Experiences of women living with cervical cancer in Ghana: challenges and coping strategies.

Background: Cervical cancer is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality among women globally. The condition is both preventable and treatable yet remains a leading cause of cancer death in Ghana. This study aims to explore the unique experiences of women living with cervical cancer with a focus on the challenges and coping strategies.

Community awareness, knowledge and perception about malaria vaccine in the Kassena-Nankana East Municipality: A descriptive cross-sectional survey.

Aim: To assess community awareness, knowledge and perception of the malaria vaccine.

Design: A descriptive cross-sectional survey.

Methods: Multistage sampling was adopted in recruiting 400 participants.

Dietary adherence among persons with type 2 diabetes: A concurrent mixed methods study.

Background: Poor adherence to dietary recommendations among persons with type 2 diabetes (T2D) can lead to long-term complications with concomitant increases in healthcare costs and mortality rates. This study aimed to identify factors associated with dietary adherence and explore the barriers and facilitators to dietary adherence among persons with T2D.

Methods: A concurrent mixed methods study was conducted in two hospitals in the Ashanti Region of Ghana.

User Needs and Factors Associated With the Acceptability of Audiovisual Feedback Devices for Chest Compression Monitoring in Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation.

The use of audiovisual feedback devices to guide the quality of chest compressions during cardiopulmonary resuscitation has increased in recent years. Audiovisual feedback devices can be classified as integrated (eg, Zoll AED Plus defibrillator) or standalone (eg, CPRmeter). This study aimed to explore users' needs and factors affecting the acceptability of audiovisual feedback devices.

Emergency preparedness capacity of a university hospital in Ghana: a cross-sectional study.

Background: The health and safety of people are often endangered during emergencies and disasters. Efficient emergency management systems ensure that mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery actions exist to preserve the health, safety, and welfare of the public. Failure to carry out appropriate responses can have adverse consequences for both emergency responders and casualties; hence, the need for emergency preparedness.

Experiences of patient advocacy among nurses working in a resource constrained emergency department in Ghana.

Background: Patient advocacy at the emergency department is stressful and cumbersome as a result of the increasing patient-to-nurse ratio and high patient turnovers. It is also unclear what patient advocacy entails and the experiences of patient advocacy in a resource-constrained emergency department. This is significant because advocacy underpins the care provided in the emergency department.

Cold Chain Management by Healthcare Providers at a District in Ghana: A Mixed Methods Study.

Background: Despite the relevance of cold chain management in maintaining the potency of vaccines, gaps still exist in the ability of healthcare practitioners to maintain the cold chain system effectively. Thus, the current study sought to assess healthcare providers' knowledge, attitudes, practices, and challenges regarding cold chain management.

Methods: A concurrent mixed methods study was conducted at twelve facilities in the Sekyere Central District of Ghana.

Factors influencing decision-making to accept elective caesarean section: A descriptive cross-sectional study.

Elective caesarean sections (CS) that have medical indications contribute to better pregnancy outcomes but women have to consent for the procedure to be performed within reasonable time limits for the desired outcomes. This study aimed to determine the factors that influence women's decision-making and the duration of the decision-making process to accept primary or repeat elective CS in a district hospital in Ghana. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 163 purposively-sampled postnatal women in a hospital, who had experienced a CS.

Pilot Mobile Phone Intervention in Promoting Type 2 Diabetes Management in an Urban Area in Ghana: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of a nurse-led mobile phone call intervention on glycemic management and adherence to self-management practices among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in Ghana.

Methods: This was a pilot randomized controlled trial to compare diabetes care as usual to a mobile phone call intervention delivered by nurses in addition to care as usual over a 12-week period in a tertiary referral hospital in Ghana. Sixty patients with T2DM were randomized to either the intervention or the control arm.

Self-assessed competencies of nurses at an emergency department in Ghana.

Introduction: The nature and scope of emergency nursing exposes nurses to a wide array of patient populations with rapidly changing and unexpected clinical conditions, sophisticated logistics and procedures. Hence, emergency centre (EC) nurses ought to be ready to face diverse clinical challenges and deliver care to patients in a timely cost-effective manner and with the needed competence. The current study aimed at examining the self-assessed competencies of nurses, and comparing ratings among certified emergency nurses (ENs) and general nurses (GNs) working at an EC of a tertiary hospital in Ghana.

Experiences of mothers with preterm babies at a Mother and Baby Unit of a tertiary hospital: A descriptive phenomenological study.

Aim: To describe the lived experiences of mothers with preterm babies at a Mother and Baby Unit (MBU) of a tertiary hospital.

Design: A descriptive phenomenological approach.

Method: Ten mothers were purposively sampled during the month of May, 2017 to describe their experiences of having preterm babies.

Nurses and midwives' experiences of using non-pharmacological interventions for labour pain management: a qualitative study in Ghana.

Background: Non-pharmacological interventions hold promise in reducing labour pain, with minimal or no harm to the mother, foetus and the progress of labour and are simple and cost-effective. Yet their use has not been adequately explored in clinical settings, especially in sub-Saharan Africa.

Methods: This was a descriptive phenomenological study.

Challenges and predictors of exclusive breastfeeding among mothers attending the child welfare clinic at a regional hospital in Ghana: a descriptive cross-sectional study.

Background: The challenges and predictors of exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) have been examined in many parts of the world. Considering the socio-cultural dynamics and the few research studies in Ghana, the factors that hinder and predict EBF practice in other countries may be different in the Ghanaian setting. The study therefore sought to assess the challenges and predictors of EBF among mothers attending a child welfare clinic at a regional hospital in Ghana.