ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Perspectives of Nurses on Continuity of Patient Care: A Study at the Trauma and Specialist Hospital, Winneba

The purpose of the study was to explore how nurses perceive continuity of patient care at the Trauma and Specialist Hospital, Winneba. The study looked at nursing documentation, communication and teamwork and was approved by the Institutional Review Board of the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research at the University of Ghana. The study adopted a qualitative exploratory descriptive design and purposive sampling method was used to recruit participants. Data were collected by using a semi-structured interview guide. Data collected reached saturation with the 15th participant. All interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed using content analysis techniques. Data was coded, and themes and sub-themes generated. Confidentiality and privacy of the participants were ensured using pseudonyms. Four themes emerged, these were; techniques of ensuring continuity of patient care by nurses, nursing documentation of patient care, the use of oral communication in the continuity of patient care, and teamwork during a shift. The study found that nurses continue care by running shifts for the 24 hours. This entails reading folders, nurses’ notes and report book before continuing care. Nurses also document in appropriate books and charts such as fluid chart, temperature, pulse and respiration charts. Other findings were that most nurses did not sign or write their initials after documenting care; nurses always discuss detailed information at the nurses’ station before moving to the patient bedside. Behaviours of nurses such as lateness to work, rudeness and laziness were noted to affect the continuity of patient care. It was recommended that nurses be trained through workshops and in-service training on the need for nursing documentation, communication and teamwork.

Source: UG
Perspectives of nurses regarding pain assessment and management during routine infant vaccination in Ghana

Abstract Aim To explore the perspectives of nurses regarding pain and its management during routine infant vaccination at the Child Welfare Clinics in Ghana. Design Qualitative descriptive design. Methods Qualitative in depth, in-person interviews using a semistructured interview guide were conducted with 19 Registered Nurses who were were purposively sampled from three selected Child Welfare Clinics in hospitals in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana, The Tesch cotent analysis procedure was followed for the analysis of interview data. Results Nurses were aware that the injections they give infants are painful. They described how infants exhibit certain behaviours to express pain. Although nurses support infant pain management during vaccination, they rarely use evidenced-based pain interventions.

Source: UG
Perspectives Of People Living With Sickle Cell Pain In The Accra Metropolis

Pain associated with sickle cell disease can be very severe with debilitating effect on the sufferer. This study sought to gain an in-depth understanding of the experiences of individuals who suffer sickle cell pain. The study employed qualitative methodology using exploratory descriptive design to achieve the purpose of the study. Participants were purposively recruited from the Accra Metropolis. Data saturation was achieved with fifteen (15) participants. One-on-one interviews were conducted and audiotaped. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed concurrently using thematic content analysis. This study was guided by the Siddall, Lovell & MacLeod, (2015) conceptual framework which is a Biopsychosocial-Spiritual model. Findings indicated five main themes: physical experiences of sickle cell pain, psychological experiences of sickle cell pain, social experiences of sickle cell pain, spiritual experiences of sickle cell pain and the pain management experiences of sickle cell. Participants were unable to do anything for themselves, had support from others, had fear of death, worry and insomnia, were stigmatized by school mates and working colleagues and felt depressed, isolated and rejected and some lost their job. They coped with sickle cell pain through belief in God and use of multimodal pain management strategies. Participants experienced poor attitude of caregivers and lacked access to health and specialist care when in pain. In conclusion, it was recommended that effective pain management should be provided for individuals with sickle cell disease. The care should be integrated in the national health insurance scheme.

Source: UG
Perspectives of radiologists in Ghana about the emerging role of artificial intelligence in radiology

Background: The integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based technologies in medicine is advancing rapidly especially in the field of radiology. This however, is at a slow pace in Africa, hence, this study to evaluate the perspectives of Ghanaian radiologists. Methods: Data for this cross-sectional prospective study was collected between September and November 2021 through an online survey and entered into SPSS for analysis. A Mann–Whitney U test assisted in checking for possible gender differences in the mean Likert scale responses on the radiologists’ perspectives about AI in radiology. Statistical significance was set at P ≤ 0.05. Results: The study comprised 77 radiologists, with more males (71.4%). 97.4% were aware of the concept of AI, with their initial exposure via conferences (42.9%). The majority of the re spondents had average awareness (36.4%) and below average expertise (44.2%) in radiological AI usage. Most of the participants (54.5%) stated, they do not use AI in their practices. The re spondents disagreed that AI will ultimately replace radiologists in the near future (average Likert score = 3.49, SD = 1.096) and that AI should be an integral part of the training of radiologists (average Likert score = 1.91, SD = 0.830). Conclusion: Although the radiologists had positive opinions about the capabilities of AI, they exhibited an average awareness of and below average expertise in the usage of AI applications in radiology. They agreed on the potential life changing impact of AI and were of the view that AI will not replace radiologists but serve as a complement. There was inadequate radiological AI infrastructure in Ghana.

