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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.
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INTRODUCTION: The COVID-19 pandemic has had significant impact on clinical radiography educational activities including teaching, research, and clinical placement. The study aimed to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on clinical radiography education in a low-resource setting from the perspectives of students and educators. METHODS: A cross-sectional online survey was conducted between December 2020 and March 2021. Participants included student radiographers and educators from six clinical radiography training institutions in Ghana. Conventional descriptive statistics, frequency, and thematic text analysis were undertaken. RESULTS: 291 valid responses were received involving 277 students and 14 educators. Most of the respondents, predominantly students did not find the online platforms for learning user-friendly. Key challenges to clinical radiography training during the pandemic included poor internet connectivity (73.8%), inadequate time for academic discussions (50.9%), and the reluctance of health facilities to accept students for clinical placement (51%). Challenges with data collection and the provision of supervision were issues associated with research activities. DISCUSSION: The findings suggest the COVID-19 pandemic has had significant impact on clinical radiography education in Ghana and other countries of similar resource availability. CONCLUSION: Clinical radiography training institutions need to customize approaches to education. Adopting blended learning approaches as well as the use of simulation to augment practical placement opportunities are new modes of instruction that will maximize learning experience.
