Perceptions of Global Health Engagements in Relation to the COVID-19 Pandemic Among Health Care Workers and Administrators in Western Kenya: Protocol for a Multistage Qualitative Study (Preprint)

Abstract

BACKGROUND There has been significant interest in global health in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) among individuals living in high-income countries (HICs) over the past 30 years. Much of the literature on global health engagements (GHEs) has been presented from the perspective of individuals from HIC participants. Local stakeholders such as health care workers and health care administrators represent critical constituencies for global health activities, yet their perspectives are under-represented in the literature. The purpose of this study is to examine local health worker and administrator experiences with GHEs in Kenya. We will explore the perceived role GHEs play in preparing the health system to address a public health crisis, as well as their unfolding role in pandemic recovery and its aftermath. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study is to 1) examine how Kenyan health care workers and administrators interpret experiences with global health engagements as having advantaged or hindered them and the local health system to provide care during an acute public health crisis and 2) to explore recommendations to reimagine GHEs in a post-pandemic Kenya. METHODS This study will be conducted at a network of primary care facilities in western Kenya, with a long history of hosting GHEs in support of its tripartite mission of providing care, training, and research. This qualitative study will be conducted in three phases. In Phase 1, in-depth interviews (IDIs) will be conducted to capture participants’ lived experience to relation their unique understandings of the pandemic, GHEs, and the local health system. In Phase 2, group discussions, using nominal group technique (NGTs) will be conducted to determine potential priority areas to reimagine future GHEs. In Phase 3, IDIs will be conducted to explore these priority areas in greater detail to explore potential recommendations for potential strategies, policies, and other actions that might be employed to achieve the priorities ranked with highest importance. RESULTS Study activities will commence late summer 2022, with findings to be published in 2023. It is anticipated that findings from this study will provide insight into the role GHEs play in local health systems in Kenya, and provide critical stakeholder and partner input, from persons hitherto often ignored in the design, development, and implementation of GHEs, on the management of GHEs moving forward. CONCLUSIONS Research examining local stakeholder perceptions of GHEs is necessary to better understand the role these activities play in the health system, overall. We anticipate that findings from this study will enable GHE partners to better achieve desired results, particularly within the Kenyan setting. CLINICALTRIAL N/A