Determinants of early antenatal care visits among women of reproductive age in Ghana: evidence from the recent Maternal Health Survey.

Background: Antenatal care services play a crucial role in promoting positive pregnancy outcomes by facilitating the early identification of pregnancy risk factors and early diagnosis of pregnancy-related complications. This study aimed to assess the frequency and timing of ANC attendance of mothers in Ghana as well as determine the predictors of early ANC attendance.

Methods: The data for this study was extracted from the 2017 Ghana Maternal Health Survey (GMHS).

Use of reusable menstrual management materials and associated factors among women of reproductive age in Ghana: analysis of the 2017/18 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey.

Background: The use of unsafe materials to collect menstrual blood predisposes women and girls to infections. There is a paucity of literature on the utilization of reusable menstrual materials in sub-Saharan Africa. This study examined factors associated with the use of reusable menstrual management materials among women of reproductive age in Ghana.

Number of students in clinical placement and the quality of the clinical learning environment: A cross-sectional study of nursing and midwifery students.

Background: Clinical placement is an important component of nursing and midwifery education. It exposes students to the real-world healthcare environment, where theoretical knowledge is put into practice. However, the quality of the clinical learning environment in sub-Sahara Africa has not been well explored.

Improving emergency obstetric referral systems in low and middle income countries: a qualitative study in a tertiary health facility in Ghana.

Background: Timely access to emergency obstetric care is crucial in preventing mortalities associated with pregnancy and childbirth. The referral of patients from lower levels of care to higher levels has been identified as an integral component of the health care delivery system in Ghana. To this effect, in 2012, the National Referral Policy and Guidelines was developed by the Ministry of Health (MOH) to help improve standard procedures and reduce delays which affect access to emergency care.

Evaluation of the Kòts'iìhtła ("We Light the Fire") Project: building resiliency and connections through strengths-based creative arts programming for Indigenous youth.

Background: The creative arts - music, film, visual arts, dance, theatre, spoken word, literature, among others - are gradually being recognised as effective health promotion tools to empower, engage and improve the health and well-being in Indigenous youth communities. Arts-based programming has also had positive impacts in promoting health, mental wellness and resiliency amongst youth. However, often times the impacts and successes of such programming are not formally reported on, as reflected by the paucity of evaluations and reports in the literature.

Efficacy of olanzapine and risperidone for treatment-refractory schizophrenia among long-stay state hospital patients.

The authors studied the efficacy of olanzapine and risperidone among patients with treatment-refractory schizophrenia who had been hospitalized for more than five years and who were not suitable candidates for a clozapine trial. The patients were systematically reassessed and were given olanzapine or risperidone as part of a "second-chance program." The patients in both groups showed significant improvement in scores on the 18-item Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale after three months.