{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,30]],"date-time":"2026-07-30T13:21:39Z","timestamp":1785417699401,"version":"3.56.0"},"reference-count":12,"publisher":"AOSIS","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,7,29]],"date-time":"2024-07-29T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1722211200000},"content-version":"unspecified","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"abstract":"<jats:p>Primary healthcare (PHC) is recognised as the means to achieve universal health coverage, a national priority for Kenya. With only approximately 200 family physicians for a population of over 54 million, innovative solutions for providing quality PHC are needed. Clinical Officers, as mid-level health workers, already provide much of the primary care across Kenya, but without specialised training. To provide highly trained Family Health practitioners, a Higher Diploma in Family Health for Clinical Officers (FHCO) was launched by the government in 2018. With experience in delivering innovative and strategic higher diplomas, AIC Kijabe Hospital has been involved in curriculum development of this new diploma since its inception, and in October 2021 the first cohort of FHCO trainees was admitted to Kijabe College of Health Science, graduating in 2023. The second cohort is underway with plans for an annual intake. The FHCO graduates are running Family Medicine clinics at AIC Kijabe Hospital and its satellite clinics and are heavily involved in teaching. They are well-trained to deliver comprehensive, evidence-based, cost-effective and holistic care. As the programme expands, we expect graduates to be working across the country and leading efforts in enhancing the health and well-being of individuals, families and communities within primary healthcare networks (PCNs). By training FHCOs, this higher diploma is an efficient and cost-effective way to improve PHC, particularly for underserved Kenyans, and thus is a key part of enabling the Kenyan Government to achieve universal health coverage. This model of training could easily be replicated in other countries.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.4102\/phcfm.v16i1.4594","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,7,29]],"date-time":"2024-07-29T19:17:40Z","timestamp":1722280660000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.4102\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Family Health Clinical Officers: Key professionals to strengthen primary healthcare in Kenya"],"prefix":"10.4102","volume":"16","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0004-8316-0495","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Katherine","family":"Linley","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/029cz3039","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}],"name":"Kijabe Hospital"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"2580","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,7,29]]},"reference":[{"key":"#cr-split#-ref0.1","unstructured":"World Health Organization. Universal health coverage (UHC). 2023 [updated 2023 Oct 5"},{"key":"#cr-split#-ref0.2","unstructured":"cited 2024 Apr 29]. Available from: https:\/\/www.who.int\/news-room\/fact-sheets\/detail\/universal-health-coverage-(uhc)"},{"key":"ref1","unstructured":"World Health Organization. Primary health care. c2024 [cited 2024 Apr 29]. Available from: https:\/\/www.who.int\/health-topics\/primary-health-care#tab=tab_2"},{"key":"ref2","unstructured":"Ministry of Health. Kenya Universal Health Coverage Policy 2020\u20132030. Nairobi: Ministry of Health; 2020."},{"key":"ref3","unstructured":"Ministry of Health. Kenya Primary Health Care Strategic Framework 2019\u20132024. Nairobi: Ministry of Health."},{"key":"ref4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Okoroafor SC, Kwesiga B, Ogato J, et al. Investing in the health workforce in Kenya: Trends in size, composition and distribution from a descriptive health labour market analysis. BMJ Glob Health. 2022;7(suppl 1):e009748. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1136\/bmjgh-2022-009748","DOI":"10.1136\/bmjgh-2022-009748"},{"key":"ref5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Mbindyo P, Blaauw D, English M. The role of clinical officers in the Kenyan health system: A question of perspective. Hum Resour Health. 2013;11:32. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1186\/1478-4491-11-32","DOI":"10.1186\/1478-4491-11-32"},{"key":"ref6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Dovlo D. Using mid-level cadres as substitutes for internationally mobile health professionals in Africa. A desk review. Hum Resour Health. 2004;2(1):7. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1186\/1478-4491-2-7","DOI":"10.1186\/1478-4491-2-7"},{"key":"ref7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Mullan F, Frehywot S. Non-physician clinicians in 47 sub-Saharan African countries. Lancet. 2007;370(9605):2158\u20132163. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/S0140-6736(07)60785-5","DOI":"10.1016\/S0140-6736(07)60785-5"},{"key":"ref8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Lassi ZS, Cometto G, Huicho L, Bhutta ZA. Quality of care provided by mid-level health workers: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Bull World Health Organ. 2013;91(11):824\u2013833. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.2471\/BLT.13.118786","DOI":"10.2471\/BLT.13.118786"},{"key":"ref9","unstructured":"Ministry of Health. Primary health care network guidelines. Nairobi: Ministry of Health; 2021."},{"key":"ref10","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Couper I, Ray S, Blaauw D, et al. Curriculum and training needs of mid-level health workers in Africa: A situational review from Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa and Uganda. BMC Health Serv Res 2018;18:553. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1186\/s12913-018-3362-9","DOI":"10.1186\/s12913-018-3362-9"}],"container-title":["African Journal of Primary Health Care &amp; Family Medicine"],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/phcfm.org\/index.php\/phcfm\/article\/viewFile\/4594\/7420","content-type":"text\/html","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/phcfm.org\/index.php\/phcfm\/article\/viewFile\/4594\/7421","content-type":"application\/epub+zip","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/phcfm.org\/index.php\/phcfm\/article\/viewFile\/4594\/7422","content-type":"text\/xml","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/phcfm.org\/index.php\/phcfm\/article\/viewFile\/4594\/7423","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/phcfm.org\/index.php\/phcfm\/article\/view\/4594\/7423","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,24]],"date-time":"2026-04-24T09:17:55Z","timestamp":1777022275000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/phcfm.org\/index.php\/phcfm\/article\/view\/4594"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2024,7,29]]},"references-count":12,"journal-issue":{"issue":"1","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2023,12,21]]}},"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.4102\/phcfm.v16i1.4594","relation":{},"ISSN":["2071-2928","2071-2936"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2071-2928","type":"print"},{"value":"2071-2936","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2024,7,29]]},"article-number":"a4594"}}