Influence of Risk Management Moderated by Safety Policy Implementation on Service Delivery in Level 4 Public Health Facilities in Kisii County, Kenya

Abstract

Managing risks inherent in the health sector contributes to the overall improvement in working conditions. It protects healthcare workers against emerging or well-established hazards, guaranteeing their safety and health. This will ultimately foster a safe and healthy work environment that can be assumed to expedite delivery of clinical services to patients. However, the delivery of health services is still wanting in Kisii County.  Healthcare workers face a plethora of hazards at the workplace that lead to occupational injuries, illnesses, absenteeism, and reduced ability to work. The Ministry of Health acknowledges that healthcare facilities in Kenya are potentially hazardous. The purpose of the study was to determine the influence of risk management on service delivery moderated by safety policy implementation in level 4 public health facilities in Kisii County. Guided by the Social Exchange theory, it adopted a cross-sectional survey research design. It targeted 521 healthcare workers providing clinical services in level 4 public health facilities located in Kisii County; and patients seeking medical services in these facilities. Proportionate stratified random sampling was used to select a sample of 227 healthcare workers while a sample of 300 patients were selected using convenience sampling. Primary data was collected using semi-structured questionnaires and interviews. Quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation and simple hierarchical regression. Qualitative data was analyzed by thematic analysis and integrated with quantitative data in the main report. The results revealed that risk management does not have a significant influence on service delivery in level 4 public hospitals in Kisii County, t (13) = .012, p = 0.991. They also established that risk management has no significant influence on service delivery moderated by occupational safety and health policy implementation, F (3, 13) = 1.137, p = .377; t (13) = .497, p = .646). The study concluded that there is no association between risk management and service delivery in level 4 hospitals in Kisii County, and safety policy implementation has no interaction effect on this relationship. The study recommends that hospital management acquire modern and easy to use PPEs and leadership adopt participatory leadership styles to ensure sufficient compliance with safety regulation required for staff and patients.