ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Assessing handover process and communication among registered nurses at Cape Coast Teaching Hospital

Effective handover within health care setting is vital to patient safety as it helps in preventing errors and reducing risks. However, nursing handovers appears to be an area that has received limited research focus. This study explored handover process and content of communication among registered nurses at Cape Coast Teaching Hospital (CCTH). Specifically, it assessed handover process among registered nurses using the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) of Ghana handing over protocol as a guide, described the content of communication in handover from one nurse to the other and identified factors influencing the types of information outgoing nurses’ handover to incoming nurses. A descriptive qualitative case study design was employed. Thirty-three inter-shift handovers were assessed using an observational checklist developed from the Nurses and Midwifery Council handing over protocol and ten shift ward in-charges were interviewed using a semi-structured interview guide developed. The observational checklist was analysed using percentages and frequencies, whilst the transcribed data from the interview was coded and analyzed thematically which generated three categories and eleven subcategories. The study showed there was limited adherence to the handover process by the registered nurses as directed by the Nurses and Midwifery Council’s protocol on handover. Key content of the communication component included patient identification information, nursing information, medical information and clinical state. It was recommended that the CCTH nursing management will adopt a communication tool or checklist such as SBAR to enhance effective communication during handover.

Source: UCC
Assessing impact of resource capacity of geography departments on student employability skills development in public universities in Ghana

Educators assume that training institutions that are under-resourced are not likely to attain their goal of equipping their graduates with the requisite skills for the world of work. They further assume that resource capacities exist in the human, physical and other resources of academic departments. In order for geography departments to make judicious use of their resource capacities, this study explored and described the types of resource capacities that geography departments possess to train students in employable skills. The study in the main, adopted a qualitative research design, using focus group discussions and open-ended interview schedules for data collection. Different categories of respondents were included in the study: 36 students, 4 instructors, 4 employers, 19 support staff and 19 geography employees. The study institutions were the geography departments at the University of Ghana, University of Cape Coast, and Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, all in Ghana. Results of the study showed that the geography departments deployed their resources to varying degrees to train students to acquire employable skills. Most of the employable skills that students acquired were developed to a moderate level. Based on the findings of the study, the study recommended that the geography departments formulate policies to improve the quality of all five capacity resources in the geography departments.

Source: UCC
Assessing information and communication technology among Small and Medium− Sized Enterprises in the Birim Central Municipalty

Unlike Small and Medium−Sized Enterprises (SMEs), large enterprises have continued enjoying the benefits of the use of Information Communication Technologies (ICTs). This is one situation that has affected SMEs development including those in the Birim Central Municipality. It was based on this rationale that a study was undertaken mainly to assess ICTs in SMEs activities in the Birim Central Municipality. The specific objectives of the study were to examine the preferred type of ICTs which are used by the SMEs, analyse the main uses of ICTs in the SMEs operations and examine the barriers and drivers of ICT use by the SMEs. A sample size of 240 SME respondents operating under four different economic sectors were targeted for data collection. Four research questions were formulated to guide data collection which was done using a questionnaire and an interview schedule. Microsoft Excel was used to do the data analysis and it produced frequency tables and percentages. Data collected was presented and discussed both qualitatively and quantitatively. The findings indicated that, Mobile Phones were the most preferred and used ICTs by the SMEs. Also, SME operators who use ICTs in their businesses operations mostly tend to use it as their core business. Furthermore, the SMEs generally face a number of barriers which preclude ICTs use in their business operations. The key barrier that came up was the perception by the SMEs that ICTs are not applicable to their business operations. Finally, ICT literacy skills emerged as the dominant factor in driving SMEs to incorporate ICTs in their businesses. Based on the results, it is recommended that SMEs should be provided with regular training in order to expose them to the benefits of ICT use in SME operations.

Source: UCC
Assessing Internal Audit Quality in Quasi-Government Institutions:

The Auditor General of Ghana’s reports on the public accounts of Ghana takes a direction of consistently reporting of malpractices. The role of internal auditors in preventing these occurrences constantly comes into the spotlight. Other researchers found that internal auditors devoted less time to productive activities. The study therefore sought to evaluate the quality of internal audit in the quasi-public sector institutions in preventing mass financial malpractices. Specific attention was given to areas of audit coverage obtained, independence and value adding benefits provided to the organisations auditors work for and challenges faced by internal auditors in performing their duties. Using a purposive sampling technique, seventy - (70) respondents from ten (10) CHAG facilities in BA Region of Ghana were selected for data. The respondents comprised of members of institutional management in the various CHAG hospitals. Data were collected using close-ended questionnaires and in the case of internal audit executives, follow-up interviews were conducted on specific issues for better understanding of the issues involved. The findings of the research showed that internal auditors in the health facilities obtained an average of eighty percent (80%) coverage on issues of internal controls in the health facilities. The setbacks of the function was that auditors reported to and were appraised by the Administrators/CEOs of the health institutions due to the absence of audit committees. This cast doubt on the independence of the professionals in their duties. Their challenges were on non-availability of training programs and logistics to work with. The research recommends that audit committees be established to liaise with the internal audit in their duties.

