Browsing by Author "Owusu, E.A."
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Item Exploring The Experiences Of Informal Caregivers Of The Elderly In Anum-Boso In The Eastern Region Of Ghana(University of Ghana, 2015-07) Owusu, E.A.Informal caregivers remain a backbone to elderly caregiving in Ghana. Their experiences during caregiving have not gained much attention among scholars. The goal of the study was to explore the experiences of informal caregivers of the elderly in Anum-Boso. This will help equip stakeholders to design helpful interventions regarding informal caregiving and the actors within the caregiving relationship. The study adopted a qualitative approach with specific emphasis on phenomenology. The aim was to explore the subjective experiences of the informal caregivers and the meaning they attribute to their experiences within their social environment. With a snowball sampling approach, twenty informal caregivers of the elderly were interviewed. Using the matrix-based thematic framework analysis and relying on the analytic hierarchy, the data was analysed and findings discussed under major themes and the objectives. The study findings revealed that informal caregivers experience significant fulfilments in the caregiving duty which are in the form of both material and non-material benefits. Informal caregivers relish much satisfaction in the non-material benefits which were in the form of social and emotional feelings emanating from reciprocity, ability to alleviate pain, demonstration of filial piety and seeing a relative being happy. The study also revealed that though informal caregivers suffer a wide range of consequences, the emotional or psychological consequences affect the overall life of the caregiver, dictates his or her life and have enormous influence on the relationship experience. The study found that despite the numerous consequences that informal caregivers of the elderly suffer, these caregivers do not consider their role or duties as impossible to carry out. Based on the findings of the study, it is recommended that financial, social and emotional support from family and regular financial support from District Assemblies should be made available to strengthen the caregiving capacity of the informal caregiver.Item Prevalence of Blood Group A2 among Group A and AB Donors Who Visit the Southern Area Blood Centre(University of Ghana, 2019-07) Owusu, E.A.Introduction: The ABO blood group antigens are major antigens whose discovery paved way for the performance of safe blood transfusions and transplantations. Subgroups of the ABO antigens were discovered few years after ABO antigens discovery. A1 and A2 are the two principal subgroups of A, both of which are produced by different enzymes. Anti-A1 antibody appears as an atypical cold agglutinin in the sera of some individuals with A2 or A2B who lack the corresponding antigen. One to eight percent of group A2 individuals and 22-35% of group A2B individuals develop anti-A1 in their serum which can cause discrepancies in ABO blood typing leading to haemolytic transfusion reactions. Knowing the proportion and distribution of blood group A2 will be helpful in preventing Haemolytic Disease of the Newborn (HDN) and also help in safe blood transfusion. Knowledge of antigen A2 frequency will also improve the profile of ABO blood groups among Ghanaians. Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of antigen A2 among group A and AB blood donors visiting the Southern Area Blood Centre (SABC), Accra. Methods: This study was carried out at all the sites operated by the SABC. It was a cross-sectional study that included all blood donors who passed the pre-donation screening. Approximately 2mls of their donated blood was used for the study. Using the tube method, forward and reverse ABO blood grouping was done with their cells and serum using anti-A, anti-B monoclonal reagents. Blood group A and AB were selected and used against Anti-A1 reagent (Dolichos lectin) for blood group A2 screening. Commercially prepared A1 and A2 red cells were used against the serum of the group A samples which served as controls. Data obtained was analyzed using SPSS version 22. Results: A total of one thousand, one hundred and forty (1,140) participants (all Ghanaians) who were made up of 942 (82.6%) males and 198 (17.4%) females were screened for the study. The ABO blood group distribution observed was; O(51.3%), A1(16.8%), A2(4.4%), B(23.5%), A1B(1.7%), A2B (2.2%). The prevalence of antigen A2 among the study participants was 6.6%. Among participants with antigen A (groups A and AB individuals), 74% were A1 whiles 26% were A2. Among group A individuals, 20.66% were A2 whiles 79.34% were A1. The prevalence of antigen A2 among group A2B individuals was 55%. Only one individual with blood group A2 had developed anti-A1 antibody. Conclusion: The prevalence of blood group A2 among group A and AB individuals in the Ghanaian population is similar to that obtained from studies in several West African countries. However, unlike many African countries, antigen A2 is the most prevalent A antigen among AB individuals in Ghana. Anti-A1, which causes discrepancies in blood typing leading to transfusion reactions in group A2 and A2B individuals, was hardly seen among Ghanaians with antigen A2 hence screening for anti-A1 may not be necessary among Ghanaian donors.