ABSTRACT Background: The Brong Ahafo Region of Ghana has consistently recorded increase in HIV prevalence over the past 3 years with an average prevalence of 2.7%. Nonetheless, Sunyani the capital of the Brong Ahafo Region of Ghana recorded an HIV prevalence of 4.2% far above the National average of 2.4%. In view of that, this study sought to assess factors associated with HIV prevalence in the Sunyani municipality of Ghana. Method: A facility based cross sectional study was conducted in thre...
ABSTRACT Context: Though Ghana has one of the most liberalized abortion laws, maternal mortality from abortion is twenty three percent. Most of these abortions are due to unsafe illegal abortions. Public and health providers‟ knowledge and perceptions about abortion law affect access to safe abortion services. The main objective of the study is to determine the level of knowledge and perception of the abortion law of Ghana among different population sub- groups in the Ayawaso West Sub-Metr...
ABSTRACT Background With improved survival after the introduction of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), non-AIDS-related morbidity and mortality have come to the forefront in the management ofHIV patients. HAART has been linked to the development of several risk factors for cardiovascular disease including insulin resistance and hyperlipidemia, but its mfluence on hypertensIon requires further study. The general objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of hypertensio...
ABSTRACT Introduction: Sub-optimal adherence is known to be one of the most common causes of poor treatment outcomes and /or lack of sustained treatment benefits. In the use of ARVs for the management of HIV infection in PMTCT, adherence is key for therapeutic success to be achieved and to ensure undetectable viral load at time of delivery. This reduces the risk of HIV transmission to the infant. In 2011, HIV/AIDS estimation for Ghana indicated that 2,933 babies were infected with HIV throug...
ABSTRACT Background In the process of delivering healthcare to patients, nurses in the quest to meet up with the pressures at work and to satisfy each patient tend to devise irregular approaches to work rather than adhering to the universal precautions. This predisposes them to occupational injuries and risks, such as needle stick injuries, leading to time and efficiency loss resulting in low productivity at the work place. Objectives The main objective of the study was to determine the level...
ABSTRACT Postnatal period is a very critical stage for both the mothers and their babies. The importance of postnatal care services has been established in various studies globally. Yet postpartum care is the most neglected aspect of women’s health care, not only in developing countries but also in some developed countries. In Ghana 23% of postpartum mothers do not receive postnatal at all. This study seeks to explore contributory factors associated with low postnatal service utilization in...
ABSTRACT Introduction: Hyperbilirubinemia is a common neonatal condition and in most instances, a benign problem in infants. It occurs in close to 60 percent of all term babies worldwide. In Ghana, neonatal jaundice was found to be part of the top five causes of neonatal mortality. In the Trauma and Specialist Hospital, Winneba, it was the sixth most common cause of admission and the seventh most common cause of death in 2016 and 2017 respectively. Methods: This qualitative case study assesse...
ABSTRACT Background of study Improper management of waste remains a major developmental issue and contributor to the pollution especially in developing countries. The most widely used waste disposal method IS landfill which is usually open dumpsites without recovery systems to prevent gases and leachates from escaping into the environment. Due to the inability to prevent these pollutants, human beings are exposed to different air pollutants which include heavy metals. Heavy metals such as cad...
ABSTRACT Background: Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) is the accumulation of lymphoblasts in the bone marrow as a result of malignant transformation resulting in proliferation of immature lymphoid progenitors or lymphoblasts. It results from perturbation of several genetic loci. The chimeric BCR-ABL1 gene fusion is one of such genetic alterations. Even though the presence of BCR-ABL1 has been associated with poor prognosis, the incorporation of tyrosine kinase inhibitors in treatment proto...
ABSTRACT Electronic Health Records (EHR) are being flaunted as the “perfect” replacement for paperbased patient records yet many researches show that adoption and success rate of this Information Technology is less than satisfactory. Involvement of users in system specification and evaluation of performance of EHR has been suggested in literature as one key factor towards successful realization of EHR benefits. The study compares EHR users’ level of benefit realization expectations and ...
ABSTRACT Background: Frequent cycles of reproduction (short interpregnancy interval) have been viewed as a risk factor for poor pregnancy outcomes, particularly low birth weight which may increase infant mortality. Objective: The purpose of the study was to compare the effect of long and short reproductive cycle on pregnancy outcome and maternal nutritional status. Method: A total of eighty-four pregnant women in their third trimester were enrolled in the study and were followed up till deliv...
ABSTRACT Road traffic injuries among motorcyclists have persisted as a serious public health problem and much of the health burden is in developing countries. Over-speeding, poor enforcement of traffic regulations, nonuse of helmets and protective attires as well as overloading of passengers have been highly implicated in road traffic injuries in developing countries. The aim of this study was to determine the level of knowledge, attitude and practice concerning road safety measures in preve...
ABSTRACT The research was conducted to identify reasons why women attend Child Welfare Clinic (CWC) for a shorter duration as recommended. The study had three objectives and these were, to establish nursing mother‘s perception of the benefits of CWC, determine factors that motivate mother‘s to continue to attend CWC until the fifth birthday of their child or children and determine factors that influence the duration of CWC attendance. The study used both qualitative and quantitative metho...
ABSTRACT Background: To remove the financial hitches to access to health care services and to guarantee equitable access to quality services especially by the poor and vulnerable, the government of Ghana passed the National Health Insurance Law, 2003 (Act 650) and the National Health Insurance Regulations, 2004(L.I 1809 (Government of Ghana (GoG), 2004). The study seeks to determine factors influencing the National Health Insurance Scheme renewal. Aim: The objective of the study was to assess...
ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Hearing loss is often referred to as the invisible handicap and has been defined as debilitating, isolating and a frequently occurring abnormality present at birth. Early identification of hearing loss is important because early auditory deprivation owing to congenital or early-onset hearing loss interferes with the development of the neural structures necessary for hearing and subsequent speech and language acquisition. Data on neonatal hearing screening in Ghana is ver...