Source: UG
Perspectives of the surgeons, anaesthetists, and pharmacists on post-operative pain management roles in the Ghanaian context

Post-operative pain is best managed by a multi-disciplinary team approach. An extensive review of the literature indicated that little is known about the roles of surgeons, anaesthetists, and pharmacists regarding post-operative pain management in Ghana. Therefore, this study was undertaken in order to fully understand how health professionals perceive their roles and the challenges that influence their decisions about post-operative pain management. A qualitative approach with a focused ethnographic design was employed involving eleven in-depth individual interviews. Purposive sampling approach was employed. The study was conducted at a tertiary hospital in Accra, Ghana. The study revealed that surgeons and anaesthetists practised pre-emptive analgesia by administering intra-operative analgesia, giving nerve blocks, and infiltrating surgical wounds. Sometimes, epidural analgesia and perfusers were used for patients who could afford them, particularly if they were expected to experience severe post-operative pain. Challenges reported by all the participants related to inadequate personnel, opioid effect and availability, inadequate training and collaboration, and effects of organisational culture were identified. It was concluded that effective collaboration among health professionals could enhance post-operative pain management. There is a need for enhanced commitment, in order to provide more effective post-operative pain management.

Source: UG
Perspectives on access to and control over land, livelihood, and agricultural production outcomes in three districts with land investments in Ghana

The MIASA Working Paper series serves to disseminate the research results of work in progress prior to publication in order to encourage the exchange of ideas and academic debate. The series aims to publish research findings from the work of the MIASA Interdisciplinary Fellow Groups (IFGs) and other MIASA fellows in an open-access manner. Inclusion of a paper in the MIASA Working Paper Series does not constitute publication and should not limit publication in any other venue. Copyright remains with the authors

Source: UG
Perspectives on Desirable Work: Findings from a Q Study with Students and Parents in Rural Ghana

The perspectives of young people and parents are important to policy that seeks to address youth unemployment in Africa. A systematic understanding of these should help to avoid implementation failure caused by incompatible assumptions or world views, and increase the likelihood that policies promoted by officials will be effective. We present results of a series of Q Methodology studies with senior high school students and parents at two rural locations in Ghana. At both sites, the dominant perspective among students and parents was that professional jobs were most desirable and that low-skill or manual jobs were least desirable. There was little indication that respondents saw ‘‘being your own boss’’ as making a job desirable. Students showed a strong social ethos: jobs were desirable if they helped people, made the world a better place or built the nation. These results have important implications for strategies that seek to address youth unemployment primarily by promoting entrepreneurship.

Source: UG
Perspectives on health policy dialogue: Definition, perceived importance and coordination

