Substance use among healthcare professionals: A cross-sectional study in Kenya

Substance use among healthcare professionals, including alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, benzodiazepines etc., is a rising concern. The immensity of substance use is not yet clear, though recently, studies conducted on medical students and physician trainees show that 10% to 15% of all healthcare professionals misuse drugs at some point in their career, and that 6% to 8% of physicians have a substance use disorder. Substance use has a direct impact on relationships, physical health, and job performance, and is associated with depression, burnout, and decreased career satisfaction. The aim of this study was to shed light on the prevalence of substance use in healthcare providers in Kenya. We carried out a cross-sectional survey study between May 2023 and August 2023. The participants were healthcare providers in Kenya, including medical doctors and trainees, nurses, and allied healthcare workers, who could be reached via email or WhatsApp. The standardized English questionnaire consisted of questions based on demographics and behavior characteristics, as well as substance use. A total of 1768 healthcare providers across Kenya participated and were included in the analysis. The median age of participants was 36.0 years (IQR: 31.0, 44.0), 45.1% being males, 67.1% were married, 46.9% were from public institution, and 34.0% were doctors. The prevalence of ever using a substance was 51.7%. Of the participants who reported ever using any substance, the most commonly used substance was alcohol (93.7%), followed by cannabis (28.9%) and tobacco products (27.6%). Age, race, marital status, religion, education, institution type, type of healthcare provider, and income were associated with substance use (p<0.05). In conclusion, about half of this convenience sample of healthcare providers in Kenya reported ever using one of these substances. Given the potential negative impact of harmful substance use on health service delivery and on providers' mental and physical health, institutions and government should devote resources and create constructive interventions to further understand and address the scope of these issues in Kenyan healthcare providers.