Unveiling how Clinical Nursing Education can be Improved in Northern Ghana: The Perspectives of Key Informants.

Introduction: Clinical nursing education is an important component of the professional development of nursing students. Key informants such as nursing lecturers, nurse managers and clinical placement coordinators play an essential role in clinical education. Purpose: The purpose of the study was to explore the perspectives of key informants on how the current state of clinical nursing education in Northern Ghana can be improved. Methods: The study used an exploratory qualitative design. Sixteen participants were purposively selected and data were collected through face-to-face individual interviews. Data were analysed using framework analysis. Findings: The study findings indicate that clinical nursing education can be improved by decreasing the overcrowding of students in the clinical setting, decreasing the theory-practice gap and providing relevant material resources in the clinical facilities. Also, nursing education institutions can improve clinical nursing education by equipping the skills laboratories, engaging an adequate number of lecturers, and carrying out clinical accompaniment. Conclusion: There is a need to improve clinical education through collaboration between nursing education institutions and clinical facilities. Effective collaboration will ensure the planning of clinical placement to avoid overcrowding, provision of continuous professional development programmes for preceptors and improvement in clinical supervision. Also, the provision of material resources in skills laboratories and clinical facilities to enhance clinical teaching should be given priority.

Determinants and preventive practices of midwives and physicians toward vertical transmission of hepatitis B in Ghana: a cross-sectional survey.

Introduction: countries in sub-Saharan Africa, including Ghana, are disproportionately affected by hepatitis B viral (HBV) infection. In these areas, mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) is an essential mode of HBV transmission. Evidently, timely hepatitis B birth dose vaccination remains an effective preventive intervention against MTCT of HBV. Considering that midwives and physicians are the primary care providers of newborns in Ghana, we sought to examine their preventive practices toward vertical transmission of HBV in the eastern region of Ghana. Methods: a cross-sectional survey was conducted with 126 healthcare providers (HCP; midwives and physicians). The participants were conveniently recruited from one regional hospital and four district hospitals. Statistical significance was set at 0.05 alpha level. Results: the findings indicate that 42.9% (n = 54) of HCPs' prevention of mother to child transmission (PMTCT) practices for hepatitis B were good (X2 = 2.57, p > 0.05). Explicitly, 79% indicated screening all pregnant women for hepatitis B as part of antenatal care (X2 = 41.14, p < 0.001). Additionally, about half of the participants (52.4%) reported providing pre-test counselling (X2 = 0.29, p > 0.05), whereas one-third (33%) reported routinely administering a birth dose of the hepatitis B vaccine to neonates of mothers with hepatitis B (X2 = 14.00, p < 0.001). However, only 37% reported administering the hepatitis B vaccine to newborns within 12 hours of birth (X2 = 9.18, p < 0.01). The binary logistic regression analyses identified training as the only significant predictor of good practice on PMTCT of hepatitis B at the 5% level (Wald = 3.91, p =0.05). Conclusion: given that more than half of the participants in the study area had incorrect PMTCT practices for hepatitis B, it is imperative that a series of workshops on hepatitis B be done for healthcare providers in Ghana. In addition, hepatitis B birth dose vaccine must be incorporated into the ´Expanded Programme on Immunisation´ to remove the cost that acts as a barrier to access.

Perceived Barriers of Child Adoption: A Qualitative Study among Women with Infertility in Northern Ghana.

BACKGROUND: Having a child is important among married women in Northern Ghana. Among married women, infertility is the main factor causing childlessness. Child adoption provides an alternative for married women to have children. The purpose of the study was to explore the perceived barriers of child adoption among women with infertility. METHODS: The study used an exploratory qualitative approach to understand barriers of child adoption. The study was conducted among 15 women attending fertility clinic in a mission hospital in Northern Ghana. Participants were purposively recruited and data collected by individual face-to-face in-depth interviews. The interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and analysed using content analysis. Data were collected between January and March, 2016, in an office in the hospital. RESULTS: The results suggest that barriers of child adoption include negative reaction of husbands, psychological dissatisfaction, and family dynamics. It was realised that husbands' reaction includes preference for biological children and marrying of second wives. Child adoption was psychologically dissatisfying to participants with some suggesting that it will make no difference and is a sign of acceptance of defeat in the quest to have biological children. The study findings also suggested that family dynamics that could hinder the practice of child adoption includes high value for blood relations, blaming of the woman, unpredictable family influence, discrimination against the adopted child, and family not allowing the adopted child to inherit property. CONCLUSION: The preference for biological children is by far an outstanding barrier and a major influence of all the emanating barriers associated with child adoption. There is the need for public education and special counselling session for husbands and other family members on child adoption as an alternative solution for infertility.

Exploring the Determinants of Antenatal Care Services Uptake: A Qualitative Study among Women in a Rural Community in Northern Ghana.

BACKGROUND: Global evidence has shown significant contribution of Antenatal care (ANC) in the detection and treatment of pregnancy related complications. Over the years, many areas in Ghana have recorded high uptake of ANC. However, this is not the case for Binduri district in Northern Ghana where only 37.4% of pregnant women utilised the services of ANC during their period of pregnancy compared to a national figure of 87%. We therefore sought to explore the determinants of ANC uptake among women who failed to utilise ANC services during their period of pregnancy in Binduri District in Northern Ghana. METHODOLOGY: The study was an exploratory descriptive study using purposive sampling technique. A total of 15 women who met the inclusion criteria for the study were recruited for a face-to-face interview. The data were analysed using the procedure of inductive thematic analysis. RESULTS: The study findings showed that several factors hindered the use of ANC among our participants. The individual factors that were responsible for nonutilisation of ANC included financial constraints hindering registration with the national health insurance scheme, excuses of being busy, perception that pregnancy was not sickness and concentration on work. Perceived poor attitude of nurses was the only health system factor that contributed to non utilisation of ANC services. CONCLUSION: There is the need for establishment of registration centres of the national health insurance in all communities to make the scheme more accessible. There should also be intensive public education on importance of attending ANC.