Background: Clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) play a significant role in informing clinical decision-making and improving the quality of health care. Kenya, a lower-middle income country, is faced with a high disease burden amidst a shortage of health workers. Well-developed and implemented CPGs are essential in guiding quality healthcare practices.Objective: We aim to assess the quality of available and accessible national CPGs in Kenya, make recommendations on their development, adaptation and implementation to improve health outcomes. Methods: We will use the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation II (AGREE II) tool to assess the methodological quality of available and accessible CPGs. Our focus will be guidelines on diseases or conditions under the broad categories of maternal disorders, neonatal disorders, nutritional disorders, injuries, communicable and non-communicable diseases in Kenya. We will search websites and databases of the Kenyan Ministry of Health, health associations of Kenya and contact relevant experts or personnel in these organizations. We will also use the google search engine to identify any eligible guidelines. Three reviewers will independently conduct data extraction and quality assessment of the guidelines using the English version of AGREE II tool with six domains (scope and purpose, stakeholder involvement, rigour of development, clarity of presentation, applicability, and editorial independence). Analysis: We will use descriptive statistics to analyse the results and present findings as quality scores. The results of the 23 items and the six domains in the AGREE II tool will be presented in mean and standard deviations.Dissemination: We will disseminate the findings of this study through publication in a peer-reviewed journal, presentations at scientific conferences and relevant healthcare stakeholders meetings.

ObjectiveTo assess the quality of available and accessible national Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPGs) in Kenya using the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation II (AGREE II) tool.MethodsWe searched the websites of the Kenyan Ministry of Health, professional associations and contacted experts in relevant organisations. Our scope was guidelines on maternal, neonatal, nutritional disorders, injuries, communicable and non-communicable diseases in Kenya published in the last 5 years until 30 June 2022. Study selection and data extraction were done by three independent reviewers with disagreements resolved via discussion or with a senior reviewer. We conducted a quality assessment using the online English version of AGREE II tool across six domains. Descriptive statistics were analysed using Stata software V.17. The primary outcome was the methodological quality of the included CPGs assessed by the AGREE II tool score.ResultsWe retrieved 95 CPGs and included 24 in the analysis after screening for eligibility. The CPGs scored best in clarity of presentation and least in the rigour of development. In descending order, the appraisal scores (mean and CI) per domain were as follows: Clarity of presentation 82.96% (95% CI 78.35% to 87.57%) with all guidelines scoring above 50%. Scope and purpose 61.75% (95% CI 54.19% to 69.31%) with seven guidelines scoring less than 50%. Stakeholder involvement 45.25% (95% CI 40.01% to 50.49%) with 16 CPGs scoring less than 50%. Applicability domain 19.88% (95% CI 13.32% to 26.43%) with only one CPG scoring above 50%. Editorial independence 6.92% (95% CI 3.47% to 10.37%) with no CPG scoring above 50% and rigour of development 3% (95% CI 0.61% to 5.39%) with no CPG scoring at least 50%.ConclusionOur findings suggest that the quality of CPGs in Kenya is limited mainly by the rigour of development, editorial independence, applicability and stakeholder involvement. Training initiatives on evidence-based methodology among guideline developers are needed to improve the overall quality of CPGs for better patient care.

Background: Access to rapid diagnostic tests for malaria (mRDTs) has significantly increased in sub-Saharan Africa, but this region still bears the largest burden of Malaria. Assessing the impact of mRDTs on patient-important outcomes is essential in effectively guiding their future evaluation and programmatic scale-up.Objective: We aim to critically assess the study designs, outcome measures, methodological quality and implementation challenges of studies that evaluate the impact of mRDTs compared to other malaria diagnostic tests on patient-important outcomes among persons suspected of malaria in sub-Sahara Africa through a systematic review of the literature.Methods and Analysis: We will search MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, African Index Medicus and clinical trial registries from inception until June 2022. We will include a primary randomized or non-randomized study that compares the impact of mRDTs to clinical diagnosis, microscopy and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) on patient-important outcomes such as time to diagnosis/turn-around time, time to initiation of therapy, time to resolution of malaria-associated symptoms, morbidity and mortality in both adults and children. We will also include quantitative studies with an additional qualitative component (mixed methods studies) to assess the implementation challenges of mRDTs. We will assess the methodological quality of included studies using National Institutes of Health (NIH) quality assessment tools for experimental and observational studies. We will use the Mixed methods appraisal tool (MMAT) version 2018 for mixed methods studies. We will analyse our results through descriptive statistics and thematic content analysis and present our findings narratively, graphically and by quality ratings.Registration: This protocol is registered with the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO), registration number CRD42018083816.Dissemination: We intend to publish the outcome of our review in a peer-reviewed journal and develop a valuable and accessible result summary.

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are posing a serious global challenge due to the high impact on health and mortality. These diseases are becoming more prevalent in low and middle-income countries. Therefore, this study aimed to test the effect of Covi-soup on random blood sugar (RBS) and blood pressure among patients with type II diabetes mellitus and hypertension. This was a pilot study conducted in Kakamega County, Kenya. Simple systematic sampling was used in identifying respondents and allocating them to the groups. A total of 64 respondents were involved in this study, with 34 and 30 assigned to the treatment and control groups. The treatment group received Covi-soup, containing butternut squash, ginger, garlic, sunflower pepper, chia seeds, and turmeric, while the control consumed a rice soup. There was no significant difference in baseline RBS and systolic pressure levels in the treatment and control with (P =0.909) and (P =0.218), respectively. There was no positive change in RBS, but a positive change was reported in systolic and diastolic blood pressures (P ≤0.187), (P ≤0.012), and (P ≤0.001) after an intervention. Furthermore, there was a significant difference in RBS, systolic blood pressure, and diastolic blood pressure values of the treatment and non-treatment. The consumption of Covi-soup by patients with type II diabetes mellitus and hypertension for 3 months resulted in reduced blood pressure and random blood sugar levels.

Diabetes mellitus type 2 and hypertension diseases are part of the obstacles that the world faces in achieving sustainable development goals. cases of diabetes mellitus type 2 and hypertension diseases in low and middle-income countries are increasingly becoming a concern. Currently, diabetes mellitus type 2 and hypertension kills about 1.6 and 7.6 million people respectively in the world. However, while there have been numerous strategies to address the issue, these efforts have not been sufficient to guarantee a reduction in illness severity. The primary goal of this study is to determine the impact of Covi soup on the health and nutritional condition of people with type 2 diabetes and hypertension. This study will be an experimental study conducted in Kakamega County. It will employ a clinical control trial approach, with two groups; treatment and control. Simple randomization will be used. A sample size of 35 (treatment group) and 35 (control group) will be used to yield quantitative data. The treatment group will receive Covi soup while the control group will be on a placebo (rice soup). Data will be analysed using SPSS version 20. Paired student t-test will be used to assess the effect of Covi soup on the respondents' health and nutrition status. Data will be presented in graphs, pie charts, and tables. This study intends to fill gaps in community management of diabetes mellitus type 2 and hypertension diseases.