Knowledge and practices of health care workers in Kenyatta national hospital as regards nutritional status and needs of HIV infected children

Abstract

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection and malnutrition are interlinked, both epidemiologically and physiologically. The synergistic effects of malnutrition and HIV on the immune system occur in a vicious cycle in which the decreased immunity associated with both conditions leads to increased susceptibility to infections which if not adequately met lead to more malnutrition. As a result, there has been the development and implementation of guidelines on how best to offer nutritional care to HIV-infected children. Objectives: To Determine the Knowledge and Practices of Healthcare workers at Kenyatta National Hospital as regards the nutritional assessment, nutritional classification and indicators of increased nutritional needs in HIV infected children. Methods: We conducted a Hospital based descriptive cross-sectional study in the paediatric wards, paediatric filter clinic and the comprehensive care clinic at the Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH).All Health Care Workers (HCWs) at KNH involved in the management of HIV infected children under the age of five years were eligible for inclusion in the study. These included doctors, clinical officers and nurses. The data was collected using questionnaires guided in-depth interviews administered to the Health workers as well as observation and a review of medical records of HIV infected children. Knowledge on the nutritional assessment, nutritional classification and the indicators of increased nutritional needs of HIV infected children was assessed based on the National Nutritional Guidelines on HIV. The assessment of practice was observed as a health worker completed seeing a child and by a review of the medical records Results: Of the 104 heath workers in the study, only 21/104 (20%) had full knowledge of the nutritional classification based on the standard WHO classification. As regards the nutritional