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...
Abstract Coping with chronic health conditions has been attributed to numerous factors including spiritual/religious, collective and ritual behaviours of people with varied cultural backgrounds. The study examined psychological health, coping and cultural values among Ghanaians living with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and undergoing haemodialysis therapy. 125 respondents were recruited from the Dialysis Unit of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra, Ghana. The study adopted the sequential m...
ABSTRACT Background Antenatal care is an integral part of safe motherhood. The World Health Organization recommended a departure from the traditional routine non-evidence based to the four visit evidence–based focused antenatal care for low risk clients. The Ghana Demographic and Health Survey, 2014 reported that about 85 percent of pregnant women had four or more visits. However, whether these visits were consistent with the recommended gestational ages of visits or not is not known. This ...
ABSTRACT Background: Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) associated with the use of calcium channel blockers (CCBs) are not frequently reported in Ghana. Studies overseas have linked underreporting of ADRs to low awareness of adverse drug reactions reporting schemes, low prevalence of severe adverse drug reactions, and gender differences. In Ghana, these factors have not been examined extensively. Objectives: The general objective of this study was to determine factors that influenced reporting of ...
ABSTRACT Human urine is a valuable plant nutrient resource however; there is very little information on using urine. This research examined the use of human urine as nutrient source as well as biochar and compost as growing media for tomato (cv M2) and pepper (Capsicum annum cv bird eye) production. This was studied under greenhouse and field conditions. It further examined the perception and willingness of farmers, marketers’ and consumers to grow, sell and consume vegetables fertilized wi...
ABSTRACT Generally, medical doctors’ psychological health is left unnoticed not just by the people in society but by the doctors too. In developed countries like the USA, a lot of work has been done to assess doctors’ psychological or mental status, however developing nations like Ghana significantly fall behind. The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence of stress, anxiety and depression among medical doctors at the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital. A quantitative cross-sectional d...
ABSTRACT The study assessed nurses’ adherence to their professional codes of ethics in the course of their practice using the Sunyani Municipal Hospital (SMH) as the case for the study. As a mixed method study, seventy-nine nurses were purposively selected from various departments in the SMH. Seventy-one nurses filled questionnaires on adherence to professional ethics in nursing practice. Eight nurses took part in the in-depth interviews on adherence to nursing ethics. Descriptive statistic...
ABSTRACT Background: E-waste contains refined mixtures of plastics and chemicals, which can be unsafe for people and the environment when not handled carefully. In developing nations like Ghana where e-waste is ripped to shreds and recycled by bare hands, dangerous substances and plastics are emitted into the atmosphere through air, water, and soil. Workers around e-waste sites and those dismantling and sweltering the electronic waste to salvage valuable metals and other constituents are expo...
ABSTRACT INTRODUCTION: Increasing the proportion of birth supervised by skilled birth attendants is an internationally agreed objective. However, available data indicate that little progress has been made in Ghana and the Sub-Saharan Africa. Though there is over 80% coverage of antenatal attendance in Ghana, there is a pervasive maternal services utilization that would result in an increase in skilled supervised delivery. Yet, there may be some mediating factors that are poorly understood. OB...
ABSTRACT Background: Malaria in pregnancy is a serious public health issue which affects the mother, the fetus and the neonate. Adverse effects of malaria during pregnancy have been known over the years, but effective preventive coverage of pregnancies at risks during antenatal care and factors associated with malaria in pregnancy have been underreported in malaria-endemic countries. The objective of this study was to determine the factors associated with malaria during pregnancy among pregna...
ABSTRACT Background: The lives of the young ones are outshined by a variety of reproductive health phenomena such as unintended pregnancies, reproductive health issues and sexually transmitted infections including HIV. In Africa, particularly in Ghana, many young people engage in sexual behaviours raising their vulnerability to STIs. The main objective of this study was to investigate risky sexual behavior and sexually transmitted infections among students in MoH institutions in the Tano Nort...
ABSTRACT Introduction: Depression and anxiety may affect quality of life (Qol) and levels of medication adherence in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Very little data exist on the subject in sub-Saharan Africa. Objective: To identify the symptoms of depression and anxiety among patients with rheumatoid arthritis and assess the associations among depression, anxiety, adherence and quality of life. Methods: A hospital-based cross-sectional quantitative study was carried out on 93 patients wi...
ABSTRACT The main strategy used in the Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) initiative in Ghana has been the incorporation o f community participation in the planning and delivery o f basic Primary Health Care services. Accordingly the thrust has been on two main processes: mobilization and reorientation o f the health care system as well as mobilization o f the traditional society and social systems within which the programme operates. The CHPS programme has been adopted and i...