Predominant approaches to measuring pregnancy-related anxiety in Sub-saharan Africa: a scoping review.

Background: Pregnancy-related anxiety significantly impacts maternal and fetal health in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), including those within Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Most studies conducted to evaluate pregnancy-related anxiety in LMICs have utilized scales developed in high-income countries, despite significant variations in pregnancy-related anxiety due to socioeconomic and cultural contexts. This review surveyed existing literature in order to identify which scales have been used to measure pregnancy-related anxiety in SSA.

: Hospital experiences of Ghanaian families after maternal mortalities.

Background: Rates of maternal mortality are highest in low-resource settings. Family members are often involved in the critical periods surrounding a maternal death, including transportation to health centers and financial and emotional support during hospital admissions. Maternal death has devastating impacts on surviving family members, which are often overlooked and understudied.

Facilitators and barriers to home blood pressure monitoring among pregnant women in Ghana: a mixed-methods analysis of patient perspectives.

Background: The benefit of home blood pressure monitoring during pregnancy and in low-resource settings is incompletely understood. The objective of this study was to explore the experiences, barriers, and facilitators of home blood pressure monitoring among pregnant women in Ghana.

Methods: This concurrent triangulation mixed-methods study was conducted at an urban tertiary hospital in Ghana.

"If You Need a Psychiatrist, It's BAD": Stigma Associated with Seeking Mental Health Care Among Obstetric Providers in Ghana.

Purpose: Globally, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought attention to the impact of negative patient outcomes on healthcare providers. In Ghana, obstetric providers regularly face maternal and neonatal mortality, yet limited research has focused on provision of mental health support for these providers. This study sought to understand how obstetric providers viewed seeking mental health support after poor clinical outcomes, with a focus on the role of mental health stigma.

Impact of antenatal care on severe maternal and neonatal outcomes in pregnancies complicated by preeclampsia and eclampsia in Ghana.

Objectives: To explore how specific measures of antenatal care utilization are associated with outcomes in pregnancies complicated by preeclampsia and eclampsia in Ghana.

Study Design: Participants were adult pregnant women with preeclampsia or eclampsia at a tertiary hospital in Ghana. Antenatal care utilization measures included timing of first visit, total visits, facility and provider type, and referral status.

Attitudes, experiences, and training on comprehensive abortion care: A nationwide survey of trainee physicians in Ghana.

This cross-sectional study assessed attitudes and experiences with abortion care among physician trainees in Ghana. Participants were 27 Obstetrics/Gynecology (OBGYN) residents and 138 house officers. An electronic survey evaluated attitudes, training, clinical experience, and technical skills with abortion care.

Challenges to diagnosing and managing preeclampsia in a low-resource setting: A qualitative study of obstetric provider perspectives from Ghana.

Preeclampsia is a leading cause of global maternal morbidity and mortality. The greatest burden of disease is in low- and middle-income countries where healthcare providers face significant, understudied, challenges to diagnosing and managing preeclampsia. This qualitative study used semi-structured interviews to explore the challenges of diagnosing and managing preeclampsia from the perspectives of obstetric doctors.

'I don't really understand this BP': Women's knowledge, attitudes, and experiences with preeclampsia in Ghana.

Preeclampsia and eclampsia are common and serious complications of pregnancies, often presenting as obstetric emergencies. In low- and middle-income countries, limited numbers of healthcare providers and a high volume of critically ill patients can negatively impact provider communication and counseling. Lack of knowledge or awareness of preeclampsia and eclampsia among pregnant women can lead to delays in health seeking behavior.

Benefits and barriers of home blood pressure monitoring in pregnancy: perspectives of obstetric doctors from a Ghanaian tertiary hospital.

Background: Delayed diagnosis of preeclampsia contributes to maternal morbidity and mortality. Patient-performed home blood pressure monitoring facilitates more frequent monitoring and earlier diagnosis. However, challenges may exist to implementation in low- and middle income-countries.

Maternal Mortality in Low and Middle-Income Countries.

