Ownership and usage of insecticide-treated nets in Ghana: a scoping review of facilitators and barriers.

BACKGROUND: Insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) are pivotal tools for malaria prevention in endemic regions like Ghana. Understanding the protective factors and barriers influencing ITN ownership and usage is crucial for designing effective interventions. A scoping review was conducted to identify studies exploring protective factors and barriers related to ITN ownership and usage. METHODS: This review followed the guidelines by Askey and O'Malley. Search was done in four major databases including PubMed, Science Direct, PubMed CENTRAL, and JSTOR. Additional searches were done in Google Scholar and Google. Peer-reviewed and grey literature were included. RESULTS: A total of 24 papers met the eligibility criteria and were included in the review. Included studies found regional disparities in ITN ownership and usage. Furthermore, included studies reported ownership rates between 97.8 and 28% and usage rates between 94 and 20%. Protective factors facilitating ITN ownership were marital status, higher educational attainment, higher income levels, and being aged 25 years or older. In contrast, the factors for its use included community-level campaigns advocating for ITN use and awareness, individuals with secondary education or higher and those residing in urban areas. Missed opportunities in free distribution exercises and the unavailability of subsidized ITNs at health facilities were barriers to ownership. CONCLUSION: Understanding and addressing protective factors and barriers influencing ITN ownership and usage are crucial for enhancing malaria prevention strategies and achieving sustainable progress in combating malaria in endemic areas. Collaborative and evidence-based interventions are essential for addressing these challenges effectively.

Self-management interventions for gestational diabetes in Africa: a scoping review.

BACKGROUND: Gestational diabetes (GD) can threaten the health of both the mother and the foetus if it is not effectively managed. While there exists a growing body of research on self-management interventions for GD, there is a lack of reviewed studies regarding the various self-management interventions in Africa. The purpose of this review is to map the evidence of self-management interventions for GD in Africa. METHODS: Searches for records were conducted in four major databases, including PubMed, PubMed Central, Science Direct and Journal Storage. Additional documents from Google and Google Scholar were also added. The guidelines for conducting scoping reviews by Arksey and O'Malley were followed. RESULTS: The results revealed that intermittent fasting, education on diet, insulin injection, blood glucose monitoring, physical activities, lifestyle modification and foot care were the available self-management interventions for GD in Africa. Most of the reviewed studies reported intermittent fasting and patient education as effective self-management interventions for GD in Africa. The barriers identified in the reviewed studies were either patient-related or facility-related. Patient-related barriers included lack of awareness, and negative attitude, while facility-related barriers included lack of access to education on GD, especially, face-to-face educational interventions. CONCLUSION: It is crucial to consider the cultural and personal needs, as well as the educational level of women with gestational diabetes when creating an effective self-management intervention. Optimal results can be achieved for self-management of gestational diabetes by integrating multidisciplinary approaches.

Barriers and outcomes of therapeutic communication between nurses and patients in Africa: a scoping review.

BACKGROUND: Therapeutic communication (TC) promotes effective patient care, emotional wellbeing, and improves patient outcomes. The purpose of this review was to synthesise evidence on barriers and outcomes of TC between nurses and patients in Africa and to inform future studies and systematic reviews. METHODS: Search for the records was done in four major databases including PubMed, Science Direct, PubMed CENTRAL, and JSTOR. Additional searches were done in Google Scholar and Google. Results and findings from published studies and grey literature were included. A total of 16 articles met the eligibility criteria and were included in the review. This scoping review followed the guidelines by Askey and O'Malley. RESULTS: Barriers associated with TC were grouped under five main themes: sociodemographic factors, patient-related factors, nurse-related factors, environmental and health service-related. Age, and religious beliefs were the main sociodemographic factors that hindered TC while stress and inadequate knowledge and skills were identified among the nurse-related barriers to TC. Extreme weather conditions and mosquito infestation were environmental factors while lack of access to TC educational programmes on TC was a health service-related factor that interfered with TC. Both positive and negative outcomes of TC were also identified. CONCLUSION: Continuous professional development on TC is necessary to improve nurses' attitudes and update their skills to enable them to render culturally competent nursing care to patients.

Psychosocial experiences of patients diagnosed with COVID-19 at a teaching hospital in Ghana.

Objectives: The number of people affected with COVID-19 keeps rising globally resulting in increasing fear and anxiety among patients and their families. However, literature on the psychosocial experiences of these patients with COVID-19 in Africa is limited. Hence, this research explored the psychosocial experiences of patients infected with COVID-19 and undergoing treatment. Methods: The study employed a qualitative phenomenological approach. The sampling technique chosen for this study was purposive with a sample size of 34 determined by data saturation. Participants were selected from Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Ghana, and were interviewed face-face using a semi-structured interview guide. Data were analyzed using Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis. Results: Two main themes and seven sub-themes were generated from this study. The two themes included emotional burden of COVID-19 patients and effects of COVID-19 on patients and relatives. Sub-themes formulated under the emotional burden were reactions to COVID-19 diagnosis, suicidal thoughts, and sadness by fear of the unknown. Social restriction/isolation, stigmatization and disclosure, effect of COVID-19, and positive attitudes of staff emerged under the effect of COVID-19 on patients and relatives. Conclusion: Even though the recovery rate of COVID-19 has improved since the introduction of the COVID-19 vaccine, there is generally a global surge with respect to the incidence of the condition and an increasing number of patients on admission. Most interventions are targeted at the prevention of the disease than the effect of the psychosocial experience on the quality of life of the individuals affected which is equally essential. It is therefore recommended that current studies focus on improving the quality of life of those affected.