ABSTRACT Background Malaria has a high burden in sub-Saharan Africa which is caused by Plasmodium falciparum. Delayed or inaccurate diagnosis of malaria could lead to fatal consequences in patients seeking medical care for malaria. Malaria Rapid Diagnostic Tests (mRDT) provide an alternative in the absence of malaria microscopy to provide prompt and accurate diagnosis and is used to complement clinical diagnosis of individuals who report at health facilities with unspecific symptoms. Low sen...
ABSTRACT The study explores the factors that influence decisions of women in the Kassena Nankana District from delivering or not delivering in the health care facilities despite their use of antenatal care services at the facilities. Multistage sampling procedure was used to select two groups of women who had antenatal care at the facilities. Two hundred women were interviewed i.e. 100 who delivered at the facilities and 100 who delivered at home. A structured questionnaire was used to collec...
ABSTRACT HIV Infection continues to impact the world of work. This is especially more evident in the health sector where health workers are at risk of hospital acquired infections and attitudes and practices strongly influence the response to the provision of prevention, treatment, care and support interventions for infected patients. The ILO thus recommends the implementation of HIV Work place policies at Global, Regional, County and Local levels. In line with this the MOH, Ghana published i...
ABSTRACT The elderly population has been noted to be particularly at risk of being involved in burn injury and outcomes are usually related to significant morbidity and mortality rates resulting in increasing dependence on others. Despite this, there is limited exploration of their caregivers‘ experiences. Thus, this study aimed at exploring and describing the experiences of family caregivers of elderly burned patients at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital. The study was guided by the Stres...
STRUCTURED ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Although spinal Anaesthesia remains the anaesthetic technique of choice for many surgeries below the umbilicus, it may be associated with increased risk of cardiopulmonary complications such as hypotension, bradycardia and intraoperative cardiopulmonary arrest. Spinal Anaesthesia blocks autonomic, motor and sensory nerves which may affect pulmonary function. In the general population, reduction in the forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) is a robust pr...
ABSTRACT Introduction Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is one of the leading infectious killers worldwide. An estimated 34.2 million people worldwide were living with HIV in 2011 with about 60% of the HIV infections occur in sub-Saharan Africa. Testing to know an individual‟s HIV status is a key intervention to the prevention and early management of cases. These notwithstanding, an estimated 50% of persons living with the virus have not tested for HIV. The introduction of rapid HIV test k...
ABSTRACT Background: Vegetable oils are used either in the raw state or heated in the preparation of foods worldwide. Due to the nutrition transition, there is increased demand for fast cooked foods or convenience foods which involves the use of heated and repeatedly heated oils. Research has demonstrated that high temperature cooking with oils can result in the formation of mutagenic compounds that on consumption may induce the development of cancers. This study aimed at determining the muta...
ABSTRACT A retrospective record review on cancer cases covering the period 2011 to 2015 was undertaken at the National Centre for Radiotherapy and Nuclear Medicine at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital to determine trends in cancer cases and morphine prescriptions at the hospital. Data covering the period 2011 to 2015 were also retrieved from the cancer registry to ascertain the number of cases reported. Patients’ data including age, sex, types of cancer as well as the various stages of the can...
ABSTRACT A study to determine some factors that affected STD treatment seeking behaviour among adolescents students in Senior Secondary School was carried out in the Asuogyaman District of the Eastern Region of Ghana in May 1997. In all 62 students who had suffered STDs in the past were respondents to the questionnaire. Seventy one percent (71%) of respondents were males and 85.5% of respondents were aged between 17 and 20 years. 62% usually lived in a rural area. All respondents had some kno...
ABSTRACT Risky Sexual Behavior is described as any act that augments the risk of getting Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) or getting pregnant unintentionally. It comprises early sexual debut, sex with someone else apart from regular sexual partner, non-use of condoms during sex, non-use of family planning during sex and sex under the control of alcohol. The rest are sex with someone 10 years or older and sex under the influence of other substances. Given the rapid hormonal changes that ...
PROPOSAL SUMMARY Introduction: Significant gains have been made in the implementation of malaria prevention measures in sub-Saharan Africa, and the use of insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) has been critical in reduction in the incidence of malaria in vulnerable groups such as pregnant women and children under five years. Insecticide treated nets usage is dependent on ownership of insecticide treated nets, Usage of insecticide treated nets among school young people is of importance because they ...
ABSTRACT Background: The health of workers remains a major global occupational health issue. The relationship between work-related exposures and the health of an individual in a working environment could be an opportunity to assure workers health or be a source of threat to the health and economic wellbeing of a nation. With the increasing rate of industrialization in Ghana, there is the urgent need to investigate and evaluate the health situation of workers at the Tema oil refinery. Objectiv...
ABSTRACT Rationale: Hepatitis B disease is a critical work-related menace for clinical health facility workers and poses a more serious occupational risk for health care students due to their inexperience in the field of work during their vocational training programmes in various health care facilities across the Country. Among health care students, medical laboratory science students (MLSS) are at a higher risk since laboratory technicians are among the elevated risk groups of hepatitis B vi...
ABSTRACT Background: Wholly plant-based diets have been reported to have many beneficial outcomes. In some studies, higher circulating levels of free androgens have been suggested to increase the risk of developing prostate cancer. Men are reported to have lower levels of the sex hormone-binding globulin which may increase in response to oestrogen and decrease in response to androgens. The vegetarian diet consisting of vegetables and legumes and particularly soy products, are rich in phytoest...
ABSTRACT In 2010, World Health Organization came up with the policy of diagnostically testing for malaria among all age groups before treatment and Ghana has adopted this policy as part of the case management of Malaria. Presumptive diagnosis of malaria results in the abuse of anti-malaria drugs which may lead to the emergence of resistant strains of the parasite, wastage of antimalarials and misdiagnosis of malaria. Areas without microscopy, especially the peripheral areas are to use the rap...