ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Under-reporting of adverse drug reactions: Surveillance system evaluation in Ho Municipality of the Volta Region, Ghana

Background Adverse Drug Reactions (ADRs) can occur with all medicines even after successful extensive clinical trials. ADRs result in more than 10% of hospital admissions worldwide. In Ghana, there has been an increase of 13 to 126 ADR reports per million population from 2012 to 2018. ADR Surveillance System (ADRSS) also known as pharmacovigilance has been put in place by the Ghana Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) to collect and manage suspected ADR reports and communicate safety issues to healthcare professionals and the general public. The ADRSS in Ho Municipality was evaluated to assess the extent of reporting of ADRs and the system’s attributes; determine its usefulness, and assess if the ADRSS is achieving its objectives. Methods We evaluated the ADRSS of the Ho Municipality from January 2015 to December 2019. Quantitative data were collected through interviews and review of records. We adapted the updated CDC guidelines to develop interview guides and a checklist for data collection. Attributes reviewed included simplicity, data quality, acceptability, representativeness, timeliness, sensitivity, predictive value positive and stability. Results We found a total of 1,237 suspected ADR during the period, of which only 36 (3%) were reported by healthcare professionals in the Ho Municipality to the National Pharmacovigilance Centre (NPC). Only 43.9% of health staff interviewed were familiar with the ADRSS and its reporting channel. Staff who could mention at least one objective of the ADRSS were 34.2%, and 12.2% knew the timelines for reporting ADR. Reports took a median time of 41 (IQR = 25, 81) days from reporter to NPC. Reports sent on time constituted 37.5%. Fully completed case forms constituted 77.1% and the predictive value positive (PVP) was 20%. About 53% of ADRs were reported for female patients. Up to 88.9% of ADRs were classified as drug related. Anti-tuberculosis agents and other antibiotics constituted (40.6%) and (18.8%) of all reports. The ADRSS was not integrated into the disease surveillance and response system of Ghana’s Health Service and so was not flexible to changes. A dedicated ADR surveillance officer in regions helped with the system’s stability. Data from Ghana feeds into a WHO database for global decision making. Conclusions There was under-reporting of ADRs in the Ho Municipality from January 2015 to December 2019. The ADR surveillance system was simple, stable, acceptable, representative, had a strong PVP but was not flexible or timely. The ADRSS was found useful and partially met its objectives.

Source: UG
Understanding abortion-related complications in health facilities: results from WHO multicountry survey on abortion (MCS-A) across 11 sub-Saharan African countries

Introduction Complications due to unsafe abortions are an important cause of morbidity and mortality in many sub-Saharan African countries. We aimed to characterise abortion-related complication severity, describe their management, and to report women’s experience of abortion care in Africa. Methods A cross-sectional study was implemented in 210 health facilities across 11 sub-Saharan African countries. Data were collected on women’s characteristics, clinical information and women’s experience of abortion care (using the audio computer-assisted self-interviewing (ACASI) system). Severity of abortion complications were organised in five hierarchical mutually exclusive categories based on indicators present at assessment. Descriptive bivariate analysis was performed for women’s characteristics, management of complications and reported experiences of abortion care by severity. Generalised linear estimation models were used to assess the association between women’s characteristics and severity of complications. Results There were 13 657 women who had an abortion-related complication: 323 (2.4%) women were classified with severe maternal outcomes, 957 (7.0%) had potentially life-threatening complications, 7953 (58.2%) had moderate complications and 4424 (32.4%) women had mild complications. Women who were single, multiparous, presenting ≥13 weeks of gestational age and where expulsion of products of conception occurred prior to arrival to facility were more likely to experience severe complications. For management, the commonly used mechanical methods of uterine evacuation were manual vacuum aspiration (76.9%), followed by dilation and curettage (D&C) (20.1%). Most frequently used uterotonics were oxytocin (50∙9%) and misoprostol (22.7%). Via ACASI, 602 (19.5%) women reported having an induced abortion. Of those, misoprostol was the most commonly reported method (54.3%). Conclusion There is a critical need to increase access to and quality of evidence-based safe abortion, postabortion care and to improve understanding around women’s experiences of abortion care.

Source: UG
Understanding adolescents living with HIV in Accra, Ghana

This study explored the experiences of adolescents living with HIV (ALHIV) in Accra, Ghana. A descriptive study design with qualitative data collection and analysis methods were used. Thirty participants were purposively selected and data were collected through face-to-face in-depth interviews using a semi-structured interview guide. The interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed to identify emerging themes that addressed objectives of the study. The findings indicated that adolescents became aware of their HIV through family and non-family members, but were reluctant to disclose their HIV status to others due to varied reasons. Furthermore, it was found that the adolescents experienced stigma and also had conflicting views about clinic attendance and the antiretroviral therapy (ART). Evidence showed that some of the participants experienced financial challenges, which negatively affected their clinic attendance. In addition, participants reported they received support from healthcare providers, as well as their parents and guardians. The findings suggest the need for psychosocial interventions and financial assistance to adolescents living with HIV and their families.

