Impact of cervical cancer on the sexual and physical health of women diagnosed with cervical cancer in Ghana: A qualitative phenomenological study.

INTRODUCTION: Although cervical cancer is preventable, it is a major gynecological disorder among women currently. More than 500,000 new cases of cervical cancer are being diagnosed across the globe, with one woman dying of cervical cancer every 2 min. In addition, about half of cervical cancer survivors have challenges with their sexual function. Despite these findings, literature regarding the sexual function of women with cervical cancer is scanty. The study aims to assess cervical cancer's impact on the sexual and physical health of women diagnosed with cervical cancer in Ghana. METHODS: The researchers of this study employed a qualitative approach with phenomenological design. A purposive sampling technique was used to select 30 participants engaged in face-to-face in-depth interviews that were audio-recorded. The content of the transcripts was analyzed using content analysis. RESULTS: This study revealed that cervical cancer patients experienced low libido due to the cervical cancer symptoms and the side effects of chemotherapy. This low libido made them divert their sexual gratification from the vagina to other centers of the body. Findings further revealed that some participants showed apathy toward their partners' sexual feelings. Some physical problems experienced by the participants were also unraveled. CONCLUSION: Cervical cancer affects all aspects of a woman's health, including sexual function and physical well-being. Therefore, there is the need for more to help address challenges faced by cervical cancer women about their sexual and physical health.

Exploring self-management in adult sickle cell disease patients' at a Teaching Hospital in Ghana.

AIM: To evaluate the relationships among self-efficacy, uncertainty, self-management and emergency hospital visits yearly among adult sickle cell disease patients' and related demographics at a Teaching Hospital in Ghana. DESIGN: A quantitative cross-sectional design. METHOD: A purposive and convenience sample of 85 adult clients from a sickle cell clinic in Ghana completed research instruments. Data collection occurred in March and April 2019. Instruments used were the self-efficacy scale, self-care agency scale, Mishel uncertainty scale and socio-demographic variables. Pearson correlation and regression techniques were used for analysis. FINDINGS: The correlation results showed a low positive and significant correlation between self-efficacy and self-management (r = 0.357, p < .01), a significant moderate negative relationship between self-efficacy and uncertainty (r = -0.459, p < .01) and a significant low negative relationship between self-management and uncertainty. For the regression, employment (p = .003) and marital status (p = .002) significantly predicted self-management among others. CONCLUSION: Self-efficacy had positive and significant relationship with self-management. Similarly, patients with family support and employment experienced better self-management. Furthermore, patients with higher education and living with family had reduced illness uncertainty. Thus, the findings can improve self-care measures and mitigate illness uncertainty for better health outcomes.

The imperative of evidence-based health workforce planning and implementation: lessons from nurses and midwives unemployment crisis in Ghana.

Following periods of health workforce crisis characterised by a severe shortage of nurses, midwives and doctors due to low production rates and excessive out-migration, the Government of Ghana through the Ministry of Health (MOH) responded by expanding training and allowing private sector involvement in the training of health workers especially nurses and midwives. This resulted in substantial increases in the production levels of nurses and midwives even above the projections of the MOH. In this paper, we discuss how a strategy that was seemingly well planned suffered a decade of uncorrected implementation lapses resulting in a lingering need-based shortage of nurses and midwives at service delivery points whilst thousands of trained nurses and midwives remained unemployed for up to 4 years and constantly protesting for jobs. In the short term, we argue that the Government of Ghana would need to increase investment to recruit trained and unemployed nurses and midwives whilst a comprehensive health labour market analysis is conducted to provide robust evidence towards the development of a long-term health workforce plan that would guide future production of nurses and midwives. The Government of Ghana may also explore the option of a managed migration programme to export nurses/midwives to countries that are already destinations to individual migration initiatives in a bid to mitigate the potential skill loss associated with long periods of unemployment after training, especially for those who trained from the private institutions.

Nurses and midwives demographic shift in Ghana-the policy implications of a looming crisis.

As part of measures to address severe shortage of nurses and midwives, Ghana embarked on massive scale-up of the production of nurses and midwives which has yielded remarkable improvements in nurse staffing levels. It has, however, also resulted in a dramatic demographic shift in the nursing and midwifery workforce in which 71 to 93% of nurses and midwives by 2018 were 35 years or younger, as compared with 2.8 to 44% in 2008. In this commentary, we examine how the drastic generational transition could adversely impact on the quality of nursing care and how the educational advancement needs of the young generation of the nursing and midwifery workforce are not being met. We propose the institution of a national nursing and midwifery mentorship programme and a review of the study leave policy to make it flexible and be based on a comprehensive training needs assessment of the nursing and midwifery workforce. We further advocate that policymakers should also consider upgrading all professional nursing and midwifery programmes to bachelor degrees as this would not only potentially enhance the quality of training but also address the phenomenon of large numbers of nurses and midwives seeking bachelor degree training soon after employment-sometimes putting them at the offending side of organisational policy.

"We'll check vital signs only till we finish the school": experiences of student nurses regarding intra-semester clinical placement in Ghana.

BACKGROUND: Clinical practicum is an integral part of nursing education because it provides students with opportunities to perform nursing care and practice specific nursing tasks. In Ghana, little is known about the experiences of baccalaureate student nurses with regard to intra-semester clinical practicum. This study therefore, explored perceptions, challenges, and how the intra-semester clinical practicum affects the learning process of student nurses in a private university in Ghana. METHODS: Exploratory descriptive phenomenological design was used. Nine in-depth interviews and three focus group discussions were conducted for baccalaureate student nurses in their second, third and fourth years of study. Only those who have attended intra-semester clinical practicum for at least two semesters in the course of their study were recruited. Purposive sampling technique was used to select the participants. The sample size was based on data saturation, however, a total of 33 participants were recruited. Data was analysed using content analysis technique. RESULTS: The findings show that baccalaureate student nurses perceive the intra-semester clinical practicum as beneficial. It affords the opportunity to translate theoretical knowledge into practice concurrently. However, students recounted their stressful experiences during the clinical period which negatively affected their academic work. Additionally, staff nurses assigned the students to do menial jobs instead of appropriate nursing tasks. CONCLUSIONS: A review of the "block" method in which students will go to clinicals for a stipulated number of consecutive days in a month and then resume lectures, is worth considering.