Educational intervention to enhance the knowledge of Ghanaian health workers on Alzheimer's disease and related dementias.

BACKGROUND:  Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRDs) pose a major public health challenge in older adults. In sub-Saharan Africa, the burden of ADRD is projected to escalate amidst ill-equipped healthcare workers (HCWs). AIM:  This study aimed to assess ADRD knowledge amongst Ghanaian HCWs and improve gaps identified through a workshop. SETTING:  Study was conducted among HCWs attending a workshop in Kumasi, Ghana. METHODS:  On 18 August 2021, a workshop on ADRD was organised in Kumasi, Ghana, which was attended by 49 HCWs comprising doctors, nurses, pharmacists, social workers and nutritionists. On arrival, they answered 30 pre-test questions using the Alzheimer's Disease Knowledge Scale (ADKS). A post-test using the same questionnaire was conducted after participants had been exposed to a 4-h in-person educational content on ADRD delivered by facilitators from family medicine, neurology, geriatrics, psychiatry and public health. RESULTS:  The mean age of participants was 34.6 (± 6.82), mean years of practice was 7.7 (± 5.6) and 38.8% (n = 19) were nurses. The mean score of participants' overall knowledge was 19.8 (± 4.3) at pre-test and 23.2 (± 4.0) at post-test. Participants' pre-test and post-test scores improved in all ADKS domains. Factors associated with participants' knowledge at baseline were profession, professional rank and the highest level of education attained. After adjusting for age and sex, participant's rank, being a specialist (adjusted ß = 14.44; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 7.03, 21.85; p  0.001) was an independent predictor of knowledge on Alzheimer's disease. CONCLUSION:  Existing knowledge gaps in ADRD could be improved via continuous medical education interventions of HCWs to prepare healthcare systems in Africa for the predicted ADRD epidemic.

Carers' needs assessment for patients with dementia in Ghana.

AbstractBackground: Carers of people with dementia (PWD) face a myriad of challenges. As dementia prevalence surges in the sub-Saharan population, the provision of data on the met and unmet needs of caregivers has become paramount. AIM: This study aimed to identify the needs of carers of older adults living with dementia in Ghana. SETTING: This study was conducted in Kumasi, Ghana, among participants ≥ 18 years old, serving as carers for PWD. METHODS: This was a multicentre cross-sectional study involving carers of patients (≥ 50 years) with dementia. The authors administered the Carer's Needs Assessment for Dementia (CNA-D) questionnaire, containing 18 problem areas with interventions for each problem area. Pearson's correlation analysis was performed to establish a relationship between demographic characteristics, problem areas and intervention score. RESULTS: Fifty participants were recruited with a mean age of 48.8 (± 16.9) years, 72.0% were female participants and 98.0% were family members of PWD. The problem area most frequently identified as no/mild problem was 'legal issues' (92.0%, n = 46), and 'lack of information about dementia' was assessed as severe (48.0%, n = 24). The commonest unmet need was 'printed information material' (84.0%, n = 42), and the commonest met need was 'diagnosis and treatment of carer by a general practitioner' (42.0%, n = 21). There was a statistically negative correlation between age of carer and number of unmet needs (r = -0.308, p = 0.011) and a positive correlation between problem area score and number of unmet needs (r = 0.308, p = 0.030). CONCLUSION: Effective public education and provision of information on dementia to carers are essential interventions needed to equip them in performing their roles.Contribution: Carers in this study revealed that they lacked information on dementia but their commonest met need was accessibility to their general practitioner. This highlights the importance of promoting knowledge and awareness of dementia among primary care practitioners.

A cross-sectional self-assessment of burnout amongst a sample of doctors in Ghana.

BACKGROUND: The occurrence of burnout amongst African health professionals has been widely anticipated, but there is a dearth of published data, especially amongst doctors. Burnout has been reported to be as high as 53% amongst doctors in the United States. If not detected, it can result in prescription errors, work-related accidents, substance abuse and depression. AIM: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of burnout and its associated factors amongst a sample of physicians in Ghana. SETTING: This study was conducted in Kumasi amongst physicians attending a conference organised by the West African College of Physicians, Ghana Chapter. METHOD: A cross-sectional study. Of the 90 physicians who registered for the conference, 60 responded to a self-administered Maslach Burnout Inventory questionnaire. Data were analysed descriptively and inferentially using STATA® version 14. RESULTS: Approximately 52% of respondents had been in medical practice for 10-19 years (mean 15.4 years). All the major medical specialties were represented. Internal Medicine had the highest number of participants (48.3%). With respect to the components of burnout, 5.5% of respondents experienced depersonalisation, 7.8% had a lack of personal achievement and 10.8% experienced emotional exhaustion. The association between burnout and age, sex, years of practice and clinical specialty was not found to be statistically significant. CONCLUSION: This pilot study has shown burnout to be common amongst physicians in Ghana. It is recommended that further studies are conducted, involving a larger cross-section of doctors in various parts of Africa.

A cross-sectional self-assessment of burnout amongst a sample of doctors in Ghana

Background: The occurrence of burnout amongst African health professionals has been widely anticipated, but there is a dearth of published data, especially amongst doctors. Burnout has been reported to be as high as 53% amongst doctors in the United States. If not detected, it can result in prescription errors, work-related accidents, substance abuse and depression. Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of burnout and its associated factors amongst a sample of physicians in Ghana. Setting: This study was conducted in Kumasi amongst physicians attending a conference organised by the West African College of Physicians, Ghana Chapter. Method: A cross-sectional study. Of the 90 physicians who registered for the conference, 60 responded to a self-administered Maslach Burnout Inventory questionnaire. Data were analysed descriptively and inferentially using STATA® version 14. Results: Approximately 52% of respondents had been in medical practice for 10­19 years (mean 15.4 years). All the major medical specialties were represented. Internal Medicine had the highest number of participants (48.3%). With respect to the components of burnout, 5.5% of respondents experienced depersonalisation, 7.8% had a lack of personal achievement and 10.8% experienced emotional exhaustion. The association between burnout and age, sex, years of practice and clinical specialty was not found to be statistically significant. Conclusion: This pilot study has shown burnout to be common amongst physicians in Ghana. It is recommended that further studies are conducted, involving a larger cross-section of doctors in various parts of Africa