Factors Affecting the Implementation of the Management of Childhood Illnesses at a Model Primary Health Center, Nkpolu, in Port Harcourt Metropolis, Southern Nigeria

Abstract

This research aimed to assess the factors affecting the Implementation of The Management of Childhood Illnesses at A Model Primary Health Center, Nkpolu, in Port Harcourt Metropolis, Southern Nigeria. The goals of IMCI are to minimize disease and impairment, lower avoidable death rates, and support young children's healthy development. Many issues need to be addressed in implementation. The assumption is that Nkpolu is a mini Nigeria; therefore, is it true that the problems affecting the implementation of IMCI in Nigeria also affect Nkpolu? This informed the necessity for the research. The theory of Planned Behaviour is the theoretical framework that guided the study. A descriptive cross-sectional design was used for the research. One hundred and twenty-five respondents, comprised of 85 staff and 125 clients, were selected conveniently, constituting the study's sample size. The researchers designed the instrument for data collection, and the data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. In evaluating the impediments to implementing IMCI in the Model Primary Health Centre Nkpolu, the following values were obtained: Very Poor = 4.8%, Poor = 20.2%, Fair = 47% and Good = 28.3%. This shows that healthcare professionals face many obstacles in implementing IMCI. Secondly, in investigating the challenges that the healthcare professionals must overcome to implement IMCI in the Model Primary Health Centre Nkpolu, the findings demonstrated that, while 30.8% of patients said that the healthcare providers had poor knowledge, 33.3% of respondents said that the healthcare providers had fair knowledge and 35.8% of patients said that the healthcare providers had good knowledge regarding IMCI. Finally, in ascertaining the overall state of IMCI practices in the Model Primary Health Centre Nkpolu, the following values were obtained: Very poor = 0.9%, Poor = 34.1%, and Good =24%, meaning that the current state of IMCI practice is fair at 42%.