| dc.description.abstract | Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) which is the most common cause of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) is a major health concern for aging men. Often the affected persons seek for healthcare attention with a severe condition. In addition, there have been less or scanty information on the care and treatment provided to the BPH patients at the hospital as well as home. The study followed a descriptive case series study design. The study used both the quantitative and qualitative approaches to identify the reported symptoms by the patients at the time when BPH was diagnosed at the health facilities, to evaluate the hospital and home based care and management of patient and also to identify the challenges of the most effective treatment options. The targeted populations for this study were male patients aged 40 years and above diagnosed with BPH who visited Kisumu County hospital for treatment during the study period. For all the objectives, the researcher engaged all the study participants for both the qualitative and quantitative analyses. The quantitative analysis included structured questionnaires for BPH patients while qualitative analysis focuses on key informant interview guide for health care workers. This study demonstrated that men recognized signs of urine blockage as an inevitable result of aging hence poorly educated about the symptoms as reported by 90%, this lack of awareness often delayed the consultation process as reported by 30% of respondents. Home and hospital management care of BPH that were available during the study involved, counseling which was done to all patients before treatment, medication (51%), surgery (23%) and catheterization (26%). Lifestyle factors that were found to be unhealthy for the respondents (alcohol 23%, cigarette smoking 52%, heavy tasks 6% and active participation in sex 19%) which were also found to be increasing or worsening the risk of BPH. The challenges expressed during the study were; expensive treatment including hospital accessibility at 51%, lack of drugs availability within the health facility at 30% and side effects related to drugs at 13%. The study recommended need for public awareness program targeting the younger male population for early detection as well as need for more awareness to the community to register with National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) to help in reducing the treatment cost for BPH. | en_US |