Health professional regulation and provision of quality health services; cross sectional analysis of private health care providers in Wajir County, Kenya

Background: Health professional regulatory bodies oversee and enforce standards in healthcare to safeguard patient safety and prevent harm. However, international consistency in these regulations remains limited. The Kenya health sector relies on various bodies to enforce standards among professionals and institutions, albeit constrained by financial and human resources that hinder effective oversight. This study aimed to assess how regulatory practices- such as licensing, training oversight, inspection of practice, and quality assurance mechanisms- affect the quality of healthcare provided by private providers. Methods: The study targeted 108 healthcare providers from 36 private health facilities, primarily nurses and clinical officers. A sample of 86 participants was drawn using purposive sampling. The data were collected using a structured questionnaire. Results: The licensing of health professionals, training, inspection of practice, and quality assurance mechanisms collectively influenced 47.9% of the variation in service quality. Statistical analysis revealed significant associations between licensing (p=0.003), practice inspections (p=0.01), quality assurance (p=0.001), and service quality. Conclusions: Regulatory bodies play a crucial role in ensuring healthcare standards; however, their effectiveness hinges on tailored strategies that address local challenges and foster collaborative efforts towards sustainable quality improvement in healthcare services. Routine inspections, conducted in a supportive manner, are likely to ensure ongoing adherence to standards. Moreover, adequate resource allocation for regulatory compliance and continuous quality improvement activities, including the formation of internal quality improvement (QI) teams and the maintenance of regular QI meetings and assessments, was deemed essential.