ABSTRACT Background: There is increasing concern about self-medication during pregnancy in many low resource countries. Notwithstanding its adverse impact on pregnancy, in Wa municipality, pregnant women still engaged in the practice of self-medication. The aim of this study was to investigate the perception and practice of self-medication among pregnant women in Wa Municipality. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted in 3 health centers of Wa Municipality from May to June 2017. S...
ABSTRACT Background: Mining activities are a high prevalence of certain diseases compared to nonmining areas as a result of the environmental and social changes that create conditions that favor disease emergence over time. Over the years, most research on gold mining areas in Ghana have been from an economic perspective, with few looking into gold mining-related disease prevalence. This study is aimed to identify new diseases that emerge as a result of mining activities and exposures to haza...
ABSTRACT The health system in Ghana is fraught with many well documented challenges. Health service delivery is inefficient and unreliable in many respects, access to adequate and reliable health care personnel and services is limited and quality of service delivered at various health facilities continues to be problematic. Among factors hindering quality of service given to clients at health facilities are gaps in clinical decision making and information given to clients. There is evidence t...
ABSTRACT Background: Ghana’s pro-poor National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) has been implemented since 2004 to provide financial protection to households through the reduction of financial obstacles to accessing health care services therefore averting payment at point of use of health services. Using secondary data from the Ghana Living Standards Survey Round 6 (GLSS6). Objectives: The study sought to determine the proportion of households faced with catastrophe due to health care payment...
ABSTRACT Introduction: Determination of oestrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR) and human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (Her-2/neu) has become part of the diagnostic tests for breast cancer. Results of ER and PR are used to select breast cancer patients who are most likely to respond to hormonal therapy whereas Her-2/neu results are used to select patients with invasive breast cancer most likely to respond to targeted therapy. Immunohistochemical (IHC) determination of ER, PR...
ABSTRACT Background: Low utilization of skilled delivery claims the lives of about half a million of women globally each year and more than half of these deaths occur in Africa. Meanwhile, skilled delivery has been demonstrated to decrease maternal mortality and morbidity, yet in 2016 only 56. 2 % of women gave birth with the assistance of skilled birth attendants in Ghana. Objectives: The study assessed factors influencing utilisation of skilled delivery services in the Fanteakwa District, E...
ABSTRACT Background: Postnatal period is the period that starts about an hour after the placenta is delivered and stretches to the next six weeks and this time is very important for the continued existence of the woman and her baby. So assessment of client satisfaction with post natal care services is needed to improve quality of health service delivery in the country and impact positively on the survival of both mother and baby during the postpartum period. The aim of this research was to de...
ABSTRACT Introduction: Community-Based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) is a national strategy for implementing community-based health care service by reorienting and relocating primary health care from sub district health centers to convenient community locations (Frimpong, 2018). As a step to make health services accessible to Ghanaians, the Government of Ghana in collaboration with the Ghana Health Service (GHS) and Ministry of Health adopted the CHPS concept in 1999 but it became opera...
ABSTRACT Background- The promotion of sanitation and hygiene as well as potable water supply has emerged as one of the cost-effective possible interventions against high burden diseases like diarrhoea in developing countries. Diarrhoea cases among diseases reported at the Outpatient department attendances has been increasing for the past few years in health facilities in Asuogyaman district. The aim of this study was to determine environmental risk factors for diarrhoea in children under-five...
ABSTRACT Background: Childbirth experiences are some of the most sensitive indicators of utilization of health facilities for delivery purposes. Women who go through the child birthing process are reported to be faced with either negative or positive experiences. This study therefore sought to document women’s childbirth experiences. Methods: The study was a qualitative exploratory using in-depth interviews to elicit information from newly delivered women. Twelve participants were purposive...
ABSTRACT Background: High incidence of lifestyle-related illnesses and conditions create a double burden, given that the country already has a high rate of infectious diseases that require significant human and financial assets to control. High blood pressure is the main cause of cardiovascular diseases. Objective: To determine factors that influence adherence to hypertensive medication among adults in Birim North district. Method: A cross-sectional study was used. A sample of 244 respondents...
ABSTRACT Alcohol consumption is a long-lasting widespread and varied man custom. It has become a growing challenge in many African countries of which Ghana is no exception. In spite of the numerous health and social problems associated with its use and abuse, data on alcohol consumption is insufficient and not collected consistently. This informed the inclusion of alcohol questions in the Ghana Demographic and Health Survey, 2008. This study was a cross-sectional study of 412 adults a...
ABSTRACT This was a descriptive cross-sectional study to ascertain the health and environmental implications of small-scale gold mining operations in the Bolgatanga District of the Upper East Region. Small-scale gold mining started actively in an area designated the Small-Scale Gold Mining Area about two (2) years ago. The three main types of gold mining operations were alluvial, colluvial and lode gold mining. Alluvial and colluvial gold mining involved both sexes but lode gold mining was th...
ABSTRACT Background: A stroke is a life-changing event that leaves the stroke survivors with varying degrees of disability requiring a lot of assistance from their informal caregivers who require substantial amounts of uncompensated time and energy to carry out their activities of daily living over a prolonged duration of time. The informal caregivers are therefore exposed to physical, psychological, social, and financial problems, commonly reported as a burden which affects their quality of...
ABSTRACT Background: Despite the existence of long lasting insecticide treated nets as a cost-effective tool of prevention of malaria, this disease still present as a serious public health burden in Ghana. Children aged 5 to 14 years account for the group that are less likely to utilize Long Lasting Insecticide Nets (LLINs). Objectives: This study was conducted to explore factors associated with the use of LLINs among children aged 5-14 years in Aflao town in Ketu South Municipality. Met...