ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Assessing healthcare digitalisation in Ghana: A critical realist’s approach

Background: The emergence of digital technologies within the health sector has presented opportunities for improving medical care while strengthening health systems across the globe. Despite this promise, the extent of digitalisation, especially in developing countries, somewhat remains undetermined. Such knowledge is needed to learn and shape future advances in the sector. The purpose of this study, there- fore, is to explore the generative mechanisms of digitalisation in the Ghanaian health sector, in order to understand and assess the extent of digitalisation, based on the digitalisation outcomes of the respective generative mechanisms. Methods: Underpinned by the critical realism philosophy, a single case study approach was adopted to explore the generative mechanisms of digitalisation in the Ghanaian health sector, and how the varying degrees of digitalisation are interpreted and explained in the empirical world. Results: The study found five generative mechanisms of digitalisation in the Ghanaian health sector. These were Standardisation, Convergence and Connectivity, Storage Systems, Financial Transparency, and Data Security. Full activation of these mechanisms revealed that the first three generative mechanisms achieved high levels of digitalisation based on the extent of organisational transformations observed af- ter the digitalisation process, as compared to the last two generative mechanisms which were rated as average. Discussion: This study concludes that the extent of digitalisation in Ghana’s health sector is more of reality than mere perception. The demonstration of how critical realism can be used to unearth insights into the extent of healthcare digitalisation in a developing country context spells the contribution of this paper.

Source: UG
Assessing Implementation of Knowledge Management Systems in Banks, a Case of Ghana

This study was carried out to determine whether the investments made in KMS have helped the banks to gain competitive advantage or not, and the extent to which the KMS have helped the bank to achieve their objectives. 27 licensed banks by the Central Bank of Ghana participated in the survey, representing 100% participation rate. The study used structured questionnaires (open and close ended questions) and interview to collect data and the findings were analyzed using the SPSS software and presented by use of descriptive statistics. The study revealed that the KMS are for the tracking and the management of the bank’s operations both internally and externally. The KMS thus handles both front and back office operations and transactions. It also handles both clients and staff data and records. The conclusion reached is that investments in KMS enables the banks to achieve their objectives and helps it gain a better corporate image and improved performance.

Source: UG
Assessing inhibitory activity of probiotic culture supernatants against Pseudomonas aeruginosa: a comparative methodology between agar diffusion, broth culture and microcalorimetry

Cell free supernatants (CFS) obtained from probiotic species are routinely used to preliminary investigate the antimicrobial activity of potential probiotic isolates by the agar well diffusion and broth culture. Both methods have documented limitations. In this work, the potential of isothermal microcalorimetry (IMC), a technique based on the measurement of heat produced by growing bacteria was used to investigate the antimicrobial effects of two commercial probiotic species (Lactobacillus acidophilus LA-5® and Bifidobacterium lactis BB-12®) and one reference strain (Bifidobacterium bifidum ATCC 11863) against Pseudomonas aeruginosa NCIMB 8628 using unmodified, neutralised and heat-treated CFS. P. aeruginosa was inhibited in growth by the unmodified CFS of all the species. No inhibitory activity was recorded for neutralised CFS of all the species using the agar well diffusion assay. Plate count during co-incubation of P. aeruginosa with the neutralised CFS of all the species showed no inhibition. However, IMC data showed significant inhibition with neutralised CFS obtained from the two Bifidobacterium species suggesting presence of other non-acidic inhibitory compounds in the CFS. The results in this work demonstrated that IMC has potential in probiotic bioassay as it has the capability to record in real-time and capture even subtle effects, which could be unnoticed with traditional assays.

Source: UG
Assessing internet usage among males and females in an African community

The Internet has the potential to improve the enterprises and daily life of people in all parts of the globe. Results from the field survey indicate that both the males and females have a fair knowledge and usage of the Internet and other ICT protocols. But the males appeared to make multiple use of the Internet compared to their female counterparts who mainly use the Internet as an entertainment tool. An intervention that will encourage utilization of the Internet for educational purposes, peer education at the workplace that will enable the women to learn from their female colleagues, a program that will make people contribute financially to services offered and measures that will enable women to create the space and time for browsing will be helpful.

