Browsing by Author "Richter, S."

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Enhancing focused antenatal care in Ghana: An exploration into perceptions of practicing midwives
(International Journal of Africa Nursing Sciences, 2015) Baffour-Awuah, A.; Mwini-Nyaledzigbor, P.P.; Richter, S.
Objective: The specific objectives of this study were to explore the perceptions of midwives on focused antenatal care at a large urban hospital in Tema, Ghana. Methodology: An interpretive descriptive design was used to explore, interpret and describe the perceptions of midwives in the provision of focused antenatal services to pregnant women. Purposive sampling techniques were used to recruit participants (midwives). Data were collected by conducting individual semi-structured interviews. The recorded interviews were transcribed verbatim. Data were manually coded using two methods described by Saldana (2009). Guba's model of trustworthiness was implemented. Findings: Five themes emerged from the data analysis. It included midwives' conceptualization of FANC and their perception of FANC processes/flow, quality of care, factor inhibiting the implementation of FANC, and strategies to enhance FANC interventions. Discussion: Continuous quality management is essential to ensure a supportive environment to deliver FANC services. Continued and increased support from Ghana Health Service (GHS) will be of great importance. Conclusion: It is clear that the midwives in this study perceived FANC positive. FANC contributes to the quality of ANC delivery and subsequent improvement in the health status of pregnant women in Ghana. In addition, the findings contributed to existing knowledge and have the potential to guide future research in the field of ANC to improve maternal health and reduce maternal deaths. © 2015 The Authors.
Ghanaian Men Living with Sexual Transmitted Infections: Knowledge and Impact on Treatment Seeking Behaviour- A Qualitative Study
(African Journal of Reproductive Health, 2018-09) Azu, M.N.; Richter, S.; Aniteye, P.
The purpose of the study was to explore Ghanaian men's knowledge about sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and their treatment seeking behaviour. An exploratory descriptive design was used. The research site for this study was a STI clinic at a large government hospital in the Ashanti region in central Ghana. Purposive sampling was used to recruit men diagnosed with or previously infected with STI/HIV attending the clinic. Twelve participants were interviewed, and the data was thematically analysed. The findings were presented as themes: knowledge of STI, misconception, health seeking behaviour: visiting the hospital, buying drugs, using herbal treatment, visiting the traditional healer, and -shopping for health‖. Participants had good knowledge of the causes and/or mode of transmission of STIs/HIV. Their source of information was the radio, friends and education at the STIs/HIV unit of the hospital. Participants had little knowledge about the STIs/HIV treatment options before they received health education from the personnel at the STI/HIV unit. Participants had fallacies and believed they developed STIs/HIV infection because of a curse or someone who wanted them dead or bewitched them. The overarching reason for participants' choice of care was an expectation to recover from the infection. Seeking treatment at the hospital was one of the major choices for treatment. Participants tried various forms of treatment to find the most effective treatment. The research findings have several implications for health education, research, and practice in Ghana. There is the need to scale up health education by the various health institutions. Further research is needed on the general treatment seeking behaviour of men with an emphasis on the contextual and cultural differences that influence men's behavioural change. Gender based research is mostly focused on women and further studies are needed on the health and treatment seeking behaviour of men.
Hot fomentation of newborn fontanelles as an indigenous practice in Ghana: implications for policy and integrated community‑based health care in Covid‑19 pandemic and beyond
(International Journal for Equity in Health, 2023) Ani‑Amponsah, M.; Richter, S.; Adam, M.A-H.; Osei, E.A.; Mustapha, M.; Oti‑Boadi, E.
Objective African newborns undergo numerous traditional and religious practices ranging from fontanelle fomentation to total head shaving, scalp molding, skin scarification and ano-genital irrigation which can negatively impact the health of neonates. Hot fomentation of fontanelles has been a predominant indigenous home-based postnatal practice in Ghana and among Africans in the diaspora. Mobility restrictions during the Covid-19 pandemic has impacted direct access to facility-based care as well as home care. The fourishing of newborn traditional practices among African populations during this Covid-19 pandemic offers opportunities to rethink the provision of family healthcare sup‑ port for newborns during the ongoing pandemic and beyond. Hence, the aim of this critical review was to examine and describe a common indigenous practice—hot fontanelle fomentation to inform home birth support, discharge planning, and the delivery of optimal home-based care support. Study design This study is a review of literature on hot fomentation of newborn fontanelles. Methods Literature search in CINAHL, PubMed, African Index Medicus and Scopus, was conducted and evidence synthesised from articles ranging from 1983–2022. Sixty articles were reviewed; however, 10 manuscripts were excluded prior to screening. The other 19 were exempted because they were either below 1983 or were not the best ft for the study purpose. In all, 31 studies were included in the study. The study was guided by Madeleine Leininger’s Culture Care Diversity and Universality care theory. Results The current study identifies hot fomentation of newborn fontanelles practices in Ghana, the description of hot fomentation practices and the dangers associated with it. The findings and suggested ways to help overcome this challenge. Conclusion There are several neonatal indigenous practices including fontanelle fomentation which pose threat to the health of the neonate as discussed in this study. Future research needs to investigate innovative ways of fontanelle fomentation where necessary instead of the use of hot water by mothers, especially in this Covid-19 pandemic where health and mobility restrictions impact physical access to timely health care. This research will help educate mothers about the dangers of fontanel fomentation and reduce the practice, especially in rural areas of developing countries. This could help reduce neonatal mortality and unnecessary healthcare costs.
Interventions impacting the accessibility of sexual reproductive health services for head porters in sub-Saharan Africa- A scoping review protoco
(PLOS ONE, 2023) Jarvis, K.; Richter, S.; Adjorlolo, S.
