Browsing by Author "Amponsah, J."
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Item Assessing Managers and Staff Perceptions of the Benefits of Implementing an Electronic Health Record (EHR) System: A Case Study of the Ghana Atomic and Energy Commission Clinic.(University of Ghana, 2018-07) Amponsah, J.Health Information Technologies such as Electronic Health Records (EHRs) is considered by health care professionals, consumers and policy makers to be fundamental in transforming the health care industry. Given the complex nature of the health care industry, the limitations of using paper-based medical records are obvious, hence a transition of traditional paper-based medical records to electronic health recording system. EHR is known to reduce loads of medical records keeping, quality of care and improved health workers productivity and clients-provider interaction. The situation was not different at the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission Clinic (GAECC) where this study was conducted after three (3) years of implementing an EHR. The study assessed managers and staffs‘ perception on the expected benefits, realized benefits and the challenges encountered during and after implementing the EHR. Quantitative method was used to achieve the objectives which used structured questionnaire as the main data gathering tool. Respondents were selected based on those who had access or used the EHR system. The level of perception for benefits was assessed based on the following indicators, Quality of care, Evidence-based & patient safety, Communication and coordination of care, Efficiency, Patient experience and involvement in care and Usefulness of system. Descriptive univariate analysis was used to describe the demographic characteristics of the respondents. Whereas t-test and Oneway Anova was done to determine the difference between the perception of expected benefits and the benefits that were realized after all the dependent variables were rated and the average means of all created composite variables were calculated. The results showed that staff stakeholders had high perceptions of EHR to yield benefits like Quality of Care, Communication, Co-ordination of care, Efficiency and Patient Experience and Involvement.Item Elevated Levels of the Endothelial Molecules ICAM-1, VEGF-A, and VEGFR2 in Microscopic Asymptomatic Malaria(Open Forum Infectious Diseases, 2021) Frimpong, A.; Amponsah, J.; Agyemang, D.; Adjokatseh, A.S.; Eyiah-Ampah, S.; Ennuson, N.A.; Obir, D.; Amoah, L.E.; Kusi, K.A.Background. In malaria, clinical disease has been associated with increased levels of endothelial activation due to the sequestration of infected erythrocytes. However, the levels and impact of endothelial activation and pro-angiogenic molecules such as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)–A and its receptor vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR2) in asymptomatic malaria have not been well characterized. Methods. Blood samples were obtained from community children for malaria diagnosis using microscopy and polymerase chain reaction. A multiplex immunoassay was used to determine the levels of intracellular adhesion molecule (ICAM)–1, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)–A, and VEGFR2 in the plasma of children with microscopic or submicroscopic asymptomatic parasitemia and compared with levels in uninfected controls. Results. Levels of ICAM-1, VEGF-A, and VEGFR2 were significantly increased in children with microscopic asymptomatic parasitemia compared with uninfected controls. Also, levels of VEGF-A were found to be inversely associated with age. Additionally, a receiver operating characteristic analysis revealed that plasma levels of ICAM-1 (area under the curve [AUC], 0.72) showed a moderate potential in discriminating between children with microscopic malaria from uninfected controls when compared with VEGF-A (AUC, 0.67) and VEGFR2 (AUC, 0.69). Conclusions. These data imply that endothelial activation and pro-angiogenic growth factors could be one of the early host responders during microscopic asymptomatic malaria and may play a significant role in disease pathogenesis.Item Evaluation of water, sanitation and hygiene status of COVID-19 healthcare facilities in Ghana using the WASH FIT approach(Creative Commons, 2021) Ashinyo, M.E.; Amegah, K.E.; Dubik, S.D.; Ntow-Kummi, G.; Adjei, M.K.; Amponsah, J.; Ayivase, J.T.; Amoah, S.; Ashinyo, A.; Sodzi-Tettey, S.; Awekeya, H.; Codjoe, A.; Tegbey, I.E.; Kwakye, A.T.O.; Akoriyea, S.K.Access to improved water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) is essential for the delivery of high-quality care in healthcare facilities and the prevention of hospital-acquired infections such as the transmission of the SARS-CoV-2. In addition, unimpeded access to WASH facilities in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) treatment centres (TCs) is central in facilitating compliance with infection prevention and control protocols. However, data for the WASH status of COVID-19 TCs in Ghana are limited. We evaluated the WASH status of seven COVID-19 TCs in Ghana using the WHO/UNICEF water and sanitation for health facility improvement tool (WASH FIT). The water domain had the highest number of indicators meeting standards with an average percentage score of 90.5% (range: 