Source: UG
Assessing land use and land cover change in the Wassa West District of Ghana using remote sensing

Vast tracts of forests are lost globally every year especially in the developing countries of the tropics due to various human activities such as lumbering, farming, bush fires, surface mining and urbanization. The rainforest in Ghana has experienced rapid depletion since the 1980s. The impact of deforestation is widespread, affecting the livelihoods of local people and disrupting the tropical ecosystem. There is a serious concern in the study area about climatic change, soil erosion, siltation of rivers and loss in biodiversity which have an adverse impact on traditional medicinal plants of the local people. The study examined the extent of land cover change through image differencing of Landsat TM 1986 and 2002. The image classification indicated that, vegetative cover from 1986 to 2002 has been reducing whiles land use activities have been increasing. Closed canopy, open canopy and plantation have significantly diminished and land use activities especially built ups, farms, mining and openfields are more than doubled. The driving forces for the change in land cover are population growth, lumbering, socio-economic and cultural practices of the people. Lumbering and mining have been some of the major causes of the changing landscape in primary forest. Also the reliance on wood for domestic energy and the need to increase food productivity to feed growing population have also contributed greatly to the rapid depletion of the vegetative cover. © 2008 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.

Source: UG
Assessing levels of knowledge, compliance with preventive measures and behavioral adjustments to the ‘new normal’ of COVID-19: Empirical evidence from Ghana

Countries have managed COVID-19 infection and mortality differently. Ghana, a resource-constrained country, with a poorer healthcare system, had fewer infections and more recoveries than high-income countries. Although an acculturation framework is commonly discussed in relation to individuals adapting to a new society, we used it to understand how people adapt to rapid changes orchestrated by the COVID-19 pandemic. From pre-pandemic to post-pandemic era, we see a change from the ‘old normal’ to the ‘new normal’. Thus, we sought to understand how people were living their lives under the ‘new normal’. Data was gathered from 416 adults on their attitudes towards obedience to authority, compliance with COVID-19-related activities, and changes in the extent of carrying out these activities three and nine months into the pandemic. COVID-19 acculturation strategies were also assessed. Descriptive and inferential analyses showed that most Ghanaians obeyed authorities and followed the preventive measures. However, after five months of the peak period, compliance dropped, and behavioral fatigue increased significantly. Regarding the acculturation strategies integration, which involves keeping old health care practices and adopting new ones, improved behavioral adjustment the most followed by separation (i.e., rejecting the new health care practices and holding on strongly to the old ones) and assimilation (i.e., rejecting old health care practices and adopting new ones). Marginalization which encompasses rejecting both old and new health care practices was the least. These results suggest that integration strategy had a significant positive impact on behavioral adjustment compared to assimilation and separation strategies.

Source: UG
Assessing LLIN distribution implementation using evidence-informed intervention core elements: a qualitative study in a resource constrained setting

Background The National Malaria Elimination Programme implements the mass LLIN Distribution Campaigns in Ghana. Implementation science promotes the systematic study of social contexts, individual experiences, real-world environments, partnerships, and stakeholder consultations regarding the implementation of evidence-informed inter‑ ventions. In this paper, we assess the core elements of the mass LLIN distribution campaign in a resource constrained setting to learn best implementation practices. Three core domains were assessed through the application of Gal‑ braith’s taxonomy (i.e., implementation, content, and pedagogy) for evidence-informed intervention implementation. Methods Six districts in two regions (Eastern and Volta) in Ghana participated in this study. Fourteen Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) were conducted across these communities. Eligible participants were purposively sampled considering age, occupation, gender, and care giving for children under 5 years and household head roles. All audio-recorded FGDs were transcribed verbatim, data was assessed and coded through deductive and inductive processes. NVivo software version 13 was used for the coding process. Themes were refned, legitimized, and the most compel‑ ling extracts selected to produce the results. Results Sixty-nine (69) caregivers of children under 5 years and sixty (60) household heads participated in the FGDs. All caregivers were females (69), whilst household heads included more males (41). Core elements identifed under implementation domain of the LLIN distribution campaign in Ghana include the registration and distribu‑ tion processes, preceded by engagement with traditional authorities and continuous involvement of community health volunteers during implementation. For pedagogy domain, core elements include delivery of intervention through outreaches, illustrations, demonstrations, and the use of multiple communication channels. Core elements realized within the content domain include information on effective malaria prevention, and provision of information to enhance their self-efficacy. Yet, participants noted gaps (e.g., misuse) in the desired behavioural outcome of LLIN use and a heavy campaign focus on women. Conclusion and recommendations Although the implementation of the mass LLIN distribution campaigns exhibits components of core elements of evidence-informed interventions (implementation, content and pedagogy), it has not achieved its desired behavioural change intentions (i.e. continuous LLIN use). Future campaigns may consider use of continuous innovative pedagogical approaches at the community level and lessons learnt from this study to strengthen the implementation process of evidence-based health interventions. There is also the need for stand‑ ardization of core elements to identify the number of core elements required within each domain to achieve efficiency

