Long-Term Outcomes Following Inguinal Hernia Repair With Mesh Performed by Medical Doctors and Surgeons in Ghana.

Objective: To assess long-term outcomes following inguinal hernia repair with mesh performed by medical doctors and surgeons in Ghana.

Background: Task sharing of surgical care with nonsurgeons can increase access to essential surgery. Long-term safety and outcomes of task sharing are not well-described for hernia repair.

A retrospective review of gastroschisis epidemiology and referral patterns in northern Ghana.

Purpose: To describe the epidemiology and referral patterns of gastroschisis patients in northern Ghana.

Methods: A hospital-based retrospective review was undertaken at Tamale Teaching Hospital (TTH) Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) between 2014 and 2019. Data from gastroschisis patients were compared to patients with other surgical diagnoses.

Patient Experience and Outcomes of the Locally Organized ApriDec Medical Outreach Group.

Background: Access to safe and effective surgery is limited in low and middle-income countries. Short-term surgical missions are a common platform to provide care, but the few published outcomes suggest unacceptable morbidity and mortality. We sought to study the safety and effectiveness of the ApriDec Medical Outreach Group (AMOG).

Burden of Neonatal Surgical Conditions in Northern Ghana.

Background: Congenital anomalies have risen to become the fifth leading cause of under-five mortality globally. The majority of deaths and disability occur in low- and middle-income countries including Ghana. This 3-year retrospective review aimed to define, for the first time, the characteristics and outcomes of neonatal surgical conditions in northern Ghana.

Trainees' preferences regarding choice of place of work after completing medical training in traditional or problem-based learning/community-based education and service curricula: a study in Ghanaian medical schools.

Introduction: Career choices, recruitment and subsequent retention of healthcare professionals in the rural areas are a major worldwide concern and challenge to the health sector, leading to human resource shortages, resulting in poor quality health care for rural communities. Medical education has integrated community-oriented medical education strategies in undergraduate medical training to help address the challenges of health care in rural communities. These strategies are likely to impact the strategies of delivering the content of undergraduate medical curricula.

Outcomes After Inguinal Hernia Repair With Mesh Performed by Medical Doctors and Surgeons in Ghana.

Importance: Inguinal hernia is the most common general surgical condition in the world. Although task sharing of surgical care with nonsurgeons represents one method to increase access to essential surgery, the safety and outcomes of this strategy are not well described for hernia repair.

Objective: To compare outcomes after inguinal hernia repair with mesh performed by medical doctors and surgeons in Ghana.

Barriers to Timely Presentation of Patients with Surgical Conditions at Tamale Teaching Hospital in Northern Ghana.

Background: Improving access to surgical services and understanding the barriers to receiving timely care are necessary to save lives. The aim of this study was to assess barriers to timely presentation to an appropriate medical facility using the Three-Delay model, for patients presenting to Tamale Teaching Hospital, in northern Ghana.

Methods: In 2013, patients with delays in seeking surgical care were prospectively identified.

Working among the rural communities in Ghana - why doctors choose to engage in rural practice.

Background: An unequal distribution of health personnel, leading to unfavourable differences in health status between urban and rural populations, is a serious cause for concern globally. Part of the solution to this problem lies in attracting medical doctors to rural, remote communities, which presents a real challenge. The present study therefore explored the factors that influence medical doctors' decision to practise in rural Ghana.

Our Experience with the Use of Low Cost Mesh in Tension-Free Inguinal Hernioplasty in Northern Ghana.

Objectives: To describe our experience and success in the use of low cost mesh for the repair of inguinal hernias in consenting adult patients.

Methods: A prospective study was carried out from August 2010 to December 2013 in ten district hospitals across Northern Ghana. The patients were divided into four groups according to Kingsnorth's classification of hernias.

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.

Treatment of cancer in sub-Saharan Africa.

Cancer is rapidly becoming a public health crisis in low-income and middle-income countries. In sub-Saharan Africa, patients often present with advanced disease. Little health-care infrastructure exists, and few personnel are available for the care of patients.

Surgical aspects of bacterial infection in African children.

Infections and their complications requiring surgical intervention are a frequent presentation in African children. Surgical site infection (SSI) is common with rates over 20%, even after clean procedures. The high rates of SSI are due in part to lack of infection control and surveillance policies in most hospitals in Africa.

Challenges of training and delivery of pediatric surgical services in Africa.

Background: The practice of pediatric surgery in Africa presents multiple challenges. This report presents an overview of problems encountered in the training of pediatric surgeons as well as the delivery of pediatric surgical services in Africa.

Methods: A returned structured self-administered questionnaire sent to pediatric surgeons practicing in Africa was reviewed and analyzed using SPSS version 11.

Paediatric elective surgical conditions as seen at a referral hospital in Kumasi, Ghana.

Background: Data on paediatric surgical conditions in sub-Saharan countries, including Ghana, are scanty and sketchy. Using hospital-based data, it is possible to assess the epidemiology of diseases among children, and the morbidity and mortality rates.

Methods: Between January 1997 and December 2000, records of 1200 children treated consecutively with elective surgery at Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi, Ghana, were analysed for name, age, sex, postoperative diagnosis, procedure carried out and outcome of treatment

Results: The ages of the children ranged from 0 to 14 years, with a mean age of 3.

Using mortuary statistics in the development of an injury surveillance system in Ghana.

Objective: To develop, in a mortuary setting, a pilot programme for improving the accuracy of records of deaths caused by injury.

Methods: The recording of injury-related deaths was upgraded at the mortuary of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Kumasi, Ghana, in 1996 through the creation of a prospectively gathered database.

Findings: There was an increase in the number of deaths reported annually as attributable to injury from 72 before 1995 to 633 in 1996-99.