66.7–100%) across the seven TCs, followed by management (66.9%) and hygiene (58.7%). The TCs performed poorly in the sanitation and healthcare waste domain, with an average percentage score of 44.6% (range: 22.2–75%). These findings highlight the challenges being faced by COVID-19 TCs in implementing WASH services. Specific WASH interventions are urgently required to strengthen WASH services in the COVID-19 TCs. This should precede the prioritisation of resources to WASH infrastructure in the treatment facilities coupled with actions that involve all stakeholders.Item Histopathological lesions and exposure to Plasmodium falciparum infections in the placenta increases the risk of preeclampsia among pregnant women(Scientific Reports, 2020-05-19) Obiri, D.; Erskine, I.J.; Oduro, D.; Kusi, K.A.; Amponsah, J.; Gyan, B.A.; Adu-Bonsaffoh, K.; Ofori, M.F.Preeclampsia (PE) is a placental disorder with different phenotypic presentations. In malaria-endemic regions, high incidence of PE is reported, with debilitating foeto-maternal effects, particularly among primigravid women. However, the relationship between placental pathology and Plasmodium falciparum infection in the placenta with PE is underexplored. Placentas from 134 pregnant women were examined after delivery for pathological lesions and placental malaria (PM). They comprised of 69 women without PE (non-PE group) and 65 women diagnosed with PE (PE group). The presence of placental pathology increased the risk of PE, with particular reference to syncytial knots. Placental malaria was 64 (48.1%) and 21 (15.8%) respectively for active and past infections and these proportions were significantly higher in the PE group compared to the non-PE group. Further multivariate analyses showed placental pathology (adjusted (aOR) 3.0, 95% CI = 1.2–7.5), active PM (aOR 6.7, 95% CI = 2.3–19.1), past PM (aOR 12.4, 95% CI = 3.0–51.0) and primigravidity (aOR 6.6, 95% CI 2.4–18.2) to be associated with PE. Our findings suggest that placental histological changes and PM are independent risk factors for PE particularly in primigravida. These findings might improve the management of PE in malaria-endemic regions.Item In situ morphometric characterization of Aframomum melegueta accessions in Ghana(In situ morphometric characterization of Aframomum melegueta accessions in Ghana, 2013-01) Amponsah, J.; Adamtey, N.; Elegba, W.; Danso, K.E.In spite of the huge economic importance of Aframomum melegueta in the herbal and pharmaceutical industries, its production is limited by lack of planting materials (propagules). The plant also lacks scientific descriptors, which has often led to misidentification with adverse health implications.We thereforeaimed atdeveloping adescriptor list to facilitate the identification of A. melegueta using 34 morphometric traits comprising 18 quantitative and 16 qualitative characters. The morphological traits showed that A. melegueta has a characteristic stolon that produces tillers instead of rhizomes. The unweighted pair group method with arithmetic mean using both the nearest-neighbour and complete-linkage methods based on the 34 morphometric traits clustered the eight accessions into two main groups based on ecological location. The accessions from the Eastern and Ashanti regions were separated at similarity coefficients of 0.822and 0.644, respectively, with ahighly significant discriminant function. The Eastern accessionswere further clustered into red or yellow fruits at similarity indexes of 0.936 and 0.865 using the nearest-neighbour and complete-linkage methods, respectively. The present study has shown that morphometric traits of A. melegueta are greatly influenced by its ecological habitat. It is envisaged that the descriptor list developed coupled with a morphometric description would enhance its identification and utilization. © The Authors 2013.Item Phenotypic evidence of T cell exhaustion and senescence during symptomatic plasmodium falciparum Malaria(Frontiers in Immunology, 2019-06-18) Frimpong, A.; Kusi, K.A.; Adu-Gyasi, D.; Amponsah, J.; Ofori, M.F.; Ndifon, W.T cells play significant roles during Plasmodium falciparum infections. Their regulation of the immune response in symptomatic children with malaria has been deemed necessary to prevent immune associated pathology. In this study, we phenotypically characterized the expression of T cell inhibitory(PD-1, CTLA-4) and senescent markers (CD28(-), CD57) from children with symptomatic malaria, asymptomatic malaria and healthy controls using flow cytometry. We observed increased expression of T cell exhaustion and senescence markers in the symptomatic children compared to the asymptomatic and healthy controls. T cell senescence markers were more highly expressed on CD8 T cells than on CD4 T cells. Asymptomatically infected children had comparable levels of these markers with healthy controls except for CD8+ PD-1+ T cells which were significantly elevated in the asymptomatic children. Also, using multivariate regression analysis, CTLA-4 was the only marker that could predict parasitaemia level. The results suggest that the upregulation of immune exhaustion and senescence markers during symptomatic malaria may affect the effector function of T cells leading to inefficient clearance of parasites, hence the inability to develop sterile immunity to malaria.