Source: UG
Understanding and addressing inequalities in the context of structural transformation in Africa A synthesis of seven country studies

This article features the analysis and comparative assessment of a set of studies on the dynamics and drivers of and policy responses to inequalities in the context of structural transformation in Africa, including an overview paper, seven country studies, and a paper on gendered assets inequalities, all published in abridged versions in Development 57(3–4) (Armah et al., 2014; Ariyo and Olaniyan, 2014; Bunwaree, 2014; Diene, 2014; Kedir, 2014; Omilola and Akanbi, 2014; Osei-Assibey, 2014; Owiti, 2014; Wanjala, 2014). Drawing from these studies, it explores the conceptual frameworks, the key domains and the main drivers of inequalities. It further examines recent policy interventions and outlines policy implications, providing a preliminary basis for setting an agenda for research and advocacy to support African and country efforts to tackle the deepening inequalities and achieve structural transformation.

Source: UG
Understanding and controlling financial fraud in the drug industry

Purpose – This study aims to assess the fraud cases, factors and control measures of financial fraud in the drug industry with evidence from Ghana. Drug industry and pharmaceutical are the same, and they are used interchangeably in this study. Design/methodology/approach – Data from questionnaires were collected from 412 manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers of the drug industry. Data were presented and analysed with descriptive statistics and probit regression. Findings – Results show that, in general, stealing of drugs, stealing of cash, usage of fake cheques, falsified documents and dubious accounting practices are some of the fraud cases in the industry. Factors such as gender, educational level, religious beliefs, regulatory 7measures, pressure, rationalization and opportunities influence financial fraud in the drug industry. Control measures such as thorough assessment of products, regular review of fraud policies, installation of fraud-detection software and effective internal systems could reduce the menace. Research limitations/implications – The paper addresses a number of theoretical and systemic issues on financial fraud in the drug industry but with limited specific quantitative data or calculations as well as limited sample size. Further studies could offer a more quantitative approach with a larger sample size in an attempt, for instance, to estimate the financial costs of financial fraud to the drug industry. Practical implications – This paper openly tackles various attempted frauds and financial malfeasances from stakeholder perspectives in the drug industry. Practical measures have been given to tackle the consequences of the menace. Originality/value – This paper is geared towards providing valuable learning points for stakeholders in the drug industry to handle daily operations to assist them in detecting and preventing similar occurrence of financial fraud.

Source: UG
THE UNDERSTANDING AND ORIGIN OF CREATIVITY AMONG GHANAIAN BASIC SCHOOL TEACHERS

This study was conducted to find out the perspective of teachers at the basic education level in Ghana about the understanding, origin and promotion of creativity in school children. In all, 213 teachers between the ages of 19 and 63, with at least 3 years teaching experience in the basic school completed questionnaires on teacher-fostering creativity scale. The results showed that teachers’ understanding of creativity does not differ from the generally accepted definition, which is, producing something novel or producing something novel for the benefit of society. Majority of the teachers also view creativity as a function of the environment rather than genetic. However, there was no difference in the promotion of creativity between teachers who view creative potential as a function of the environment and those who view it as genetic. This study exposes teachers to the meaning and origin of creativity and also encourages them to promote creativity among their pupils due to their understanding of creativity as a function of the environment. The implications of the study are discussed.

Source: UG
Understanding and Retention of informed consent process among Parents in a Rural Northern Ghana

Abstract Background The individual informed consent model remains critical to the ethical conduct and regulation of research involving human beings. Parental informed consent process in a rural setting of northern Ghana was studied to describe comprehension and retention among parents as part of the evaluation of the existing informed consent process. Methods The study involved 270 female parents who gave consent for their children to participate in a prospective cohort study that evaluated immune correlates of protection against childhood malaria in northern Ghana. A semi-structured interview with questions based on the informed consent themes was administered. Parents were interviewed on their comprehension and retention of the process and also on ways to improve upon the existing process. Results The average parental age was 33.3 years (range 18&#8211;62), married women constituted a majority (91.9%), Christians (71.9%), farmers (62.2%) and those with no formal education (53.7%). Only 3% had ever taken part in a research and 54% had at least one relation ever participate in a research. About 90% of parents knew their children were involved in a research study that was not related to medical care, and 66% said the study procedures were thoroughly explained to them. Approximately, 70% recalled the study involved direct benefits compared with 20% for direct risks. The majority (95%) understood study participation was completely voluntary but only 21% recalled they could withdraw from the study without giving reasons. Younger parents had more consistent comprehension than older ones. Maternal reasons for allowing their children to take part in the research were free medical care (36.5%), better medical care (18.8%), general benefits (29.4%), contribution to research in the area (8.8%) and benefit to the community (1.8%). Parental suggestions for improving the consent process included devoting more time for explanations (46.9%), use of the local languages (15.9%) and obtaining consent at home (10.3%). Conclusion Significant but varied comprehension of the informed consent process exists among parents who participate in research activities in northern Ghana and it appears the existing practices are fairly effective in informing research participants in the study area.