Source: UCC
Assessing internal audit quality in quasi-government institutions: evidence from Christian Health Association of Ghana Hospitals

The Auditor General of Ghana’s reports on the public accounts of Ghana takes a direction of consistently reporting of malpractices. The role of internal auditors in preventing these occurrences constantly comes into the spotlight. Other researchers found that internal auditors devoted less time to productive activities. The study therefore sought to evaluate the quality of internal audit in the quasi-public sector institutions in preventing mass financial malpractices. Specific attention was given to areas of audit coverage obtained, independence and value adding benefits provided to the organisations auditors work for and challenges faced by internal auditors in performing their duties. Using a purposive sampling technique, seventy - (70) respondents from ten (10) CHAG facilities in BA Region of Ghana were selected for data. The respondents comprised of members of institutional management in the various CHAG hospitals. Data were collected using close-ended questionnaires and in the case of internal audit executives, follow-up interviews were conducted on specific issues for better understanding of the issues involved. The findings of the research showed that internal auditors in the health facilities obtained an average of eighty percent (80%) coverage on issues of internal controls in the health facilities. The setbacks of the function was that auditors reported to and were appraised by the Administrators/CEOs of the health institutions due to the absence of audit committees. This cast doubt on the independence of the professionals in their duties. Their challenges were on non-availability of training programs and logistics to work with. The research recommends that audit committees be established to liaise with the internal audit in their duties

Source: UCC
Assessing knowledge, attitude and practices of lifestyle modification among persons with hypertension in Cape Coast Metropolis

Control of blood pressure is one of the major public health challenges. Uncontrolled blood pressure is linked to cardiovascular diseases. Adhering to lifestyle modification strategies would ensure adequate blood control and therefore reduce cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. The objective of this study was to measure knowledge, attitude and practices amongst clients with hypertensive. The study also sought to determine barriers influencing the adherence to lifestyle modification strategies. A hospital based study was conducted in the Cape Coast Metropolis involving three hospitals namely Cape Coast Teaching Hospital, Metropolitan Hospital and University of Cape Coast Hospital. Among participants of the study, 85 (21.5%) were obese and 118 (29.8%) were overweight. Overall, 70.7% had good knowledge on hypertension. However only 32.8% had controlled blood pressure and the majority (67.2%) had uncontrolled blood pressure. Additionally 55.1% had adequate knowledge on lifestyle modification strategies. However only 17% had positive attitude towards lifestyle modification. It is therefore recommended that health care workers should motivate clients to adapt to lifestyle modification strategies.

Source: UCC
Assessing laboratory skills of physics students in selected senior high schools topics in mechanics and optics

The purpose of the study was to design and develop assessment instrum-ents (tasks) to assess laboratory planning, performing and reasoning skills of physics students in selected senior high school topics in mechanics and optics. The accessible population was 551 SHS 3 physics students in seven schools within Sekondi-Takoradi metropolis. Two hundred and eighty nine students were sampled for the main study. Simple and stratified random sampling methods were employed in select-ing the students. The “basic skills assessment testing” method also known the “psychometric testing” approach was chosen for the study. The instruments used were three performance assessment tasks. Scoring formats were used to score the students’ responses. Another physics teacher was given 111 subsamples of the scripts to score. Inter-rater reliabilities for the tasks were: 0.93 for Task A, 0.96 for Task B, 0.94 for Task C, and 0.93 for the total tasks. Means, standard deviations, frequencies, percentages, t-tests and ANOVAs were estimated. Results and findings from the research show that (a) majority of the students demonstrated high levels of competency in laboratory planning, performing and reasoning skills; (b) Male and female students demonstrated similar levels of planning, performing and reasoning skills. (c) Particularly, students from girls schools exhibited higher proficiency in reasoning skills than girls from mixed schools. It was recommended that physics students should be given more opportunities to practice hands-on activities. It was also recommended that physics teachers should do more performance assessments in school.