Source: UG
Assessing Lymphatic Filariasis Data Quality in Endemic Communities in Ghana, Using the Neglected Tropical Diseases Data Quality Assessment Tool for Preventive Chemotherapy

The Department of Parasitology conducts research into parasitic diseases of public health importance with the overall goal of reducing their transmission and the heavy disease burden that they impose on affected populations. The Department maintains focus on parasitic diseases in general. These include major diseases such as malaria, and others listed under the Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD) control initiative such as, lymphatic filariasis, onchocerciasis, schistosomiasis, soil-transmitted helminthiasis, trypanosomiasis and leishmaniasis.

Source: UG
Assessing maize farmers’ adaptation strategies to climate change and variability in ghana

This study examined the adaptation strategies of maize farmers to climate change and variability in the Eastern Region of Ghana using primary data collected from 150 maize farming households by the administration of structured questionnaires. The results of the multinomial logit regression revealed that rainfall perception, access to credit, and farming experience significantly influenced the adoption of recommended agricultural practices, whereas the adoption of soil-related strategies is influenced by gender and rainfall perception. Farming experience and rainfall perception influenced the adoption of improved varieties strategies. This study highlights the need for the development of water resources for maize production in the context of the changing climate. In this respect, the crucial roles of the Ghana Irrigation Development Authority, the agricultural extension division of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, and other international organizations such as the Japan International Cooperation Agency and the World Bank regarding the development of irrigation facilities and the associated capacity building of the farmers are very important. Finally, the formation of Water User Associations for the smallholder farmers regarding the usage and maintenance of the irrigation facilities would be a step in the right direction.

Source: UG
Assessing malaria control in the Kassena-Nankana district of northern Ghana through repeated surveys using the RBM tools

Abstract Background The goal of Roll Back Malaria (RBM) is to reduce malaria morbidity and mortality by 50% by the year 2010, and still further thereafter until the disease becomes no more a threat to public health. To contribute to the monitoring and evaluation process of this goal, two surveys were carried out in 2000 and 2003 in households and health facilities in the Kassena-Nankana district, northern Ghana using the RBM-WHO/AFRO monitoring and evaluation tools for malaria control activities. Methods Data were collected from mothers/caretakers on signs/symptoms of the most recent malaria attack for their under five year old children; the management actions that they took and their perception of health services provided at the health facilities, bednet use, antenatal attendance and place of delivery for the most recent pregnancy, malaria prophylaxis during their last pregnancy. Community health workers and herbalist/traditional healers were also interviewed about the types of health services they provide to community members. Results The results revealed a significant improvement in knowledge among mothers/caretakers over the three-year period; this affected caretakers' initial management of illnesses of their young children. The management in terms of the type and dosage of drugs used also improved significantly (p &lt; 0.0001) over the period. Reported insecticide-treated bed net use among children under-five years and pregnant women significantly increased between 2000 and 2003 (p &lt; 0.0001). Health professionals had improved on adoption of their quality of care roles. The intensification of malaria control activities and awareness creation in this district over a three year period had started demonstrating positive results towards reducing malaria disease burden. Conclusion Periodic performance assessments through surveys as described and prompt feedback of results to stakeholders in the locality serves as a catalyst to improving malaria control in malaria-endemic countries.

