Email this article 
Hide
Show all
Original Research
Perceptions regarding the scope of practice of family doctors amongst patients in primary care settings in Nairobi
Submitted: 05 May 2018 | Published: 04 October 2018
About the author(s)
Gulnaz Mohamoud, Department of Family Medicine, Aga Khan University Hospital, KenyaBob Mash, Division of Family Medicine and Primary Care, Stellenbosch University, South Africa
Mohamoud Merali, Department of Counselling Psychology, Aga Khan University Hospital, Kenya
James Orwa, Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi, Kenya
Megan Mahoney, Division of Primary Care and Population Health, Stanford University, United States of Ameria
Abstract
Background: Primary care (PC) is the foundation of the Kenyan health care system, providing comprehensive care, health promotion and managing all illnesses across the lifecycle. In the private sector in Nairobi, PC is principally offered by the general practitioners, also known as family doctors (FDs). The majority have no postgraduate training. Little is known about how patients perceive their capability.
Aim: To assess patients’ perceptions of the scope of practice of FDs working in private sector PC clinics in Nairobi and their awareness of the new category of family physicians (FPs) and the discipline of family medicine.
Setting: Private sector PC clinics in Nairobi.
Methods: A descriptive survey using a structured, self-administered questionnaire. Simple random sampling was used to recruit 162 patient participants.
Results: Of the participants, 30% knew the difference between FPs and FDs. There was a high to moderate confidence that FDs could treat common illnesses; provide lifestyle advice; family planning (66%) and childhood immunisations (64%). In adolescents and adults, low confidence was expressed in their ability to manage tuberculosis (58%), human immunodeficiency virus (55%) and cancer (33%). In the elderly, there was low confidence in their ability to manage depression (55%), anxiety (57%), urinary incontinence (57%) and diabetes (59%). There was low confidence in their ability to provide antenatal care (55%) and Pap smears (42%).
Conclusion: Patients did not perceive that FDs could offer fully comprehensive PC services. These perceptions may be addressed by defining the expected package of care, designing a system that encourages the utilisation of PC and employing FPs.
Keywords
Metrics
Total abstract views: 5187Total article views: 9975
Crossref Citations
1. AI in primary care: Comparing ChatGPT and family physicians on patient queries
Muhammed İnan, Özlem Suvak, Cenk Aypak
International Journal of Medical Informatics vol: 203 first page: 106047 year: 2025
doi: 10.1016/j.ijmedinf.2025.106047
2. Current status of family medicine in Kenya; family physicians’ perception of their role
Kaja Momanyi, Geert-Jan Dinant, Marlieke Bouwmans, Simone Jaarsma, Patrick Chege
African Journal of Primary Health Care & Family Medicine vol: 12 issue: 1 year: 2020
doi: 10.4102/phcfm.v12i1.2404
3. Public Awareness and Perception of Family Medicine in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Bashair M Alshammrani, Renad O Aljuhani, Khadijah M Basaqr, Eman A Bin Mahfouz, Ebtisam M Alhawsawi, Reem Alqahtani
Cureus year: 2022
doi: 10.7759/cureus.23320
4. Communication skills of general practitioners in Nairobi, Kenya: a descriptive observational study
Gulnaz Mohamoud, Robert Mash
BJGP Open vol: 6 issue: 3 first page: BJGPO.2021.0235 year: 2022
doi: 10.3399/BJGPO.2021.0235
5. Training Approaches for HIV-Associated Neurocognitive Impairment Screening in Primary Healthcare during the Fourth Industrial Revolution
Adele Delysia Munsami
E-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences vol: 6 issue: 13 first page: 81 year: 2025
doi: 10.38159/ehass.20256136
6. Community perspective on family medicine and family physician in Saudi Arabia 2020
Manal Abdulaziz Murad, Rawan Maatouk Kheimi, Mohammed Majdi Toras, Rahaf Hussain Alem, Atheer Meshal Aljuaid, Jafar Naji Alobaidan, Hebah Yousef Binishaq, Abdulrahman Ahmed Asiri, Manar Khalid Sagga
BMC Primary Care vol: 23 issue: 1 year: 2022
doi: 10.1186/s12875-021-01604-8
7. Clinical skills of general practitioners in Nairobi, Kenya: a cross-sectional study
Gulnaz Mohamoud, Robert Mash
BJGP Open vol: 6 issue: 3 first page: BJGPO.2021.0233 year: 2022
doi: 10.3399/BJGPO.2021.0233
8. Preparedness for and impact of COVID-19 on primary health care delivery in urban and rural Malawi: a mixed methods study
Mackwellings Maganizo Phiri, Eleanor Elizabeth MacPherson, Mindy Panulo, Kondwani Chidziwisano, Khumbo Kalua, Chawanangwa Mahebere Chirambo, Gift Kawalazira, Zaziwe Gundah, Penjani Chunda, Tracy Morse
BMJ Open vol: 12 issue: 6 first page: e051125 year: 2022
doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2021-051125
9. Systematic review protocol of the effectiveness of HIV prevention interventions for reducing risky sexual behaviour among youth globally
Fungai Mbengo, Maggie Zgambo, Ebenezer Afrifa-Yamoah, Fatch Welcome Kalembo, Takanori Honda, Yoko Shimpuku, Sanmei Chen
BMJ Open vol: 12 issue: 5 first page: e056929 year: 2022
doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2021-056929
10. How the ‘HIV/TB co-epidemic–HIV stigma–TB stigma’ syndemic impacts on the use of occupational health services for TB in South African hospitals: a structural equation modelling analysis of the baseline data from the HaTSaH Study (cluster RCT)
Edwin Wouters, André Janse van Rensburg, Michelle Engelbrecht, Veerle Buffel, Linda Campbell, Nina Sommerland, Asta Rau, G Kigozi, Josefien van Olmen, Caroline Masquillier
BMJ Open vol: 12 issue: 4 first page: e045477 year: 2022
doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2020-045477
11. Perception and utilization of family medicine services among Abu Dhabi Island’s community
Fatima H. Alraeesi, Reyoof M. Alblooshi, Reem S. Al Busumait, Reem A. Al Ali, Maha M. Al Fahim, Ebtihal A. Darwish
Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care vol: 13 issue: 5 first page: 1962 year: 2024
doi: 10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_1736_23
12. Evaluation of the quality of service delivery in private sector, primary care clinics in Kenya: A descriptive patient survey
Gulnaz Mohamoud, Robert Mash
South African Family Practice vol: 62 issue: 1 year: 2020
doi: 10.4102/safp.v62i1.5148
13. Health Policy and Service Delivery in Referral Hospitals in Kenya
Ali Abdullahi Abdi, Wario Guyo, Dr. Makori Moronge
European Journal of Theoretical and Applied Sciences vol: 1 issue: 6 first page: 357 year: 2023
doi: 10.59324/ejtas.2023.1(6).35