Source: UG
Understanding behaviour patterns of multi-agents in digital business ecosystems: An organisational semiotics inspired framework

Digital business ecosystem (DBE) is a collaborative network of organisations, processes and technologies that collectively create value. Thus, value creation in DBEs is jointly undertaken by multiple human and digital agents. To aid appropriate apportionment of work and design of information systems, it is essential to understand behaviour of both human and digital agents. However limited attention has been paid to agents’ behaviour in the extant DBEs literature. Moreover, multi-agent research has also largely focused on technical issues while limited research exists on agents’ behaviour. As such, in this paper, we develop a framework to understand behaviour patterns of multi-agent in DBEs. This framework builds its foundation on the theoretical lens of Organisational Semiotics, a sociotechnical theory towards contribution to DBE research.

Source: UG
Understanding change at farm level to facilitate innovation towards sustainable plant protection: A case study at cabbage production sites in urban West Africa

Considering the hazardous use of synthetic pesticides on vegetables in urban West Africa, the rationale behind this research was to analyse factors that drive or constrain changes in farming strategies at urban cabbage production sites. Understanding these factors is relevant to facilitate innovation towards healthier and more sustainable plant protection strategies. Using the cases of Cotonou, Accra and Ouagadougou, we applied qualitative methods to explore in which domains of urban vegetable production changes frequently occurred, how farmers obtained knowledge necessary for these changes and which factors drove or constrained change. We suggest that the production and marketing system of cabbage in the three cities remains in a state of systemic rigidity, in which different factors favour unsustainable and hazardous plant protection strategies. While multi-stakeholder processes create interfaces where change could emerge, farmers' decision-making processes regarding plant protection were found to be mainly influenced by: (i) their access to knowledge (characterized by education, trust and external interaction); (ii) factors inherent to alternatives (such as cost, tangibility of effect and low economic risk); (iii) reinforcing factors (such as demand and policies); and (iv) mobility factors that enable farmers to move to a different regime (natural, social, financial and physical capital). We conclude that future interventions should analyse and take into account these factors in the project design process. © 2012 Taylor & Francis.

Source: UG
Understanding Child Marriage in Ghana: The Constructions of Gender and Sexuality and Implications for Married Girls

Child marriage is the practice of marrying an individual below 18 years. The drivers of this practice include poverty, gender inequality, cultural and religious norms among others. While Ghana is one of many countries worldwide in which child marriage is practised, the literature on cultural underpinnings and implications of the practice in Ghana is sparse. This paper aims to discuss how constructions of adolescence, gender and sexuality in Ghana affect the practice of child marriage. It further examines the implications of child marriage for married girls and argues for research into the causes and mental health implications of the practice

Source: UG
Understanding digital innovation in national health insurance: The case of Ghana

The purpose of this study is to understand how institutional environment influences digital innovation in national health insurance. A growing body of information systems research on health insurance exists; however, these have focused more on performance and management with less attention on institutional influences. This study employs institutional theory as the analytical lens and qualitative, interpretive case study as the methodology to understand digital innovation and institutional challenges to address the research gap. The findings show that digital innovation can help improve national health insurance service delivery. The critical barriers identified for limiting health insurance include (1) error-prone manual system; (2) silo information system that failed to offer healthcare access portability; (3) absence of national identity system and (4) digital divide across accredited health providers. The findings have implication for research, practice, and policy.

