Malaria among febrile patients suspected of Yellow fever during an outbreak in Ghana.

Between October 2021 and February 2022, there was an outbreak of Yellow fever that spread within several districts in the northern part of Ghana. Febrile illnesses such as Yellow fever are often misdiagnosed as malaria and vice versa, which delays appropriate management and treatment. Hence, the true burden of Yellow fever and malaria are mostly underestimated.

Nursing Home Staffing Levels and Resident Health Outcomes: Is the Role of the Physical Therapist Undervalued?

Objectives: To assess the relationship between nursing home staffing levels and excess outpatient emergency department (ED) visits by residents.

Study Design: A retrospective analysis of nursing home facility-level data.

Setting And Participants: A total of 14,860 Medicare- and Medicaid-certified long-term care facilities in the United States.

Is Generative AI Increasing the Risk for Technology-Mediated Trauma Among Vulnerable Populations?

The proliferation of Generative Artificial Intelligence (Generative AI) has led to an increased reliance on AI-generated content for designing and deploying digital health interventions. While generative AI has the potential to facilitate and automate healthcare, there are concerns that AI-generated content and AI-generated health advice could trigger, perpetuate, or exacerbate prior traumatic experiences among vulnerable populations. In this discussion article, I examined how generative-AI-powered digital health interventions could trigger, perpetuate, or exacerbate emotional trauma among vulnerable populations who rely on digital health interventions as complementary or alternative sources of seeking health services or information.

Nurse practitioner medication abortion providers in Canada: results from a national survey.

Background: In 2017, nurse practitioners (NPs) became the first non-physician healthcare providers authorised to independently provide medication abortion (MA) in Canada. We aimed to report on demographic and clinical characteristics of NPs providing mifepristone/misoprostol MA in Canada and to identify context-specific barriers and enablers to NP provision of mifepristone/misoprostol MA in Canada among MA providers and non-providers.

Methods: From August 2020 to February 2021, we invited Canadian NPs to complete a national, web-based, bilingual (English/French) survey.

Scoping review protocol: what is the state of evidence for the use of communication apps with immigrant seniors in long-term care and community settings?

Introduction: First language care is critical for older immigrant adults with limited English proficiency, especially in long-term care settings where most residents require staff assistance and experience complex chronic conditions, resulting in multiple communication interactions where language poses a barrier. Although there are a myriad of cultural-language translation apps and devices available, there is a gap in both research and practice on the acceptability and feasibility of these digital resources within the context of long-term care and community settings for older immigrant adults, from a cultural relevance and digital health equity perspective. Our paper outlines a scoping review protocol to examine the state of the literature on the extent to which cultural-language translation apps are used in long-term care settings and community-based elder care.

Male midwifery practice and acceptability: attitudes, beliefs, and associated factors among expectant mothers in Savelugu Municipal Hospital, Northern Region of Ghana.

Introduction: male midwifery is a relatively new phenomenon in Ghana and most expectant mothers still do not recognize their contribution to reproductive healthcare. This study aims to assess the acceptability of male midwifery practice among expectant mothers in Savelugu Municipal Hospital.

Methods: this was a descriptive cross-sectional study.

Risk of arboviral transmission and insecticide resistance status of Aedes mosquitoes during a yellow fever outbreak in Ghana.

Background: In late 2021, Ghana was hit by a Yellow Fever outbreak that started in two districts in the Savannah region and spread to several other Districts in three regions. Yellow fever is endemic in Ghana. However, there is currently no structured vector control programme for Aedes the arboviral vector in Ghana.

Trauma-Informed Technology Design in Digital Sexual Health Interventions.

Digital health provides a great opportunity to increase access to sexual health information and/or services. However, it can inadvertently cause emotional trauma to end users depending on how it is designed or deployed. In this study, we explored recommendations for designing trauma-informed digital health technologies and identified three preliminary themes.

Integration of Equity, Diversity, Inclusivity, and Indigeneity Principles into Usability Heuristic Evaluations.

Cognitive walkthrough is a form of usability testing that considers the perspective of the end users to identify issues related to user experience and web design. This project aims to enhance traditional heuristic evaluation methods with consideration of equity, diversity, inclusivity, and indigeneity (EDI-I) principles. The authors provide suggestions that align with modern informatics advancements, aiming for inclusive design systems and the elimination of systemic barriers.

Integrating Justice, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion & Indigeneity into an Informatics Curriculum.

In this case study, we present the inclusion of justice, equity, diversity, inclusion, and Indigeneity (JEDI-I) principles into a graduate certificate in clinical informatics. We specifically focus on two assignments that were created for the program: 1) journal club, 2) usability evaluation. We found that there was limited description of JEDI-I principles in journal club articles.

Intersectionality in Developing a Virtual Community of Practice Platform on Abortion.

Abortion is an essential healthcare service in many countries including Canada. The number of people who seek abortion is disproportionately higher among equity-deserving populations. Yet the knowledge needed to provide evidence-based, culturally safe, and gender-affirming abortion services remain limited among healthcare professionals.

The role of car tyres in the ecology of mosquitoes in Ghana.

is an important vector of arboviral diseases including dengue and yellow fever. Despite the wide distribution of this mosquito species, there are limited data on the ecology of . in Ghana.

Risk of Arboviral Transmission and Insecticide Resistance Status of Mosquitoes during a Yellow Fever Outbreak in Ghana.

Background: In late 2021, Ghana was hit by a Yellow Fever outbreak that started in two (2) districts in the Savannah region and spread to several other Districts in (3) regions (Oti, Bono and Upper West).Yellow fever is endemic in Ghana. However, there is currently no structured vector control programme for the yellow vector, mosquitoes in Ghana.

