Exploring the contribution of integrated healthcare practices to malaria control in Ghana: perspectives of medical herbalists.

Background: The integration of herbal and orthodox medicines has gained momentum in global health, ensuring improved management of infectious diseases like malaria. This study explored the experiences of medical herbalists working in Ghana's diverse ecological zones to understand the contributions of integrated healthcare to malaria control.

Methods: A phenomenological design was employed to conduct in-depth interviews with 19 purposively sampled medical herbalists.

Integrating modern and herbal medicines in controlling malaria: experiences of orthodox healthcare providers in Ghana.

Background: In Ghana, the government has integrated herbal medicine into the formal healthcare system in response to widespread use of traditional remedies. However, empirical evidence supporting the contribution of integrated healthcare to malaria control remains limited. This study employed a phenomenological qualitative research design to explore the experiences of medical doctors and pharmacists from the coastal, forest and savannah regions of Ghana regarding the integration of modern and herbal medicine in the treatment and control of malaria.

Evaluation of older patients with minor blunt head trauma to identify those who do not have clinically important traumatic brain injury and can be safely managed without cranial computed tomography.

Objective: Our primary aim was to identify a low-risk subgroup of older adults (aged 65 and older) presenting to ED with minor head trauma which can be safely managed without a cranial CT (cCT).

Methods: This was a single-site, prospective, observational, cohort study conducted at a major-referral ED. Alert, haemodynamically stable, older adults with suspected head trauma were eligible.

COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake and Associated Factors Among Persons With Disabilities in Ghana's Ashanti Region.

Background: Persons with disabilities (PWD) are often marginalized and face barriers to accessing health services. This study aimed to examine the COVID-19 vaccine uptake and its predictors among PWDs in the Ashanti region of Ghana, where about 17% of the population has some form of disability.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 402 PWDs in two districts of the Ashanti Region of Ghana from December 2021 to March 2022.

The 'STRICT' framework for promoting effective malaria control in Ghana.

Background: Malaria remains a significant public health burden, necessitating evidence-based strategies to reduce prevalence and associated morbidity. This study explores the potential of integrated healthcare, encompassing both modern and traditional herbal medicine (THM), for malaria control in Ghana.

Methods: Employing a qualitative approach, semi-structured interviews were conducted with medical doctors, pharmacists, and THM providers.

"Nothing about us, without us": stakeholders perceptions on strategies to improve persons with disabilities' sexual and reproductive health outcomes in Ghana.

Background: Persons with disabilities (PwDs) experience various adverse sexual and reproductive health (SRH) outcomes. However, there is a paucity of evidence on the strategies to improve their SRH outcomes. This study, therefore, used a pluralistic approach to explore PwDs and healthcare providers' (HPs) perspectives on how to improve the SRH of PwDs in Ghana.

Monkeypox Outbreak 2022, from a Rare Disease to Global Health Emergence: Implications for Travellers.

Monkeypox (mpox), a zoonotic disease caused by the monkeypox virus (MPXV), poses a significant public health threat with the potential for global dissemination beyond its endemic regions in Central and West Africa. This study explores the multifaceted aspects of monkeypox, covering its epidemiology, genomics, travel-related spread, mass gathering implications, and economic consequences. Epidemiologically, mpox exhibits distinct patterns, with variations in age and gender susceptibility.

Sexual lives and reproductive health outcomes among persons with disabilities: a mixed-methods study in two districts of Ghana.

Introduction: People with disabilities (PwDs) constitute a large and diverse group within the global population, however, their sexual and reproductive health (SRH) needs are often neglected, particularly in low-and middle-income countries. This may result in adverse outcomes, such as sexually transmitted infections (STIs), unintended pregnancies, and experience of interpersonal violence (IV). This study aimed to assess the factors that influence the sexual lives of PwDs in two districts of Ghana.

Descriptive feedback with targeted education to improve telephonic escalation of care: a simulation-based study.

Background: Awareness of communication failures in healthcare has necessitated the implementation of standardized, validated handover tools such as Identification, Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation (ISBAR). Although educational sessions improve communication, the effectiveness of individualized care escalation communication training is unknown. The primary aim was to conduct a simulation-based study to assess individualized one-on-one communication training for junior medical doctors for improving care escalation in pediatric emergencies.

Clinical characteristics, diagnosis, treatment and outcomes of patients living with HIV and co-infected with tuberculosis and histoplasmosis: a 5-y retrospective case series.

Background: In Latin America, tuberculosis (TB) and histoplasmosis are two of the most frequent opportunistic infections affecting people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). However, there are limited data on the clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients with concurrent TB and histoplasmosis infections.

Methods: This was a retrospective observational study to describe the clinical, epidemiological and laboratory characteristics and outcomes of 21 patients living with HIV (PLHIV) who were diagnosed with concurrent histoplasmosis and TB between 2017 and 2021 in Guatemala City, Guatemala.

Nosocomial COVID-19 infection in the era of vaccination and antiviral therapy.

