Birth preparedness and complications readiness among women in disadvantaged rural districts of Ghana.

INTRODUCTION: Essentially all women and babies irrespective of their economic and social status should reach their full potential for health and well-being. The study assessed the readiness of mothers and their preparedness for birth across three disadvantaged rural districts in Ghana. METHODS: A multi-centre quantitative survey from January to December 2018 using a multistage sampling approach was employed. Using a structured questionnaire data from mothers attending antenatal and postnatal clinics in three main ecological zones of Ghana were collected. Women who provided informed consent were consecutively recruited until the sample size was achieved. For categorical data, summary tables, proportions and percentage are presented. Multivariate logistic regression analysis determined the effect of selected characteristics on birth preparedness. Ethics approval was obtained from the Navrongo Health Research Centre. RESULTS: A total of 1058 mothers were enrolled: 33.6%, 33.4% and 33.0% respectively from the Ada west, Upper Denkyira west and Builsa south districts. About 94% of the women had prior knowledge of birth preparedness. Approximately 22.6% (95%CI 20.1, 25. 2) of the mothers were assessed to have poor birth preparedness: 8.0% in Builsa south, 27.8% in Ada west and 31.7% in Upper Denkyira west. Prenatal and postnatal data showed no statistically significant difference in poor preparedness (21.9% vs 23.3%; p-value > 0.05). Maternal age, employment status, religious affiliation and parity were not associated with birth preparedness (p-value > 0.05). Area of study (P < 0.001), educational level (P < 0.016), marital status (p < 0.001) and antenatal contacts (< 0.001) were significantly associated with birth preparedness. CONCLUSIONS: As an important safe motherhood strategy woman should plan their pregnancy and birth well to reduce maternal and neonatal mortality. Policy initiatives should take into consideration area of residence, education, marital status and antenatal contacts of women.

Patient treatment cost of oral diseases in Ghana.

Objectives: To estimate patient treatment cost of oral diseases in Ghana. Design: A cross-sectional study design using cost-of-illness analysis was employed. Setting: The study was conducted at the dental unit of the University of Ghana Hospital, Legon. Participants: About 185 patients attending the dental unit of the hospital were selected. Interventions: None. Main outcome measures: Direct medical and non-medical costs, indirect costs, and intangible costs of treatment of oral conditions. Results: The estimated average cost of treatment for oral diseases was US$ 35.75. The total cost was US$ 6,614.11, with the direct and indirect costs constituting 94.5% and 5.5%, respectively of the total cost. Direct medical costs constituted 86.9%, while direct non-medical costs constituted 13.1% of the total direct cost. The richer socio-economic group had the highest cost per quintile, with a mean of US$ 46.69. The intangible cost described was highest for pain (47.1%), followed by difficulty in eating (40.8%) and sleeping (34.6%) for both men and women. Conclusion: The costs of oral diseases are huge and cannot be overlooked. Oral diseases also pose significant productivity losses to patients. Funding: None declared.