospitals to ensure proper planning of students’ placement in clinical learning environment. Recommendations: The study recommends that stakeholders be encouraged to understand one’s own role within the clinical learning environment. Learning opportunities should be supported and evaluated periodically. Challenges are addressed by adequate preparation of stakeholders. Collaboration between stakeholders is important.