Bio-Risk Management Competence among Medical Laboratory Workers in Kakamega County, Kenya

Abstract

Background: Medical laboratories handle biological materials that may expose personnel to infectious hazards. Effective bio-risk management (BRM), encompassing biosafety and biosecurity, is therefore important for protecting laboratory personnel, patients, and the wider community. Evidence describing staff-level BRM competence in Kenya remains limited. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted among 35 medical laboratory professionals working in different laboratory sections in Kakamega County, western Kenya. Participants were recruited purposively. A study-specific 20-item BRM assessment was scored from 0 to 3 per item, giving a maximum score of 60. Descriptive statistics were used to summarise overall performance and patterns by gender, educational qualification, and laboratory section. Results: BRM assessment scores ranged from 9 to 57, with an overall mean of approximately 44 out of 60. Mean scores were similar for male (~44) and female (~43) participants. Qualification-specific data reported for 34 participants showed non-monotonic mean scores across diploma (~45), higher diploma (56; n=1), bachelor's degree (~43), and MSc (~35) categories. Departmental mean scores also varied, with higher values in microbiology (~49), parasitology (~48), and blood banking (50), and lower values in clinical chemistry (~36) and biotechnology (27). These subgroup estimates are descriptive and should be interpreted cautiously because of the small and uneven sample. Conclusion: BRM competence was heterogeneous among the sampled laboratory personnel. The descriptive findings did not show a consistent gradient in BRM scores across academic qualifications, and subgroup differences cannot establish determinants of competence. Larger studies using representative sampling and validated assessment instruments are needed to confirm these patterns and guide training and policy decisions.