Improving health literacy through group antenatal care: results from a cluster randomized controlled trial in Ghana.

Background: Although the majority of Ghanaian women receive antenatal care (ANC), many exhibit low health literacy by misinterpreting and incorrectly operationalizing ANC messages, leading to poor maternal and newborn health outcomes. Prior research in low-resource settings has found group antenatal care (G-ANC) feasible for women and providers. This study aims to determine the effect of G-ANC on increasing maternal health literacy.

Understanding Health Worker and Community Antibiotic Prescription-Adherence Practices for Acute Febrile Illness: A Nested Qualitative Study in the Shai-Osudoku District of Ghana and the Development of a Training-and-Communication Intervention.

Background: The aim was to explore behavioral factors relating to the prescription and communication of prescription-adherence messages for patients with acute febrile illness, from which to develop a training-and-communication (T&C) intervention to be delivered as part of a clinical trial.

Methods: The study undertook a content analysis of primary, qualitative data collection using in-depth interviews and focus group discussions, informed by the Capability, Opportunity, Motivation (COM-B) theory of behavior, the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF), and Behavior Change Wheel (BCW) approach, in health facilities (39 health workers) and communities (66 community members) in the Shai-Osudoku District of Ghana.

Results: Health workers perceive that prescribers' and dispensers' communication with patients is influenced by the following factors: patient's educational level, existing disease conditions, health worker's workload, patient's religion, language barrier between health worker and patient, outcome of laboratory results, and medicine availability.

The impact of strike action by Ghana registered nurses and midwives on the access to and utilization of healthcare services.

Background: As the largest professional group, nurses and midwives play instrumental roles in healthcare delivery, supporting the smooth administration and operation of the health system. Consequently, the withdrawal of nursing and midwifery services via strike action has direct and indirect detrimental effects on access to healthcare.

Objective: The current study examined the impact of strike action by nurses and midwives with respect to access to and use of health services.

A major hurdle in the elimination of urogenital schistosomiasis revealed: Identifying key gaps in knowledge and understanding of female genital schistosomiasis within communities and local health workers.

Background: Urogenital schistosomiasis is endemic throughout Ghana with elevated infection levels in certain areas e.g. Lake Volta Region.

Determinants of attending antenatal care at least four times in rural Ghana: analysis of a cross-sectional survey.

Background: Improving maternal health is a global challenge. In Ghana, maternal morbidity and mortality rates remain high, particularly in rural areas. Antenatal care (ANC) attendance is known to improve maternal health.

Feasibility and cost of using mobile phones for capturing drug safety information in peri-urban settlement in Ghana: a prospective cohort study of patients with uncomplicated malaria.

Background: The growing need to capture data on health and health events using faster and efficient means to enable prompt evidence-based decision-making is making the use of mobile phones for health an alternative means to capture anti-malarial drug safety data. This paper examined the feasibility and cost of using mobile phones vis-à-vis home visit to monitor adverse events (AEs) related to artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) for treatment of uncomplicated malaria in peri-urban Ghana.

Methods: A prospective, observational, cohort study conducted on 4270 patients prescribed ACT in 21 health facilities.