Determinants of Health Facility Preparedness in The Management of Gender Based Violence: A Case of Primary Health Facilities in Mombasa County

Abstract

Gender based violence (GBV) is an affront to human rights and the attainment of sustainable development goals (SDGs). In Mombasa county 65% of the population live in informal settlement which exacerbate GBV due to poverty. However, health systems are not prepared to deal with the health consequences that are brought about by this vice such as injuries and trauma. To better understand the components that could improve primary health facilities' preparedness in managing this problem, this study Independent variable were to investigated the influence of budget allocation, physical infrastructure, health information management system, and professional approach. While depended variable was Primary Health Facilities Preparedness in the management of gender based violence. Relying on the Theory of Reasoned Action/Planned Behavior and the Intellectual Capital Theory, a descriptive cross-sectional research design was used to ascertain factors that affect health facility preparedness in the management of GBV. A sample of 334 health workers was selected; stratification sampling was employed to categorize them while simple random sampling was used to select respondents in each category. Primary data was collected using questionnaires, which was then analyzed through the Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 25. Correlation and multi-linear regression analysis were used respectively, while descriptive statistics were used to produce means and standard deviation from the collected data. It was found that that budget allocation and primary health facilities preparedness had insignificant correlations with value of P=.095. Further, physical infrastructure and Primary Health Facilities Preparedness insignificantly correlated with a correlation value of P=.079. Also, Health Information Management System and Primary Health Facilities Preparedness significantly and positively correlated with a correlation value P=.243. Additionally, Professionalism and Primary Health Facilities Preparedness positively and significantly correlated with a correlation value of P=.424. Based on these findings the study recommends that county government should ensure appropriate allocation of budget to improve the physical infrastructure of primary health facilities that is adequate lighting, and separate entrances and exits to maintain confidentiality. The study also recommends hospital management should enhance the health information management system that specifically addresses the management of GBV cases in primary health facilities for standardized data collection tools and protocols for recording and reporting GBV incidents. The county government should support capacity building programs focused on professionalism and ethical conduct for healthcare providers and staff members in primary health facilities in order to respond to GBV.