Knowledge Sharing and the Improvement of Service Delivery in an Academic Library

Knowledge can play an important role in ascertaining an organization’s competitive edge if the knowledge of employees is nurtured and utilized as an asset with a potential to improve service delivery. The study focused on knowledge sharing at the Thomas Mofolo Library in Lesotho to determine if knowledge sharing was being used to improve service delivery at the Library. A case study design that triangulated interviews and questionnaires was used in this study. Quantitative data was processed using software packages. Data from the interviews was analyzed through content analysis based on the objectives of the study. This study established that staff recognized the need to share knowledge. However, knowledge sharing occurred on an ad hoc basis. There was a limited use of technology-based and human-based mechanisms of sharing knowledge. The study suggests practical knowledge-sharing practices that may contribute to improved service delivery in a library setup. As a case study, study may also contribute to the development of theory about the phenomenon.

The First 30 Days of COVID 19 Vaccination in Cameroon: Achievements, Challenges and Lessons Learned

Cameroon's national vaccination campaign was launched on April 12, 2021, amid a nationwide outbreak of COVID-19 with two types of vaccines. This study provides preliminary evidence of the level of coverage of the population and gives an early overview of the challenges, the achievements and the lessons learned. COVID-19 vaccine administration data were obtained from data of the Cameroon Ministry of Public Health. Descriptive statistical analyses were conducted. Thirty days after the introduction of COVID 19 vaccines, five percent of the target population was vaccinated. Women represented one third of the people vaccinated regardless of age and health conditions. Although AEFI reported were minor and scanty with both vaccines, the majority of the vaccinated did not come back for their second dose. There is a need to build confidence among eligible beneficiaries in order to expand the benefits of vaccination to control the current pandemic. The country is still far below the target which could be worrisome given that the uptake is slow and, the 391 200 doses of the AstraZeneca are going to expire in August 2021. This study offers insights into those early efforts as a contribution to significant discussions about upcoming approach to improve service delivery and uptake.

The perception of students towards administration of health services at the Durban University of Technology’s Durban campus clinic

Healthcare that does not satisfy the patient is usually less effective because less satisfied patients tend not to comply with instructions, they take longer to follow up with appointments and they have a poor understanding of their medical condition. The provision of overall quality healthcare for patients is a key motivation for many service providers. Surveys of service delivery towards healthcare satisfaction form an essential role in assessing public opinion of the service provided. Thus, the evaluation of the service provided by a clinic can be reflected in the degree of satisfaction perceived by individuals receiving the services. There is a paucity of literature on students’ satisfaction with health care facilities at institutions of higher learning and there is no known research conducted on service delivery at the DUT health clinics. This study intended to identify areas of service delivery at the DUT health clinics that may require improvement and to make recommendations to improve service delivery. The purpose of this study was also to identify the quality of service dimensions that play an important role in patient’s (students’) satisfaction at the Isolempilo Health Clinic at DUT, to measure student satisfaction of the service delivery and to make recommendations for improvement. The objectives of the study were to identify the students’ experiences of service delivery at the Isolempilo Health Clinic at DUT, to investigate the challenges/barriers experienced by students when accessing healthcare at the Isolempilo Health Clinic in DUT and to recommend ways to improve service delivery to students. This study used quantitative research methods to establish students’ experiences and perceptions of service delivery at the Isolempilo Health Clinic. Convenience sampling was used and data was collected in a form of close-ended questionnaire. Questionnaires were completed by a total of 120 students who visited the clinic for medical care constituted during the data collection period. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 24 software was used to capture participant’s information obtained from the questionnaires and it was used to analyse the data. Findings show that areas that demonstrated particularly high satisfaction are confidentiality of information, referral systems to other health care such as hospitals, the HIV Testing and Counselling and the language of communication. On the other hand, areas that revealed lower degrees of satisfaction are branding of the clinic and visibility of the clinic the booking system, operational hours and selling of commodities such as pregnancy tests. This study adds value as it recommends ways to improve service delivery at the Isolempilo Health Clinic.

The impact of lived experience on health care workers' knowledge, attitudes and behaviour regarding mental illness

Background/Aims The literature suggests that many health care workers hold stigmatising attitudes towards mental illness. This study aimed to ascertain information regarding the impact of lived experience on health care workers' knowledge about mental illness, attitudes towards mental illness and intended behaviours towards people who experience mental illness. Methods This quantitative study used a questionnaire survey of health care workers employed in four National Health Service Trusts (n=2073). Statistical analyses were conducted. Results Lived experience of a mental illness (self or family member) was associated with more favourable knowledge about mental illness, attitudes towards mental illness and intended behaviours towards those with a mental illness. Conclusions The lived experience of mental illness among health care workers could be harnessed as a resource to improve service delivery. There should be a long-term commitment to capitalising on the benefit to patient care of lived experience among health care workers.

Recentralisation and Urban Service Delivery in Kampala Capital City Authority—Uganda

Recentralisation in of Kampala City took effect in 2010 under the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) Act with responsibility to manage the city on behalf of government of Uganda with the view to improve service delivery. The dynamics provided for both decentralization and Recentralisation policies during its implementation which led to shift of powers back to the centre. The study focused on quantitative data analysis and finding reviled 60.8 percent of female under school going age are not attending school, there is 98.9 percent have access to clean piped water, 62 percent of solid waste is from residential areas, 8.2 percent use commercial toilets and 72.6 percent are 5 kilometers away from the health facility hence a significant improvement in service delivery.

Analysis of the management competencies of goat farmers in some selected local government area of Lagos State Nigeria

This study focused on the analysis goat farmers’ management competency in ensuring sustainable production in some selected local government areas of Lagos state, Nigeria. A total of 80 goat farmers were sampled for the study with the aid of structured questionnaires which were used to collect data needed for the study. The objectives of this study were analyzed using descriptive statistics and the hypothesis was tested using binary logistic regression. The result showed that men dominated women in goat farming and that the average age of respondents was 42.4 years. It revealed that majority of the respondents (65.4%) made an annual income of 100,000-300,000 annually and had lived in the study area for 10-15 years. This study also showed that majority of the respondents practiced semi intensive system of management, used family labour (55.6%), the study further revealed that the goat farmers in the study area has low management competency with poor extension service, lack of pasture and graze land and prevalence of ectoparasite among the major challenges facing the goat farmers. It was recommended that farmers be encouraged to belong to organizations such as cooperatives to solve problems in management and government should revamp the extension service to improve service delivery to the farmers.