Browsing by Author "Chimera, Lucy Jonas"

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    Health care providers’ perspectives on factors influencing provision of youth friendly sexual reproductive health services to adolescents in Dedza, Malawi
    (2019-04-15) Chimera, Lucy Jonas
    Youth Friendly Sexual and Reproductive Health Services (YFSRHS) continue to be underutilized by adolescents despite their availability in most hospitals in Malawi leading to an increase in sexual reproductive health problems among adolescents. This study explored the factors influencing provision of YFSRHS to adolescents from the providers’ experiences. This was a descriptive qualitative study conducted at Dedza District Hospital, Chitowo, and Mtakataka Health Centres. Data were collected from a purposive sample of 17 nurses, clinicians and medical assistants through in-depth interviews using a semi-structured interview guide and was analyzed using thematic analysis method. Main themes identified from the findings were; adolescents’ behaviours during service delivery, views on YFSRHS utilization, motivation to provision of YFSRHS, challenges providers encounter, and suggestions on improving provision of YFSRHS to adolescents. The study found that adolescents’ behaviours, YFSRHS delivery system challenges, and health care providers’ challenges negatively affect the quality of YFSRHS given to adolescents. The passion for adolescents’ health and need to safeguard their future has been identified as the major motivating factor to the utilization of YFSRHS. However, health care providers reported often times finding themselves in a dilemma between fulfilling their duties and respecting their personal, religious, and moral values and beliefs in regards to provision of YFSRHS to adolescents. Therefore, interventions aimed at increasing utilization of YFSRHS by adolescents should aim at making communities aware of the availability of YFSRHS in the hospitals, addressing misconceptions associated with YFSRHS, and addressing providers’ personal, religious and moral values and beliefs towards provision of YFSRHS to adolescents along with the health service delivery related improvements