Source: UG
Assessing malaria control in the kassena-nankana district of northern Ghana through repeated surveys using the RBM tools

The goal of Roll Back Malaria (RBM) is to reduce malaria morbidity and mortality by 50% by the year 2010, and still further thereafter until the disease becomes no more a threat to public health. To contribute to the monitoring and evaluation process of this goal, two surveys were carried out in 2000 and 2003 in households and health facilities in the Kassena-Nankana district, northern Ghana using the RBM-WHO/AFRO monitoring and evaluation tools for malaria control activities. METHODS: Data were collected from mothers/caretakers on signs/symptoms of the most recent malaria attack for their under five year old children; the management actions that they took and their perception of health services provided at the health facilities, bednet use, antenatal attendance and place of delivery for the most recent pregnancy, malaria prophylaxis during their last pregnancy. Community health workers and herbalist/traditional healers were also interviewed about the types of health services they provide to community members. RESULTS: The results revealed a significant improvement in knowledge among mothers/caretakers over the three-year period; this affected caretakers' initial management of illnesses of their young children. The management in terms of the type and dosage of drugs used also improved significantly (p < 0.0001) over the period. Reported insecticide-treated bed net use among children under-five years and pregnant women significantly increased between 2000 and 2003 (p < 0.0001). Health professionals had improved on adoption of their quality of care roles. The intensification of malaria control activities and awareness creation in this district over a three year period had started demonstrating positive results towards reducing malaria disease burden. CONCLUSION: Periodic performance assessments through surveys as described and prompt feedback of results to stakeholders in the locality serves as a catalyst to improving malaria control in malaria-endemic countries.

Source: UG
Assessing municipal solid wastes (MSW) for composting programs in rapidly urbanizing area: a case study from Accra, Ghana

A complete understanding of all physico-chemical and biochemical attributes of waster stream materials is necessary for successful implementation of waste management programmes in a given context because of their influence on the behaviour of these materials in the natural environment. This paper discusses these properties of Municipal Solid Waster (MSW) to guage its suitability compositing programmes in Accra, a rapidly urbanizing city. The results showed that the MSW was very wet at 60% moisture content by weight. Additionally, the proportion of the biological originated carbon was considerably high compared with nitrogen thus giving high values of carbon to nitrogen (C:N) ratios (i.e., roughly 27:1-100:1). The percentage composition of materials ranged between 55-65% and 40-45% for compostable and combustible materials, respectively. In conclusion, the MSW in the metropolis could be a good candidate for successful compositing programmes if social and economic factors were conductive.

Source: UG
Assessing nuanced social networks and its implication for climate change adaptation in northwestern Ghana

The current uncertainty, frequency and intensity of climate change impacts limit opportunities for climate adaptation among smallholder farmers in developing countries. This paper seeks to critically examine how gendered relations at the household level influence access to social networks for climate change adaptation in northwestern Ghana. By doing so, the study contributes to an improved understanding of how inter-gender dynamics shape adaptive capacities among vulnerable groups. Using semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions and key informant interviews, a total sample size of 156 respondents were studied. The study also employed an intersectional framework and a network analysis to examine the nuanced networks of smallholder farmer households. Findings revealed that the interplay of age, marital status and educational levels influenced access to social networks for support in minimising climate risk. As such, promoting adaptation actions without addressing structural and relational inequalities within vulnerable communities may deepen existing inequalities.

Source: UG
Assessing Nurse-Parent Communication among Nurses/Midwives in Accra Metropolis

An important component of professional nursing practice which expresses the relationship among nurses/midwives and parents in the care of the neonate is a good communication between the nurses/midwives and parents. The hospitalization of an Infant to a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) inevitably causes anxiety amongst parents. The communication between nurses/midwives and parents is a critical component of the support system available to parents which can help reduce stress among parents. The purpose of this study is to assess nurse- parent communication among nurses/midwives in the Accra metropolis. The study took place at the Greater Accra Regional Hospital, La General Hospital and the 37 Military Hospital. The target population for this study were all nurses working in the NICU at the study period. A cross-sectional quantitative approach was used. A structured questionnaire based on the construct of the Attitude, Social influence and Self-efficacy (ASE) model was used to collect data from the nurses/midwives. Data was analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS Version 20.0). The overall performance on nurse-parent communication (behaviour) was high. All the independent variable correlated positively with nurse parent communication but on a weak level except for self-efficacy which correlated negatively and moderately. The predictors of nurse-parent communication were number of years worked, behavioural intention and self-efficacy. Recommendations were made based on the findings. Insight gained from this research might help nurses in a similar setting to attain the goal of improving communication with parents of neonates at the NICU

Source: UG