Source: UG
Understanding drivers of urban bushmeat demand in a Ghanaian market

Wild meat (or bushmeat) is consumed as a luxury item in many African cities. By contrast, bushmeat is an important source of food and income for many poor households in rural areas. To curb the flow of bushmeat from rural to urban areas, understanding drivers of demand in city markets, and their impact on hunter revenues remains fundamental. Here, we present a simple econometric model for the trade of a commercially important bushmeat species in Ghana, the grasscutter (Thryonomys swinderianus). We explore own-price and cross-price elasticity of demand of grasscutter meat relative to commonly consumed alternative meats (goat, beef, poultry and fish) in the Atwemonom market in Kumasi city, Ghana. We show that: 1) grasscutter demand is elastic to its own price, 2) beef has an elastic cross-price elasticity, and 3) grasscutter is a luxury good, highly sensitive to consumer income. The elastic nature of the market suggests that price control policies e.g. “wild meat” tax, could reduce demand. Given that beef is the best substitute in our study area, we suggest that investment in Ghana’s underdeveloped cattle industry may reduce wildlife demand while also supporting herding economies. Critically, our results demonstrated that policies that aim to reduce bushmeat demand are likely to impact hunter revenues. This finding underscores the need for complimentary investments in the rural economy to drive incomes and offset any revenue losses as a result of a decline in bushmeat demand.

Source: UG
Understanding electricity nightmare and health implications among slum dwellers in Ghana

Purpose – The purpose of the study was to examine the electricity challenges confronting slums in order to understand the health implications thereof. Design/methodology/approach – The study utilized purposive sampling techniques supported by the convenience sampling method within the context of qualitative research to select 30 interviewees of varying demographics for in-depth interviews. Findings – The findings revealed that slums faced various forms of challenges that are attributable to lack of government support, stringent procedures and financial hardship, among others. The study also found that a lack of health education in the slums has resulted in health problems, such as skin diseases, stomach aches, cholera, typhoid and childbirth complications. Research limitations/implications – The outcome of this study cannot be generalized to represent the whole population of slums within context due to the qualitative approach. Practical implications – The study advanced the frontiers of slum literature to understand contextual issues that are important to policymakers and practitioners. Originality/value – This study revealed a country-specific understanding of the challenges confronting slum dwellers in accessing electricity through the perspective of the two-factor theory of motivation.

Source: UG
Understanding factors influencing home delivery in the context of user-fee abolition in Northern Ghana: Evidence from 2014 DHS

User-fee exemption for skilled delivery services has been implemented in Ghana since 2003 as a way to address financial barriers to access. However, many women still deliver at home. Based on data from the 2014 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey, we estimated the prevalence of home delivery and determined the factors contributing to homebirths among a total of 622 women in the Northern region in the context of the user-fee exemption policy in Ghana. Binary and multivariate logistic regression analyses were employed. Results suggest home delivery prevalence of 59% (365/622). Traditional birth attendants attended majority of home deliveries (93.4%). After adjusting for potential confounders, making less than four antenatal care visits (aOR = 2.42; CI = 1.91-6.45; p = 0.001), being a practitioner of traditional African religion (aOR = 16.40; CI = 3.10-25.40; p = 0.000), being a Muslim (aOR 2.10; CI = 1.46-5.30; p = 0.042), not having a health insurance (aOR = 1.85; CI = 1.773-4.72; p = 0.016), living in a male-headed household (aOR = 2.07; CI = 1.02-4.53; p < 0.01), and being unexposed to media (aOR = 3.10; CI = 1.12-5.38; p = 0.021) significantly predicted home delivery. Our results suggest that unless interventions are implemented to address other health system factors like insurance coverage, and socio-cultural and religious beliefs that hinder uptake of skilled care, the full benefits of user-fee exemption may not be realized in Ghana.

Source: UG
Understanding factors influencing home delivery in the context of user‐fee abolition in Northern Ghana: Evidence from 2014 DHS

User‐fee exemption for skilled delivery services has been implemented in Ghana since 2003 as a way to address financial barriers to access. However, many women still deliver at home. Based on data from the 2014 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey, we estimated the prevalence of home delivery and determined the factors contributing to homebirths among a total of 622 women in the Northern region in the context of the user‐fee exemption policy in Ghana. Binary and multivariate logistic regression analyses were employed. Results suggest home delivery prevalence of 59% (365/622). Traditional birth attendants attended majority of home deliveries (93.4%). After adjusting for potential confounders, making less than four antenatal care visits (aOR = 2.42; CI = 1.91‐6.45; p = 0.001), being a practitioner of traditional African religion (aOR = 16.40; CI = 3.10‐25.40; p = 0.000), being a Muslim (aOR 2.10; CI = 1.46‐5.30; p = 0.042), not having a health insurance (aOR = 1.85; CI = 1.773‐4.72; p = 0.016), living in a male‐headed household (aOR = 2.07; CI = 1.02‐4.53; p < 0.01), and being unexposed to media (aOR = 3.10; CI = 1.12‐5.38; p = 0.021) significantly predicted home delivery. Our results suggest that unless interventions are implemented to address other health system factors like insurance coverage, and socio‐cultural and religious beliefs that hinder uptake of skilled care, the full benefits of user‐ fee exemption may not be realized in Ghana.

Source: UG