Source: UCC
Assessing land use and land cover change in coastal urban wetlands of international importance in Ghana using Intensity Analysis

In the era of global environmental change, land transformation is acknowledged as a critical subject that needs to be addressed. Even though some studies have been carried out in Ghana on land use and land cover (LULC) change of wetlands, the conventional methods used were unable to reveal the underlying processes associated with the land transformation. This study employed Intensity Analysis to assess LULC change pattern (1985–2017) in three coastal urban wetlands of international importance in Ghana in order to identify the fundamental processes driving the wetland landscape transformation. Wetlands considered for this study were the Densu Delta, Sakumo II and Muni-Pomadze Ramsar Sites. The observed overall annual change in the ﬁrst time interval; 2.42% (Densu Delta), 1.47% (Sakumo II) and 2.65% (Muni-Pomadze) was smaller compared to that of the second time interval 2.60% (Densu Delta), 3.55% (Sakumo II) and 2.91% (Muni-Pomadze). The human-induced LULC categories continuously grew at the expense of natural LULC categories. Large transitions from natural LULC categories to built-up wereobservedinallthethree wetlands and inaddition, large transition of dense forest to cultivated land was recorded at the Muni-Pomadze Ramsar Site. The main underlying process associated with land transformation in the wetlands was urbanization. Besides, agricultural activities also contributed substantially to LULC changes at the Muni-Pomadze wetland

Source: UCC
Assessing livelihood status of migrants from northern Ghana resident in the Obuasi Municipality

In Ghana, studies on migration and livelihoods are mostly limited to migrants’ places of origin. This paper therefore assesses livelihood status of permanent migrants resident in the Obuasi Municipality who hail from the northern parts of Ghana. The instrument used was a survey questionnaire and the respondents were both migrants and indigenes aged 18 years and above. The findings showed no significant differences between migrants and indigenes in ownership of assets and consumer durable goods and housing quality. However, the indigenes earned relatively higher than the migrants due to access to various forms of capital and the influence of institutional structures and processes. But to the migrants, their livelihood status has improved since they have built houses, educated their children, remitted relations at home and have acquired some consumer durable goods. Improvement in the livelihood status of migrants could induce further north–south migration. There is therefore the need for government and other stakeholders to bridge the gap of unequal socioeconomic development between the northern and southern parts of the country.

Source: UCC
Assessing Moral Reasoning and Moral Judgement Among Junior High School Students Violating Disciplinary Codes Within the Cape Coast Metropolis

Violation of disciplinary codes, which is an inappropriate behaviour or immoral act, has become the order of the day among the youth in today’s century, and such behaviour is destroying the moral fibres of society and the country as a whole. Hence, the purpose of this study was to determine moral reasoning and moral judgement among junior high school students violating disciplinary codes within Cape Coast metropolis. The study employed the ex post facto design and also used the quantitative approach for the study. Also, 400 students from ten (10) public junior high schools within the Cape Coast Metropolis were selected to respond to the self-administered questionnaire which was the measuring tool for the study. The data were analysed using the descriptive statistical tools (frequency and percentages) and the independent t test was used with the help of SPSS version 26.0. In the findings, the researcher found out that students who tend to violate disciplinary codes in schools within the Cape Coast Metropolis were said to have moderate levels of moral reasoning and moral judgement. Thus, they were identified to be within the category of the heteronomous stage of moral reasoning and the conventional stage of moral development. Therefore, the study recommends that teachers should help students better learn and understand that to be able to arrive at a well-informed decision, it would be very important to consider The Four Component Model developed by Rest in moral decision-making to avoid violating laid down disciplinary codes of an institution.

Source: UCC
Assessing Morphological Changes at the Mouth of Volta River

The Volta River's mouth, found near the eastern coast of Ghana is an ecosystem with a unique morphology of sand spits and islands. These morphological features of the eastern location near River Volta facilitate easier access to fisheries, fishing, tourism, raw materials, and transportation which significantly enhanced the economics of coastal areas, leading to increased population growth and infrastructural development. The morphological features such as sand spits and islands formed at the river mouth have been very dynamic in the last few decades. These morphological changes and the related coastal hazards surrounding the mouth of river Volta have been linked to both human activity and natural processes. These coastal hazards have expedited the loss of important wetland ecosystems, erosion, and flooding. These have made the eastern coast the most vulnerable coastal zone in Ghana. It is also possible to better manage the Volta River system by knowing the dominant causes of those changes and how coastal and delta processes interact. Several studies conducted on the eastern coast have different objectives and approaches rather than assessing the morphological changes at the mouth of the River Volta. To accomplish this goal, data spans from publicly available historical satellites (Landsat 5, 7, 8, 9, and Sentinel 2) Coastsat toolkit software was used to assess the morphological changes at the mouth of the river Volta. In this study, The findings indicated that the eastern coast of Ghana is highly eroding than accreting which has resulted from changes in sand spits and sand of the Volta River. In addition, it was discovered that the dominant causes among the driving forces of the changes in the case of the Volta River are linked to river discharge and wave current. There is an urgent need for recommendations to stakeholders for sustainability and mitigation strategies including environmental planners, coastal engineers, government representatives, and planners of coastal hazards, who provide the necessary policies and measures to counteract the impacts of coastal hazards in the coastal community.

