Influence of Ethnic Diversity on Service Delivery Outcomes in Kenyan Public Healthcare

Healthcare service delivery considers ethnic diversity as an essential factor in its operations. There's however, limited empirical evidence from Kenyan public hospitals.

The study aimed to determine how ethnic diversity affects service delivery results, which included staff performance, teamwork, and patient satisfaction.

An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted, including 182 healthcare workers and 210 outpatients. Blau's Index (1 - Σpi²) was used to measure ethnic diversity, divided into three groups: low ethnic diversity at 0.3 level or below, moderate ethnic diversity between 0.3 and 0.6 level, and high ethnic diversity above 0.6 level. The researchers obtained data through three instruments: the Team Climate Inventory and the Individual Work Performance Questionnaire and a 5-point patient satisfaction scale. Multivariable regression analysis was used to examine results while controlling for demographic and professional variables.

The average ethnic diversity index across departments showed high diversity with a value of 0.64 ± 0.12. The relationship between ethnic diversity and staff performance showed a positive connection with a correlation coefficient of 0.35 (p < 0.001) and a 95% confidence interval of 0.22 to 0.47. The research results showed that ethnic diversity accounted for 18.9% of staff performance variations (Adjusted R ² = 0.189, p < 0.001). Public healthcare facilities experience improved service delivery results when they adopt ethnic diversity as a positive factor.

The positive effects of diversity management require the effective implementation of diversity management initiatives.