Institutional Related Factors Influencing Adherence to the American Heart Association Guidelines for Acute Coronary Syndrome Among Clinicians at Kenya Ports Authority Clinics in Mombasa, Kenya

Abstract

Standard clinical guidelines like Advanced Cardiac Life Support by the American Heart Association are put in place to guide clinicians in the management of Acute Coronary Syndrome to improve the outcomes among the patients. The main purpose of the study was to assess the institutional related factors influencing adherence to the American Heart Association guidelines for Acute Coronary Syndrome among clinicians at Kenya Ports Authority clinics in Mombasa, Kenya. A descriptive cross-sectional study involving quantitative methods of data collection was adopted. An interviewer administered questionnaire was used for data collection. The target population was 106 clinicians attending to patients who present with Acute Coronary Syndrome at the KPA clinics in Mombasa. A Census method was used. Data analysis was done using Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 25 and presented in tables. Ethical approval was sought from Mount Kenya University Ethics and Research Committee (MKU-ERC) and permission was granted from the National Commission for Science, Technology and Innovation. The study concludes that the associations between availability (ᾳ=0.000), accessibility of the AHA guideline (ᾳ=0.002), training on ACS management (ᾳ=0.022) and provision of the resources (ᾳ=0.004) on adherence to AHA Guidelines among clinicians at Kenya Ports Authority clinics in Mombasa, Kenya were significant. The study recommends that the KPA management should increase the medical budget to ensure the availability of adequate resources. The Clinic management should ensure that medications are readily available and accessible. The KPA Clinic management should formulate a simple algorithm that outlines the steps to be taken when managing ACS patients.