Despite a 38% decrease in global maternal mortality during the last decade, rates remain unacceptably high with greater than 800 maternal deaths occurring each day. There exists significant regional variation among rates and causes of maternal mortality, and the vast majority occurs in low-income and middle-income countries. The leading causes of direct maternal mortality are hemorrhage, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, sepsis, complications of abortion, and thromboembolism.

Barriers to adequate pain control among women with cervical cancer: exploring unmet pain control needs in Ghana.

Background: Pain because of cervical cancer is a significant health issue globally, especially in women with advanced disease. However, little is known about unmet needs for pain control in low-resource settings where the burden of cervical cancer is the greatest.

Objective: This study aimed to quantify the level of pain that women with cervical cancer in Ghana experience, explore attitudes toward pain and pain medications, and determine the barriers to adequate pain control.

A comparative analysis of neonatal outcomes in pregnancies complicated by preeclampsia and eclampsia in Ghana.

Background: Worldwide, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy are a serious complication of pregnancy, and contribute to poor maternal and neonatal outcomes. The most significant consequences of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy are observed in sub-Saharan Africa, where neonatal outcomes have not been fully described. Understanding relationships between maternal disease severity and neonatal outcomes can guide patient counseling and allow the targeting of limited resources to the most at-risk neonates.

Clinical presentation and predictors of eclampsia among women with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy in Ghana.

Objectives: Eclampsia is a leading contributor to global maternal morbidity and mortality. Past studies demonstrate varying relationships between demographic and antenatal factors and subsequent development of eclampsia. This study sought to identify predictors of eclampsia in a tertiary hospital in Ghana.

Factors associated with late-stage presentation of cervical cancer in Ghana.

Objective: To explore factors associated with late clinical presentation among Ghanaian women with cervical cancer.

Design: This is a cross-sectional survey using a paper questionnaire.

Setting: Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) in Kumasi, Ghana.

The burden of COVID-19 infection on medical doctors in the first year of the pandemic in Ghana.

Objective: To quantify and describe the burden of COVID-19 infection amongst doctors in Ghana.

Design: A quantitative and qualitative analysis of cross-sectional data was performed.

Setting: All 16 regions in Ghana.

A novel 12-hour versus 24-hour magnesium sulfate regimen in the management of eclampsia and preeclampsia in Ghana (MOPEP Study): A randomized controlled trial.

Objective: We compared the efficacy of a 12-h versus 24-h regimen of intramuscular magnesium sulfate in the management of eclampsia and preeclampsia.

Methods: This is an open-labeled parallel randomized controlled trial conducted in Accra, Ghana from November 2018 to November 2020. Participants were adult pregnant women admitted to the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH) with a diagnosis of antepartum, intrapartum, or postpartum eclampsia or preeclampsia with severe features, having received no more than a loading dose of magnesium sulfate prior to admission at KBTH.

"Once you get one maternal death, it's like the whole world is dropping on you": experiences of managing maternal mortality amongst obstetric care providers in Ghana.

Background: Maternal mortality has a significant global impact, especially in low-resource settings. Little prior research has been conducted on the potential effects of poor maternal outcomes on the personal and professional well-being of healthcare providers. This study explores the in-depth experiences and perspectives of obstetric providers in Ghana who work in a setting with frequent maternal mortalities.

Determinants of cervical cancer screening uptake among women with access to free screening: A community-based study in peri-urban Ghana.

Objective: Cervical cancer can be prevented by regular screening; however, screening rates are low in developing countries. We evaluated the proportion of women screened, modalities of screening utilized, and factors influencing uptake among Ghanaian women with access to free screening services.

Methods: Participants were women aged 25-65 in Asokore-Mampong, Ghana.

Predictors of burnout: the role of agency among obstetric providers in Kumasi, Ghana.

Burnout rates among sub-Saharan African healthcare providers are high. In particular, obstetric providers experience unique stressors surrounding poor neonatal and maternal outcomes. This study explores predictors of burnout among obstetric providers at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) in Kumasi, Ghana.