ABSTRACT Background: Diabetes is a key public health challenge that is approaching epidemic proportion worldwide. Utilization of care services among persons diagnosed with diabetes helps in early detection of diabetic retinopathy and also, allows for timely intervention. Evidence shows that the utilization of eye care services among patients living with diabetes, in Ghana is low. Objective: To determine factors associated with utilization of eye care services among patients with diabetes, att...
ABSTRACT Background: The burden of malaria in mobile populations is still less documented in subSaharan Africa. This study determined the prevalence of malaria among hawkers and long distance truck drivers in the Greater Accra region of Ghana. Method: A cross-sectional study using consecutive sampling method between June and July 2016 in Accra and Tema was used. The study population was Hawkers who roam in the street and long distance truck drivers. RDTs and two thick blood smears were made f...
ABSTRACT Injections are one of the most common health care procedures, with some 16 billion injections administered world-wide each year. Most injections (90% to 95%) are given for therapeutic purposes, and only 5% to 10% are given for immunization. (Immunization essentials, a practical field guide. 2003) Among other things, injection safety assessment includes; Competence of the staff on injection practice, the availability of injection equipment, logistics and supplies, Injection waste disp...
ABSTRACT BACKGROUND Spastic Cerebral palsy accounts for 70-80% of all types of Cerebral palsy. Spasticity as a major feature limits and restricts patients’ ability to walk, stand, sit, or roll effectively due to excessive muscle contraction interfering with lengthening of the affected muscles. It poses a challenge even though there are well known interventions. Rehabilitation which includes physiotherapy is one of the widely accepted interventions. Physiotherapists in other countries and in...
ABSTRACT Adherence to tuberculosis (TB) medication has a paramount significance to the management of patients with tuberculosis. Researchers have considerably developed an interest to explore various aspects that yielded information about TB medication adherence. Determinants of TB medication adherence are considered factors that could prevent or enable patients to either adhere or default to the treatment. This study, therefore, sought to explore the determinants among patients with TB at So...
ABSTRACT Background: Non-adherence to topical anti-glaucoma medication is associated with worse clinical outcomes which can have negative impacts on therapeutic choices by clinicians. Additionally, variations in dosing patterns whether it is missed doses, mistimed doses, or overdosing can lead to less lowering of IOP (intraocular pressure) and/or an increase in side effects that diminish the tolerability of the therapy. This survey seeks to determine the factors that influence non-adherence t...
ABSTRACT Background: Growth Monitoring and Promotion (GMP) is a preventive programme that targets the reduction of malnutrition in children in the early periods of their lives. GMP targets the caregiver and family decisions for positive child growth outcomes and has a great potential to contribute to improving child survival if well implemented. For a GMP programme to achieve its intended objective. the following conditions need to be met; proper implementation of GMP activities by skilled he...
ABSTRACT Prostate cancer is rated the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths among men in the world and in Ghana, the most frequently diagnosed cancer among men. Studies have identified low awareness and lack of knowledge, perceptions, and negative attitudes toward PC as barriers to screening for PC and thus early detection of the disease. This has resulted in the disease been diagnosed at advanced stages which have no better treatment outcomes. This cross sectional descriptive study e...
ABSTRACT Introduction: Effective case management involving prompt parasitological diagnosis and treatment with Artemisinin-based Combination Therapy (ACT) has been recognized as the cornerstone of malaria control strategies. Despite Ghana‟s adoption of these recommendations, malaria accounts for 66 % of all OPD cases in Tolon District which is higher than the regional average. This puts doubts in malaria diagnosis and treatment practice. This study therefore sought to assess malaria diagnos...
ABSTRACT Introduction: Cervical cancer affects the cervix of women. It is the second most common cancer in women worldwide (WHO, 2012). Cervical cancer is often caused by the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) and is sexually transmitted. The general risk factors for cervical cancer include early age of first intercourse, multiple sexual partners, high parity, Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), cigarette smoking and immuno-suppression. This disease can be prevented and often cured if early interven...
ABSTRACT Background: Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining mainly from the consumption of meat, poultry, seafood and flesh of any animal while depending mainly on foods of plant origin. Vegetarian diets are typically low in fat, particularly saturated fat and high in dietary fibre, vegetables, whole grains and legumes. Plasma total cholesterols and low density lipoproteins (LDL) cholesterol levels of vegetarians are consistently lower than non- vegetarians. Although vegetarians do not e...
ABSTRACT Ticks are important vectors and reservoirs for many zoonotic pathogens worldwide. Some African countries including Ghana have reported tick-borne infections like Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever, however, there is scarce data on the tick vector in Ghana. This study was aimed at determining the distribution, abundance of tick species and preferred sites of attachments in six selected study sites. Ticks were collected from cattle in two ecological zones in Ghana (Guinea Savannah and Co...
ABSTRACT The recently observed decrease in cases of malaria achieved through the effective management and control of the disease has been a motivation to strive towards attaining the millennium goal of elimination and eradication of the disease. Asymptomatic infections also referred to as the parasite 'reservoir hosts' which could be microscopic or submicroscopic infections has been implicated in malaria transmission and therefore has become a targeted parasite population for malaria eliminat...
Abstract A qualitative approach which is exploratory in nature was used to explore retention of nurses in Ghana: perspectives of nurses at Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, The research sought to explore what had made nurses stay in Ghana and what these nurses believe will enhance retention of nurses in Ghana. Eleven participants were interviewed including a nurse administrator. The inclusion criterion was nurses who had worked in Ghana for at least ten years. The analytic strategy was content anal...
ABSTRACT Introduction: Overweight and obesity, which can be described as the accumulation of excessive body fat has become a major public health problem. Overweight and obese individuals also attract a lot of stigma which results in discrimination. This study was designed to determine perceptions and stigmatization in relation to overweight and obesity among women of reproductive age in the Ghanaian setting. Method: The study employed a descriptive cross sectional study design and used a mixe...