The Relationship between Integration of Mental Health Services in Primary Health Facilities and Access to Mental Health Services in Kiambu and Makueni Counties, Kenya

Abstract

Whereas the Kenyan Government has made progressive efforts towards improving mental health services in the country, such as the launch of the mental health policy 2015-2030 and the launch of the mental health action plan 2021-2025, there is still a high unmet need for mental health services in Kenya. The current service statistics indicate that Kenya has 120 psychiatrists. This number is low, given that the Kenyan population is estimated to be over 50 million. Besides, most psychiatrists tend to concentrate in urban areas, making them not easily accessible to the rural populace. Worse still, there is little documentation of mental health services at the county levels at a time when access to health care has been devolved to Counties in Kenya. This study, therefore, examines how integration of mental health services in primary health care facilities can enhance access to mental health care and treatment in Makueni and Kiambu Counties, Kenya. The study adopted a cross-sectional survey design. The target group was healthcare providers from Kiambu and Makueni primary healthcare facilities. The Yamane formula was used to calculate the sample size of 179 healthcare facilities as a unit of analysis. Two health practitioners were selected in each health facility, yielding 358 respondents. Respondents were clinical officers and nurses who directly interacted with patients in primary health facilities. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data from members of healthcare providers. Data collected was checked for completeness, cleaned, coded, keyed in, and stored in the SSPS version 25. A binary logistic model was then fitted into the data. Results of the analysis indicated that the integration of mental health services is a significant predictor of access to mental health services in primary care health facilities in Makueni and Kiambu Counties.