Background: Countries in the World Health Organization African Region have witnessed an increase in global health initiatives in the recent past. Although these have provided opportunities for expanding coverage of health interventions; their poor alignment with the countries' priorities and weak coordination, are among the challenges that have affected their impact. A well-coordinated health policy dialogue provides an opportunity to address these challenges, but calls for common understanding among stakeholders of what policy dialogue entails. This paper seeks to assess stakeholders' understanding and perceived importance of health policy dialogue and of policy dialogue coordination. Methods: This was a cross-sectional descriptive study using qualitative methods. Interviews were conducted with 90 key informants from the national and sub-national levels in Lusophone Cabo Verde, Francophone Chad, Guinea and Togo, and Anglophone Liberia using an open-ended interview guide. The interviews were transcribed verbatim, coded and then put through inductive thematic content analysis using QRS software Version 10. Results: There were variations in the definition of policy dialogue that were not necessarily linked to the linguistic leaning of respondents' countries or whether the dialogue took place at the national or sub-national level. The definitions were grouped into five categories based on whether they had an outcome, operational, process, forum or platform, or interactive and evidence-sharing orientation. The stakeholders highlighted multiple benefits of policy dialogue including ensuring stakeholder participation, improving stakeholder harmonisation and alignment, supporting implementation of health policies, fostering continued institutional learning, providing a guiding framework and facilitating stakeholder analysis. Conclusion: Policy dialogue offers the opportunity to improve stakeholder participation in policy development and promote aid effectiveness. However, conceptual clarity is needed to ensure pursuance of common objectives. While it is clear that stakeholder involvement is an important component of policy dialogue, numbers must be manageable for meaningful dialogue. Ownership and coordination of the policy dialogue are important aspects of the process, and building the institutional capacity of the ministry of health requires a comprehensive approach as opposed to strengthening selected departments within it. Likewise, capacity for policy dialogue needs to be built at the sub-national level, alongside improving the bottom-up approach in policy processes.

Source: UG
Perspectives on Markers of Adulthood among Emerging Adults in Ghana and Nigeria

Within the rapidly growing literature on emerging adulthood worldwide, studies examining this concept in African countries are virtually nonexistent. In an effort to continue the inclusion of other countries and cultures in the discussion of this developmental concept, there is a need to conduct research on emerging adulthood in African countries. The purpose of this study was to examine the perspectives on the markers of adulthood among emerging adults at selected universities in Ghana and Nigeria. Results reveal that the markers of adulthood among youth in Ghana and Nigeria are eclectic, with strong ties to sociocultural factors. The findings of this study make several important contributions to the literature for our understanding of the concept of emerging adulthood and serve as anchor for further research in the field of emerging adulthood in West Africa.

Source: UG
Perspectives on migration patterns in Ghana's mining industry

This paper examines migration patterns in Ghana's mining sector, and briefly highlights linkages between stages of mine development and migration flows. The growth, stagnation and closure phases of mine development may each be characterised by distinct migration patterns. The paper concludes with policy-relevant implications of the dynamics of migration patterns in the mining sector, arguing in particular that Ghana is, in addition to traditionally being a country of destination, becoming a transit area for prospective migrant miners. © 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Source: UG
Perspectives on Public Policy Implementation in Developing World Context: The Case of Ghana’s Health Insurance Scheme

This paper examines factors that affect public policy implementation in developing world context, with some evidence from Ghana. It looks at how public policy design; organisational and individual factors affect implementation. Public policy implementation debate is along with top-down, bottom-up or mixed approaches. The health insurance scheme in Ghana is a home-based initiative of a developing country to provide health insurance cover for all persons resident in Ghana including those who cannot afford to pay-the poor and vulnerable groups. It utilises more qualitative comparative research approach and used public and private health organisations (hospitals/clinics) in analysing policy implementation process. The results show pol icy design and individual factors have more explanatory power than organisational factors. Also, results show more private health organisations received accreditation than the public ones. The public-private collaboration helped to increase policy beneficiaries’ access to healthcare services. But, these implementation challenges exist over-billings, over prescriptions, disagreements over tariffs and no prompt payments for healthcare services. It concludes that the private organisations exhibited more of agency than stewardship in protecting their profit-oriented/external interests.

Source: UG
Perspectives on returning individual and aggregate genomic research results to study participants and communities in Kenya: a qualitative study

Background: A fundamental ethical challenge in conducting genomics research is the question of what and how individual level genetic findings and aggregate genomic results should be conveyed to research participants and communities. This is within the context of minimal guidance, policies, and experiences, particularly in Africa. The aim of this study was to explore the perspectives of key stakeholders’ on returning genomics research results to participants in Kenya. Methods: This qualitative study involved focus group discussions (FGDs) and in-depth interviews (IDIs) with 69 stakeholders. The purposively selected participants, included research ethics committee (REC) members (8), community members (44), community resource persons (8), and researchers (9). A semi-structured interview guide was used to facilitate discussions. Six FGDs and twenty-five (IDIs) were conducted among the diferent stakeholders. The issues explored in the interviews included: (1) views on returning results, (2) kind of results to be returned, (3) value of returning results to participants, and (4) challenges anticipated in returning results to participants and communities. The interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and coded in Nvivo 12 pro. Thematic and content analysis was conducted. Results: Participants agreed on the importance of returning genomic results either as individual or aggregate results. The most cited reasons for returning of genomic results included recognizing participants’ contribution to research, encouraging participation in future research, and increasing the awareness of scientific progress. Other aspects on how genomic research results should be shared included sharing easy to understand results in the shortest time possible and maintaining confidentiality when sharing sensitive results. Conclusions: This study identified key stakeholders’ perspectives on returning genomic results at the individual and community levels in two urban informal settlements of Nairobi. The majority of the participants expect to receive feedback about their genomic results, and it is an obligation for researchers to see how to best fulfil it.