Background And Aims: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination and antiviral therapies have altered the course of the COVID-19 pandemic through mitigating severe illness and death. However, immunocompromised, elderly and multimorbid patients remain at risk of poor outcomes and are overrepresented in hospital populations. The aim of this study was to describe the characteristics and outcomes of patients with nosocomial COVID-19 infection.

A mixed-methods study of the awareness and functionality of sexual and reproductive health services among persons with disability in Ghana.

Background: Persons with disabilities (PwDs) face barriers in accessing sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services due to lack of knowledge and awareness, stigma and discrimination, and inadequate service provision. This study aimed to examine the determinants of SRH knowledge and awareness among PwDs in Ghana, and to explore their perceptions of the functionality of SRH services.

Methods: A sequential explanatory mixed-methods study design was used to collect and analyse quantitative (n = 402) and qualitative (n = 37) data from PwDs in two districts in Ghana.

Analysis of Retrospective Laboratory Data on the Burden of Bacterial Pathogens Isolated at the National Veterinary Research Institute Nigeria, 2018-2021.

Farm animals harbour bacterial pathogens, which are often viewed as important indicators of animal health and determinants of food safety. To better understand the prevalence and inform treatment, we audited laboratory data at the Bacteriology Laboratory of the NVRI from 2018-2021. Antibiotics were classified into seven basic classes: quinolones, tetracyclines, beta-lactams, aminoglycosides, macrolides, nitrofuran, and cephalosporins.

: a mixed-methods study on the experiences of persons with disability in accessing sexual and reproductive health services in Ghana.

Background: Access to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services is a fundamental human right, but people with disabilities (PwDs) in low-and middle-income countries often face multiple barriers to utilisation. This study aimed to assess the level of SRH services utilisation and the enabling and inhibiting factors among PwDs in Ghana's Ashanti region.

Methods: A sequential explanatory mixed-methods study design was employed, involving quantitative ( = 402) and qualitative ( = 37) data collection from PwDs.

From talk to action: Developing a model to foster effective integration of traditional medicine into the Ghanaian healthcare system.

This research assessed the experience of stakeholders and the efficacy of integrating traditional medicine into the Ghanaian health system using the Ashanti Region as the focal point. Elements of an integrative healthcare delivery model including philosophies/values, structure, process and outcome were used to conduct a quality assessment of the integrated health system in Ghana. Each element clearly showed that Ghana is currently not running a coordinated health practice model, thus making it a tolerant, rather than an inclusive, health system.

A Systematic Review of the Factors That Influence Teachers' Occupational Wellbeing.

Teachers belong to a high-demand occupational group and experience work-related challenges and discretely diverse emotional turmoils of varying intensity while teaching and interacting with students. These experiences often result in high stress levels that contribute to burnout and, consequently, a breach of teachers' occupational wellbeing. Promoting positive teacher wellbeing substantially influences teaching quality, with a flow-on effect on student wellbeing and academic development.

"Sex Should Not Be Part of the Lives of Persons with Disabilities, but They Are Human Beings Too": Perceptions of Healthcare Providers and Factors Affecting Service Delivery in Ghana.

Persons with disabilities (PwDs) constitute about 16% of the global population and face many challenges in every society, including access to sexual and reproductive healthcare. The attitudes of healthcare providers (HPs) exert a major influence on PwDs accessing sexual and reproductive healthcare (SRH). A sequential explanatory mixed methods design was used to investigate the attitudes and perceptions of HPs towards PwDs and SRH delivery in Ghana's Ashanti region.

COVID-19 Prevention Strategies for Victoria Students within Educational Facilities: An AI-Based Modelling Study.

Educational institutions play a significant role in the community spread of SARS-CoV-2 in Victoria. Despite a series of social restrictions and preventive measures in educational institutions implemented by the Victorian Government, confirmed cases among people under 20 years of age accounted for more than a quarter of the total infections in the state. In this study, we investigated the risk factors associated with COVID-19 infection within Victoria educational institutions using an incremental deep learning recurrent neural network-gated recurrent unit (RNN-GRU) model.

Metastatic cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma to the parotid: Adjuvant radiotherapy and treatment outcomes.

Introduction: Adjuvant radiotherapy is an established component in the management of metastatic cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) involving the parotid gland. Radiotherapy technique, dose and volumes are seldom described sufficiently to allow close examination. We report our treatment outcomes and focus on treatment-related factors that affect outcomes in this cohort.

Ghana's Adherence to PASCAR's 10-Point Action Plan towards Hypertension Control: A Scoping Review.

The continuous increase in the prevalence of hypertension in Ghana has led to various interventions aimed at controlling the disease burden. Nonetheless, these interventions have yielded poor health outcomes. Subsequently, the Pan-African Society of Cardiology (PASCAR), established a 10-point action plan for inclusion in policies to aid control of hypertension.

Seroepidemiology of Strongyloides spp. Infection in Balimo, Western Province, Papua New Guinea.

Strongyloidiasis in Papua New Guinea (PNG) is poorly understood. There have been limited surveys describing the levels of endemicity in some regions of PNG, but in the Western Province, its occurrence and level of burden are unknown. This study aimed to determine the seroepidemiology of Strongyloides spp.