Head porters working in markets in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) are one of the world’s most vulnerable and socioeconomically disadvantaged groups. They consist predominantly of uneducated women and girls seeking to escape poverty, early marriage, and other issues of domestic violence. Most female head porters are in their reproductive years and often lack access to sexual reproductive health services (SRHS) despite being at high risk for sexually transmitted infections (STIs), unplanned pregnancies, and gender-based vio lence. The low priority for women and girls’ SRH in many SSA countries highlights the need to explore the factors influencing the accessibility of services for failure to do so restrains human development. An initial search of the literature was conducted and revealed no current scoping or systematic reviews on the accessibility to SRHS for female head porters in SSA. We outline a scoping review protocol, using the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology, to determine the interventions that influence the accessibil ity of SRHS for female head porters in SSA. The protocol is registered with Open Science Framework (https://osf.io/hjfkd). Findings will not only be valuable for female head por ters but for all vulnerable female groups in SSA who experience high SRH risks and social disparities.
Mothers' perspectives of physical and psychological issues associated with caring for Ghanaian children living with tuberculosis: A qualitative study
(Nursing Open, 2022) Tornu, E.; Dzansi, G.; Wilson, D.M.; Richter, S.
im: The aim of the study was to explore and describe the mothers' perspectives on issues associated with caring for Ghanaian children aged 0–14 years living with tuberculosis. Design: Exploratory descriptive qualitative design. Methods: Semi-structured individual interviews were conducted face to face with 15 purposively sampled mothers from two health facilities in the Greater Accra area. Transcribed data were analysed using computer-enhanced thematic analysis. Results: Findings were grouped into (1) physical burden on the mothers and (2) psy chological burden on mothers. The eight subthemes indicate that mothers of children living with tuberculosis experienced tiredness, sleeplessness, body pains, weight loss and sicknesses as they cared for their children. In addition to worrying, mothers experienced stigma and negative emotions such as sadness, guilt, fear and loneliness. Conclusion: Mothers of children diagnosed with tuberculosis in Ghana experience physical and psychological health problems related to their caregiving roles. Nurses and other healthcare providers should identify specific problems and offer broadbased emotional and other support for these women.
A review of the literature on sexual and reproductive health of African migrant and refugee children
(Springer, 2021) Kwankye, S.O.; Richter, S.; Okeke‑Ihejirika, P.; Gomma, H.; Obegu, P.; Salami, B.
Background: Migration and involuntary displacement of children and young people have recently become common features of many African countries due to widespread poverty, rapid urbanization, joblessness, and instability that motivate them to seek livelihoods away from their places of origin. With limited education and skills, children become vulnerable socioeconomically, thereby exposing themselves to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) risks. Methods: Against this background, the authors undertook a scoping review of the existing literature between January and June 2019 to highlight current knowledge on SRH of African migrant and refugee children. Twenty-two studies that met the inclusion criteria were reviewed. Results: The results identified overcrowding and sexual exploitation of children within refugee camps where reproductive health services are often limited and underutilized. They also reveal language barriers as key obstacles towards young migrants’ access to SRH information and services because local languages used to deliver these services are alien to the migrants. Further, cultural practices like genital cutting, which survived migration could have serious reproductive health implications for young migrants. A major gap identified is about SRH risk factors of unaccompanied migrant minors, which have received limited study, and calls for more quantitative and qualitative SRH studies on unaccompanied child migrants. Studies should also focus on the different dimensions of SRH challenges among child migrants differentiated by gender, documented or undocumented, within or across national borders, and within or outside refugee camps to properly inform and situate policies, keeping in mind the economic motive and spatial displacement of children as major considerations. Conclusion: The conditions that necessitate economic-driven migration of children will continue to exist in sub- Saharan Africa. This will provide fertile grounds for child migration to continue to thrive, with diverse sexual and reproductive health risks among the child migrants. There is need for further quantitative and qualitative research on child migrants’ sexual and reproductive health experiences paying special attention to their differentiation by gender, documented or undocumented, within or across national borders and within or outside refugee camps.
A Scoping Review of the Health of African Immigrant and Refugee Children
(International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2021) Salami, B.; Fernandez-Sanchez, H.; Fouche, C.; Evans, C.; Sibeko, L.; Tulli, M.; Bulaong, A.; Kwankye, S.O.; Ani-Amponsah, M.; Okeke-Ihejirika, P.; Gommaa, H.; Agbemenu, K.; Ndikom, C.M.; Richter, S.
Migration is a growing phenomenon around the world, including within the African continent. Many migrants, especially African children, face challenges related to health and social inclusion and can face increased health risks. A systematic scoping review of available literature on the health of African migrant children across the globe was conducted to offer insight into these health risks. The review was conducted over a 15-month period from January 2019 to April 2020, yielding 6602 articles once duplicates were removed. This search included electronic databases, reference lists of articles reviewed, and searches of libraries of relevant organisations. A total of 187 studies met the inclusion criteria, of which 159 were quantitative, 22 were qualitative, and 6 used mixed methods. The findings reveal decreased health in this population in areas of nutrition, infectious diseases, mental health, birth outcomes, sexual and reproductive health, physical and developmental health, parasitic infections, oral health, respiratory health, preventative health, endocrine disorders, health care services, and haematological conditions. The findings offer insights into factors influencing the health of African immigrant and refugee children. Further studies, especially qualitative studies, are needed to determine barriers to service access after migration and to investigate other underexplored and overlooked health concerns of African migrant children, including pneumonia and child maltreatment.