Source: UCC
Assessing mother-related factors that affect the nutritional status of children (0-6 years) in James town in the Accra metropolis

The utilisation of the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 4 as a measure to reduce child mortality rate to two-thirds by 2015 continues to be a major concern to stakeholders including the Government of Ghana. In Ghana, several intervention programmes have been employed mostly by Government through the Ministry of Health and the Ghana Health Service. Stakeholders believe that nutrition of children is a key component in this effort. In the pursuance of this goal, the nutritional knowledge of mothers as well as the status of their children becomes prominent. For this reason, this study evolved to identify the mother-related factors that influenced the nutritional status of children (0-6 years). It involved residents of James Town, under the administration of Accra Metropolitan Assembly of the Greater Accra Region. A cross-sectional descriptive survey was adopted and 172 mothers selected through the use of the simple random sampling technique. These mothers whose children were between 0-6 years responded to questionnaires. Data were analysed using both descriptive and inferential statistical tools including frequencies, percentages, and the Chi-square test. The results showed demographic and socio-cultural factors as significant determinants of mothers’ nutritional knowledge, which in turn, has a significant influence on the nutritional status of their children. It was also found that there was a significant association between mothers’ nutritional knowledge and children nutritional status. It is therefore recommended that in order to achieve the MDG 4, improved maternal nutritional literacy and good child nutrition should be stressed by all stakeholders.

Source: UCC
Assessing multicultural competence of counsellors in public universities in Ghana

Multicultural issues are undeniably part of counselling. The growing ethnic inclusion in Ghanaian public universities highlight counsellors’ need to be trained to deliver proficient and appropriate service area to accommodate the needs of clients in the future. The main aim of this study was to assess counsellor multicultural competencies and find cultural-contextual factors influencing counselling as well as investigate possible association(s) among counsellors’ cultural competence domains. The study adopted the descriptive survey design and mainly questionnaire to obtain data. A sample of 45 counsellors was used for the study comprising 25 male counsellors and 20 female counsellors. These counsellors were selected from four public universities in Ghana. Generally, counsellors from the selected public universities were found to have a low multicultural counselling competence. The results of the one-way multivariate analysis (MANOVA) test indicated that there was no statistically significant difference in counsellors’ multicultural competence based on gender. The results of the study showed Ghanaian cultural beliefs informs the counselling technique selection during the counselling process. Also, the study showed that cultural-contextual factors improve counselling process. From the results obtained, it is recommended among others that counsellors should capitalise on the low multicultural counselling competence to attend multicultural awareness training programme pertaining to Ghanaian cultural beliefs and ethnic diversity in order to increase their competence. Also, multicultural counselling should be infused in counselling programmes and training in Ghana.

Source: UCC
Assessing municipal solid waste management in Mankessim in the Mfantseman Municipality

Over the past decade, there have been various efforts by the Central as well as Local governments in Ghana to ensure that effective systems are in place to manage waste generated in the country. Despite these efforts, waste management in the country still leaves a lot to be desired. The case of Mankessim Township in the Mfantseman Municipal Assembly is not different. This therefore raises questions about effectiveness of these efforts, requiring an assessment of current municipal solid waste management systems as a basis for planning and making improvement in the system. It is against this background that this study was undertaken. The mixed method approach (triangulation) whereby a combination of interviews, questionnaire administration and field observation were employed by the study. In all 391 subjects comprising of 378 residents of Mankessim and thirteen key informants were used for the study whose population consisted of residents aged 18 years and above and other key stakeholders. The sample was selected using a combination of stratified and simple random sampling approaches. The study revealed that the MMA does not have sufficient skips within Mankessim, resulting in the township being regularly littered with waste. This is especially the case in public places such as markets and lorry stations where collections of waste were usually found at vantage points because of logistical challenges of getting them collected regularly and on time. The study recommends that the MMA prioritizes waste management and increase attention and resources to the sector.

Source: UCC