Patient-Centered Approaches for Designing Destigmatizing Sexual Pain-Related Web-Based Platforms: Qualitative Study.

Background: Sexual pain is a common but neglected disorder that affects approximately 3% to 18% of women and an unmeasured number of gender-diverse people worldwide. Despite its wide prevalence, many people feel reluctant to visit conventional health care services or disclose their symptoms due to the fear of stigmatization. To alleviate this stigma, various web-based interventions have been developed to complement and, in some cases, replace conventional sexual health interventions.

Embryonic ethanol exposure and optogenetic activation of hypocretin neurons stimulate similar behaviors early in life associated with later alcohol consumption.

The initiation of alcohol use early in life is one of the strongest predictors of developing a future alcohol use disorder. Clinical studies have identified specific behaviors during early childhood that predict an increased risk for excess alcohol consumption later in life. These behaviors, including increased hyperactivity, anxiety, novelty-seeking, exploratory behavior, impulsivity, and alcohol-seeking, are similarly stimulated in children and adolescent offspring of mothers who drink alcohol during pregnancy.

Detection of Invasive Anopheles stephensi Mosquitoes through Molecular Surveillance, Ghana.

The invasive Anopheles stephensi mosquito has rapidly expanded in range in Africa over the past decade. Consistent with World Health Organization guidelines, routine entomologic surveillance of malaria vectors in Accra, Ghana, now includes morphologic and molecular surveillance of An. stephensi mosquitoes.

The quality, suitability, and readability of web-based resources on endometriosis-associated dyspareunia: A systematic review.

People commonly and increasingly rely on the internet to search for health information, including those related to endometriosis-associated dyspareunia. Yet the content of such websites may be of variable accuracy and quality. This review aims to evaluate the quality, readability, and suitability of web-based resources on endometriosis-associated dyspareunia for patients.

Minimum tillage as climate-smart agriculture practice and its impact on food and nutrition security.

Minimum tillage (MT) is a sustainable farming practice that limit soil disturbance only to planting stations while leaving the rest of the soil undisturbed. It is an important component of conservation agriculture, which aims to raise agricultural productivity, improve the livelihoods of farmers and build resilient farming systems. Despite the growing empirical literature on its adoption and benefits, there is a paucity of empirical evidence on the heterogeneous effect of length of MT adoption on household welfare.

First detection of in Ghana using molecular surveillance.

The invasive mosquito has been rapidly expanding in range in Africa over the last decade, spreading from the Indian sub-continent to several East African countries (Djibouti, Ethiopia, Sudan, Somalia and Kenya) and now in West Africa, Nigeria. The rapid expansion of this invasive vector poses a major threat to current malaria control and elimination efforts. In line with the WHO's strategy to stop the spread of this invasive species by enhancing surveillance and control measures in Africa, we incorporated morphological and molecular surveillance of into routine entomological surveillance of malaria vectors in the city of Accra, Ghana.

Overcoming the constraints of competitive clientelism? Explaining the success of Ghana's poorest region in reducing maternal mortality.

Maternal mortality remains a health challenge that many developing countries struggle to address. Drawing on 64 key informant interviews, this article shows how Ghana's most impoverished administrative region, the Upper East, emerged as a bureaucratic 'pocket of effectiveness' in reducing maternal mortality in a context where national political settlement dynamics are undermining progress in improving maternal health. At the national level, Ghana's progress in reducing maternal mortality has been disappointing because public investments are disproportionately directed to reforms that contribute to the short-term political survival of ruling elites.

Utility of the Zebrafish Model for Studying Neuronal and Behavioral Disturbances Induced by Embryonic Exposure to Alcohol, Nicotine, and Cannabis.

It is estimated that 5% of pregnant women consume drugs of abuse during pregnancy. Clinical research suggests that intake of drugs during pregnancy, such as alcohol, nicotine and cannabis, disturbs the development of neuronal systems in the offspring, in association with behavioral disturbances early in life and an increased risk of developing drug use disorders. After briefly summarizing evidence in rodents, this review focuses on the zebrafish model and its inherent advantages for studying the effects of embryonic exposure to drugs of abuse on behavioral and neuronal development, with an emphasis on neuropeptides known to promote drug-related behaviors.

Sociodemographic and Maternal Determinants of Postnatal Care Utilization: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Introduction: Postnatal care (PNC) is critical for the newborn and the mother, as it offers the opportunity to examine the mother and child to ensure early and timely intervention of any obstetric anomalies that might have gone unnoticed during delivery. However, there is a lack of data on PNC utilization and associated determinants in Ghana. Meanwhile, it is suspected that the PNC service should be more patronized by mothers, particularly within the first 2 days after delivery; therefore, investigating PNC utilization and associated factors could inform policies to enhance PNC uptake.

Coverage of preventive measures and surveillance for neglected tropical diseases in hard-to-reach communities in Ghana.

Background: Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are a major public health burden which mainly affects poor populations living in tropical environments and hard-to-reach areas. The study sought to examine coverage of preventive efforts, and case surveillance for NTDs in hard-to-reach communities in Ghana.

Methods: The study investigated treatment efforts for lymphatic filariasis (LF), and onchocerciasis and schistosomiasis/soil transmitted helminths (SCH/STH) at household level, in difficult-to-access communities in Ghana.

The Role of Car Tyres in the Ecology of Aedes aegypti Mosquitoes in Ghana.

Background: The imosquito is an important vector of arboviral diseases including dengue and yellow fever. Despite the wide distribution of the mosquito, there is limited data on the ecology of mosquitoes in Ghana. In this study, we report on the oviposition preference and the larval life table of mosquitoes in Accra, Ghana.