Situational analysis of lymphatic filariasis morbidity in Ahanta West District of Ghana.
Trop Med Int Health
; 21(2): 236-44, 2016 Feb.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-26584839
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES:
Situational analysis of lymphatic filariasis (LF) morbidity and its management in Ahanta West, Ghana, to identify potential barrier to healthcare for LF patients.METHODS:
Lymphoedema and hydrocoele patients were identified by community health workers from a subset of villages, and were interviewed and participated in focus group discussions to determine their attitudes and practices towards managing their morbidity, and their perceived barriers to accessing care. Local health professionals were also interviewed to obtain their views on the availability of morbidity management services in the district.RESULTS:
Sixty-two patients (34 lymphoedema and 28 hydrocoeles) and 13 local health professionals were included in the study. Lymphoedema patients predominantly self-managed their conditions, which included washing with soap and water (61.8%), and exercising the affected area (52.9%). Almost 65% of patients had sought medical assistance at some stage, but support was generally limited to receiving tablets (91%). Local health professionals reported rarely seeing lymphoedema patients, citing stigma and lack of provisions to assist patients as a reason for this. Almost half of hydrocoele patients (44%) chose not to seek medical assistance despite the negative impact it had on their lives. Whilst surgery itself is free with national health insurance, 63% those who had not sought treatment stated that indirect costs of surgery (travel costs, loss of earnings, etc.) were the most prohibitive factor to seeking treatment.CONCLUSIONS:
The information obtained from this study should now be used to guide future morbidity strategies in building a stronger relationship between the local health services and LF patients, to ultimately improve patients' physical, psychological and economic wellbeing.Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Autocuidado
/
Filariose Linfática
/
Aceitação pelo Paciente de Cuidados de Saúde
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Gerenciamento Clínico
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Serviços de Saúde
/
Acessibilidade aos Serviços de Saúde
Tipo de estudo:
Etiology_studies
/
Health_economic_evaluation
/
Prognostic_studies
/
Qualitative_research
Limite:
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
País/Região como assunto:
Africa
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Trop Med Int Health
Assunto da revista:
MEDICINA TROPICAL
/
SAUDE PUBLICA
Ano de publicação:
2016
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
Reino Unido