Nutrition education programs for burn survivors: A scoping review.

Despite the importance of nutrition education for burn survivors, only limited work has been done to ascertain what is known about these education programs. To scope the existing literature to ascertain what is known about the nature and outcomes associated with nutrition education programs for burn survivors, their families and caregivers. Arksey and O'Malley scoping review approach were utilized with searches across peer-reviewed databases and gray literature sources.

Developing a Burn-Specific Family-Centered Care (BS-FCC) Framework: A Multi-Method Study.

A burn has been described as a family injury warranting the delivery of family-centered care (FCC) across the continuum of burns management. This assertion notwithstanding, only limited progress has been made to develop and implement FCC interventions in the burn unit. As a starting point, this study sought to formulate a tentative framework to underpin FCC in burn care.

Palliative care interventions for adults in the emergency department: A review of components, delivery models, and outcomes.

Background: Existing evidence suggest the emergence of palliative care (PC) services in the emergency department (ED). To gain insight into the nature of these services and provide direction to future actions, there is a need for a comprehensive review that ascertains the components of these services, integration models, and outcomes.

Methods: A scoping review design was employed and reported according to the PRISMA extension guidelines for scoping reviews.

"Managing uncertainty": Experiences of family members of burn patients from injury occurrence to the end-of-life period.

Background: Although mortality rates associated with burns have decreased, there is still a significant number of persons who may not survive severe forms of the injury and thus, undergo comfort/end of life care. The experiences of family members of persons whose injuries are deemed unsurvivable remain minimally explored and there is a general lack of practice guidelines and recommendations to support them at the end-of-life period.

Aim: To explore the experiences of family members whose relatives died in the burn unit to inform the development of practice recommendations.

"Hanging in a balance": A qualitative study exploring clinicians' experiences of providing care at the end of life in the burn unit.

Background: Although the culture in burns/critical care units is gradually evolving to support the delivery of palliative/end of life care, how clinicians experience the end of life phase in the burn unit remains minimally explored with a general lack of guidelines to support them.

Aim: To explore the end of life care experiences of burn care staff and ascertain how their experiences can facilitate the development of clinical guidelines.

Design: Interpretive-descriptive qualitative approach with a sequential two phased multiple data collection strategies was employed (face to face semi-structured in-depth interviews and follow-up consultative meeting).

Seeking healthcare at their 'right' time; the iterative decision process for women with breast cancer.

Background: About 85% of breast cancer patients attending Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), Ghana, present with stage III/IV disease. In spite of great investments into the early diagnosis and management of breast cancer, late presentation persists and poses a barrier to realising the possible benefits of the gains made in breast cancer management. This study assessed the symptom appraisal and medical health seeking behaviour of women with either locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer attending breast clinic at KATH.

Preparing a young palliative care unit for the COVID-19 pandemic in a teaching hospital in Ghana.

The emergence of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has necessitated an interim restructuring of the healthcare system in accordance with public health preventive measures to mitigate spread of the virus while providing essential healthcare services to the public. This article discusses how the Palliative Care Team of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Ghana has modified its services in accordance with public health guidelines. It also suggests a strategy to deal with palliative care needs of critically ill patients with COVID-19 and their families.

Assessment of Barriers to Essential Surgical Care in Two Communities in the Upper West Region, Ghana.

Systematic assessments of individual-and community-level barriers to surgical care (BSC) in low-and middle-income countries that might inform potential interventions are lacking. We used a novel tool to assess BSC systematically during a surgical outreach in two communities in Upper West region, Ghana. Results were scored in three dimensions of barriers to care (acceptability, affordability, and accessibility); higher dimension scores signified less salient barriers.

Barriers to essential surgical care experienced by women in the two northernmost regions of Ghana: a cross-sectional survey.

Background: Women in developing countries might experience certain barriers to care more frequently than men. We aimed to describe barriers to essential surgical care that women face in five communities in Ghana.

Methods: Questions regarding potential barriers were asked during surgical outreaches to five communities in the northernmost regions of Ghana.