Source: UG
Perspectives on returning individual and aggregate genomic research results to study participants and communities in Kenya: a qualitative study

The Epidemiology Department contributes to the mission of the institute through basic and applied epidemiological research on, but not limited to, malaria and other diseases of public health importance. It is also home to the Social Science Unit of the Institute, including the Health Support Centre for HIV/AIDS and other communicable and noncommunicable health problems.

Source: UG
Perspectives on TB patients’ care and support: a qualitative study conducted in Accra Metropolis, Ghana

Background:Tuberculosis (TB) was declared a global emergency in 1993 by the World Health Organization (WHO).Despite available interventions initiated by the WHO and some countries, the disease remains a key public healthproblem. The rates of TB infection and its associated burden is unevenly distributed across the globe with greaterseverity in low-to-middle income countries. This paper therefore explored the experiences of TB patients and healthcare providers pertaining to patients’care and support during treatment, in the Accra Metropolis of Ghana.Methods:A qualitative approach using phenomenology was employed to explore participants’experiences. Maximumvariation sampling, a type of purposive sampling was employed in selecting participants who exhibit a wide range ofbehaviours and experiences.Thirty (30) In-depth Interviews and three (3) Key Informant Interviews were conducted inselected facilities within a period of three months in 2018. The data was audio-recorded, transcribed, and transportedinto Nvivo version 11, for data management and coding. Content analysis of data was carried out for thegeneration of themes.Results:The findings revealed that good knowledge of TB treatment practices did not spontaneously shapeperceptions towards treatment. Factors including prevailing cultural beliefs, physical and psychological stress,consequences of patient’s interrupted labour and health system challenges were hindrances in caring for TBpatients. Physical, mental and spiritual mechanisms were adopted to cope with challenges.Conclusion:Personal patient-related challenges and health system bottlenecks were major influencing factors in providingcare and support to TB clients. The National Tuberculosis control Program (NTP) of Ghana should adopt measuresand provide the required financial, infrastructural and human resources for the augmentation of patients’treatment.

Source: UG
Perspectives on TB patients’ care and support: a qualitative study conducted in Accra Metropolis, Ghana

Background Tuberculosis (TB) was declared a global emergency in 1993 by the World Health Organization (WHO). Despite available interventions initiated by the WHO and some countries, the disease remains a key public health problem. The rates of TB infection and its associated burden is unevenly distributed across the globe with greater severity in low-to-middle income countries. This paper therefore explored the experiences of TB patients and health care providers pertaining to patients’ care and support during treatment, in the Accra Metropolis of Ghana. Methods A qualitative approach using phenomenology was employed to explore participants’ experiences. Maximum variation sampling, a type of purposive sampling was employed in selecting participants who exhibit a wide range of behaviours and experiences. Thirty (30) In-depth Interviews and three (3) Key Informant Interviews were conducted in selected facilities within a period of three months in 2018. The data was audio-recorded, transcribed, and transported into Nvivo version 11, for data management and coding. Content analysis of data was carried out for the generation of themes. Results The findings revealed that good knowledge of TB treatment practices did not spontaneously shape perceptions towards treatment. Factors including prevailing cultural beliefs, physical and psychological stress, consequences of patient’s interrupted labour and health system challenges were hindrances in caring for TB patients. Physical, mental and spiritual mechanisms were adopted to cope with challenges. Conclusion Personal patient-related challenges and health system bottlenecks were major influencing factors in providing care and support to TB clients. The National Tuberculosis control Program (NTP) of Ghana should adopt measures and provide the required financial, infrastructural and human resources for the augmentation of patients’ treatment.

Source: UG