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Background Understanding diagnostic capacities is essential to addressing healthcare provision and inequity, particularly in low-income and middle-income countries. This study used routine data to assess trends in rapid diagnostic test (RDT) reporting, supplies and unmet needs across national and 47 subnational (county) levels in Kenya.Methods We extracted facility-level RDT data for 19 tests (2018–2020) from the Kenya District Health Information System, linked to 13 373 geocoded facilities. Data quality was assessed for reporting completeness (ratio of reports received against those expected), reporting patterns and outliers. Supply assessment covered 12 RDTs reported by at least 50% of the reporting facilities (n=5251), with missing values imputed considering reporting trends. Supply was computed by aggregating the number of tests reported per facility. Due to data limitations, demand was indirectly estimated using healthcare-seeking rates (HIV, malaria) and using population data for venereal disease research laboratory test (VDRL), with unmet need computed as the difference between supply and demand.Results Reporting completeness was under 40% across all counties, with RDT-specific reporting ranging from 9.6% to 89.6%. Malaria RDTs showed the highest annual test volumes (6.3–8.0 million) while rheumatoid factor was the lowest (0.5–0.7 million). Demand for RDTs varied from 2.5 to 11.5 million tests, with unmet needs between 1.2 and 3.5 million. Notably, malaria testing and unmet needs were highest in Turkana County, as well as the western and coastal regions. HIV testing was concentrated in the western and central regions, with decreasing unmet needs from 2018 to 2020. VDRL testing showed high volumes and unmet needs in Nairobi and select counties, with minimal yearly variation.Conclusion RDTs are crucial in enhancing diagnostic accessibility, yet their utilisation varies significantly by region. These findings underscore the need for targeted interventions to close testing gaps and improve data reporting completeness. Addressing these disparities is vital for equitably enhancing diagnostic services nationwide.

Background: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global threat and is thought to be acute in low-and middle-income country (LMIC) settings, including in Kenya, but there is limited unbiased surveillance that can provide reliable estimates of its burden. Current efforts to build capacity for microbiology testing in Kenya are unlikely to result in systematic routine microbiological testing in the near term. Therefore, there is little prospect for microbiological support to inform clinical diagnoses nor for indicating the burden of AMR and for guiding empirical choice of antibiotics. Objective: We aim to build on an existing collaboration, the Clinical Information Network (CIN), to pilot microbiological surveillance using a ‘hub-and-spoke’ model where selected hospitals are linked to high quality microbiology research laboratories. Methods: Children admitted to paediatric wards of 12 participating hospitals will have a sample taken for blood culture at admission before antibiotics are started. Indication for blood culture will be a clinician’s prescription of antibiotics. Samples will then be transported daily to the research laboratories for culture and antibiotic susceptibility testing and results relayed back to clinicians for patient management. The surveillance will take place for 6 months in each hospital. Separately, we shall conduct semi-structured interviews with frontline health workers to explore the feasibility and utility of this approach. We will also seek to understand how the availability of microbiology results might inform antibiotic stewardship, and as an interim step to the development of better national or regional laboratories linked to routine surveillance. Conclusions: If feasible, this approach is less costly and periodic ‘hub-and-spoke’ surveillance can be used to track AMR trends and to broadly guide empirical antibiotic guidance meaning it is likely to be more sustainable than establishing functional microbiological facilities in each hospital in a LMIC setting.

IntroductionInformation on laboratory test availability and current testing scope among general hospitals in Kenya is not readily available. We sought to explore the reporting trends and test availability within clinical laboratories in Kenya over a 24-months period through analysis of the laboratory data reported in the District Health Information System (DHIS2).MethodsMonthly hospital laboratory testing data were extracted from the Kenyan DHIS2 between January 2018 and December 2019. We used the national laboratory testing summary tool (MoH 706) to identify the tests of interest among 204 general hospitals in Kenya. A local practitioner panel consisting of individuals with laboratory expertise was used to classify the tests as common and uncommon. We compared the tests on the MoH 706 template with the Essential Diagnostic List (EDL) of the World Health Organisation and further reclassified them into test categories based on the EDL for generalisability of our findings. Evaluation of the number of monthly test types reported in each facility and the largest number of tests ever reported in any of the 24 months were used to assess test availability and testing scope, respectively.ResultsOut of the 204 general hospitals assessed, 179 (179/204) reported at least one of the 80 tests of interest in any of the 24 months. Only 41% (74/179) of the reporting hospitals submitted all their monthly DHIS2 laboratory reports for the entire 24 months. The median testing capacity across the hospitals was 40% with a wide variation in testing scope from one hospital laboratory to another (% IQR: 33.8-51.9). Testing scope was inconsistent within facilities as indicated by often large monthly fluctuations in the total number of recommended and EDL tests reported. Tests of anatomical pathology and cancer were the least reported with 4 counties' hospitals not reporting any cancer or anatomical pathology tests for the entire 24 months.ConclusionThe current reporting of laboratory testing information in DHIS2 is poor. Monitoring access and utilisation of laboratory testing across the country would require significant improvements in consistency and coverage of routine laboratory test reporting in DHIS2. Nonetheless, the available data suggest unequal and intermittent population access to laboratory testing provided by general hospitals in Kenya.

Background: Maternal anaemia is a public health problem worldwide, and its aetiology is linked to iron deficiency. The high nutrient demand during pregnancy exacerbates the condition. To meet the increased nutritional demand, supplementation of iron and folic acid (IFA) is key. The supplements are provided freely to pregnant women during antenatal visits at public health facilities, however, their uptake and adherence in Kenya remain unacceptably low. Methods: A hospital-based cross-sectional study involving 241 postnatal mothers seeking maternal and child healthcare (MCH) care at Kakamega level 5 hospital was conducted. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected. Quantitative data were collected from 241 eligible postnatal mothers, while qualitative data were obtained through key informant interviews with community health volunteers and healthcare providers. Results: There was a moderate adherence to IFA supplementation (60.6%) during pregnancy among postnatal mothers seeking MCH care at Kakamega level 5 hospital. Some of the reasons for non-adherence stated by the respondents included; IFA related side effects (41.3%), forgetfulness (37.3%) and bad smell of the IFA supplements (10.3%). Higher IFA adherence was noted among the primigravida participants (OR=2.704; 95% CI: 1.262, 5.793; p=0.010) compared to multigravida participants, and those with a higher knowledge level of anaemia (OR=3.215; 95% CI: 1.346, 7.68; p=0.009) compared to their counterparts with low anaemia knowledge. Other factors that showed correlation with IFA adherence were: IFA education, pregnancy counselling before conception and the number of antenatal care visits attained. Conclusion: There is a moderate adherence to IFA supplementation during pregnancy among mothers seeking MCH at Kakamega level 5 hospital. The greatest impediments of IFA compliance during pregnancy are IFA side effects, forgetfulness and the bad smell of the IFA tablets. Therefore, providing IFA education to pregnant mothers incorporated with probable ways of managing the IFA side effects would contribute to IFA supplementation adherence.