Communication channels of breast cancer screening awareness campaigns among women presenting for mammography in Ghana.

OBJECTIVE: The channels and content of communication play an integral role in creating breast cancer screening awareness. Although breast cancer screening awareness campaigns are increasing in Ghana, no study has been conducted to investigate the communication channels used by these campaigns. This study aimed to identify the most effective source of breast cancer screening awareness information among women presenting for mammography in Ghana. METHODS: Ethical approval was sought prior to data collection. A cross-sectional quantitative approach was adopted for the study and involved 192 women who visited two mammography centers in October 2020 for mammography screening. A self-administered closed-ended questionnaire was used for data collection. Descriptive and inferential statistics were carried out using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 26. RESULTS: A total of 192 responses were obtained. 72 (37.5%) participants had Diploma/HND/Degree education, with 105 (54.7%) of them being traders/non-professionals. All participants had heard of mammography screening/examination prior to this study. Mass media was the most common source of information on mammography screening [86 (44.8%)], of which radio was the highest subcategory [34 (39.5%)]. Moreover, women presenting for mammography in Ghana demonstrated a high level of knowledge of breast cancer screening. DISCUSSION: Mass media is the most common source of information on breast cancer screening awareness in Ghana and has the potential to positively impact sensitization programmes by reaching out to more women. There is a need to engage the Ghanaian population using mass media and health facilities to maximize the impact of breast cancer screening awareness campaigns.

Mini-EDACS: Development of the Eating and Drinking Ability Classification System for young children with cerebral palsy.

AIM: To develop and test Mini-EDACS to describe developing eating and drinking abilities of children with cerebral palsy (CP) aged between 18 and 36 months. METHOD: The existing Eating and Drinking Ability Classification System (EDACS) was modified to define Mini-EDACS content. Mini-EDACS was developed in three stages: (1) EDACS was modified after application to videos of standardized feeding evaluations of children with CP aged 18 to 36 months (n = 130); (2) refined content and validity of Mini-EDACS was established through an international Delphi survey; (3) interobserver reliability was assessed by comparing Mini-EDACS levels assigned by speech and language therapists (SaLTs) from video data and parent report. RESULTS: Mini-EDACS provides age-appropriate descriptions for children aged 18 to 36 months with CP. Eighty-nine stakeholders participated in the Delphi survey; required levels of agreement were met after one round (i.e. >80% agreement). Thirteen SaLTs completed paired ratings from 43 video recordings: absolute agreement was 58% (kappa 0.43; intraclass correlation coefficient 0.78; 95% confidence interval 0.63-0.87). INTERPRETATION: Mini-EDACS provides a valid system for classifying eating and drinking performance of children with CP under 3 years old. Results suggest moderate agreement and good reliability when rating Mini-EDACS levels from video recordings of young children with CP.

An Experimental Intervention Study Assessing the Impact of a Thin Silicone Gel Surface Overlay on Interface Pressure.

INTRODUCTION: The incidence of pressure ulcers (PUs) presents a substantial threat to patients, especially geriatric patients, those with restricted mobility, and patients suffering from chronic diseases such as cancer. PUs creates a huge financial burden on healthcare authorities and patients, costing billions to treat and manage. Radiography and radiotherapy patients may experience medical device related (MDR) PUs and studies have shown that high interface pressure (IP) values exist for the head when placed on an X-ray table without a mattress. These high IP values pose a PU risk to patients, especially those accessing prolonged radiography/radiology and radiotherapy procedures. The current study assessed the impact on IP values for the head from using a thin silicone gel surface overlay during radiographic procedures and identified whether this reduced the risk of PUs. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A calibrated XSENSOR pressure mat was used to measure IP for the head on an X-ray table with and without a thin silicone gel surface overlay. Prior to pressure mapping, the silicone gel surface overlay was assessed for its impact on radiation attenuation and image quality. RESULTS: Study participants were 14 males (70%) and six females (30%), with an age range of 25-53 years (mean = 34.4 ± 7.0). Paired-samples t-test results indicated that there was a statistically significant decrease in the mean IP for the head on the X-ray table without the silicone gel surface overlay (mean = 83.9 ± 8.2 in mmHg) and the X-ray table with the gel surface overlay (mean = 62.4 ± 6.1 in mmHg), p ≤ 0.001. Paired-samples t-test results indicated that there was a statistically significant decrease in the mean peak pressure index (PPI) for the head on the X-ray table without the silicone gel surface overlay (mean = 205.1 ± 28.2 in mmHg) and the X-ray table with the gel surface overlay (mean = 159.8 ± 26.8 in mmHg), p ≤ 0.001. CONCLUSIONS: The use of a thin silicone gel surface overlay could reduce IP risk for the head by approximately 25%. The reduction in IP risk could have a significant impact in reducing the risk of developing a PU. To ensure maximum benefit, the silicone gel surface overlay should be evaluated to address the specific needs within radiography and radiotherapy planning and treatment settings.

Esophageal perforation by tilapia fish bone ingestion - A case report.

INTRODUCTION: Esophageal perforation (EP) is a rare, severe and challenging surgical emergency which can be caused by several factors. This report presents the case of a patient with EP caused by ingestion of a Tilapia fish bone. PRESENTATION OF CASE: A 41-year-old male patient presented with a six-day history of painful right-sided neck swelling, associated with a progressive dysphagia, regurgitation, fever and chills. Physical examination revealed an axillary temperature of 39 °C and a subcutaneous emphysema in the neck. Cervical spine x-ray and ultrasound scan revealed a neck foreign body with abscess. The case was managed by a right cervicotomy. DISCUSSION: Despite over 20-years of clinical experience in Ghana, this was the first case of EP caused by a 2 cm long Tilapia fish bone, to be treated by the authors. This is significant because tilapia consumption is very popular in Ghana and it would be predicted that such cases would be more common. It is suggested that such cases do occur more frequently but are not reported to hospitals due to cultural-spiritual beliefs. CONCLUSION: Ingestion of Tilapia fish bones can cause significant damage to the esophagus and Tilapia should be consumed with care. Ultrasound is a very useful tool with high diagnostic accuracy for EP. Further studies are needed to establish the prevalence of EP from fish bone ingestion in Ghana and the factors accounting for the mismatch between the high consumption of Tilapia across the population and the low occurrence of patients presenting with EP from fish bone ingestion.