Knowledge of pregnant women about birth defects

BACKGROUND: Occurrence of birth defects (BD) remains an important public health issue. Inadequate knowledge about the defects among prospective mothers could result in delayed interventions. The study determined the knowledge of BD among pregnant women in relation to their socio-demographic profile. METHOD: Four hundred and forty-three (443) pregnant women gave their consent to participate in this study. A researcher-administered questionnaire was used to obtain information on socio-demographic characteristics from the participants and their knowledge about BD. The questionnaire was assessed for test re-test reliability before been administered. The possible scores on the knowledge domain of the questionnaire were categorized into three levels: low knowledge (0–4), moderate knowledge (5–8) and high knowledge (9–12) levels. Data were analyzed using percentages while Spearman’s rank correlation was used to determine the relationship between the knowledge of BD among the participants and their socio-demographic profile. Alpha level was set at p < 0.05. RESULTS: A greater proportion of the participants, 235(53.0%) were found in the age range 21 to 30 years, and 234(52.8%) attained secondary level of education. Majority of the participants, 205(46.3%) had high knowledge on the risk factors while 213(48.1%) and 224(50.6%) had moderate overall knowledge and specific knowledge about BD respectively. Most of the participants (48.1%) believed that BD were of supernatural origin. The age, level of education, number of antenatal visits and parity of the participants were not significantly correlated (p > 0.05) with their specific and overall knowledge. CONCLUSIONS: Particpants generally had moderate knowledge about BD. However, this had no bearing on their socio-demographic profile. The knowledge base about BD seems to be influenced by traditional belief of the participants. This finding should therefore serve as a guide for health care providers while planning awareness campaign about BD

Work-related musculoskeletal disorders among nurses and midwives at a municipal health facility in Ghana

Background: To determine the prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) among nurses and midwives, the associated job risk factors and the adopted coping strategies so as to provide baseline information in Ghana.Design: A cross-sectional study.Participants: One hundred and five (105) registered general nurses (RGN), 16 registered community health nurses (RCHN) and 13 registered midwives (RM) were purposively recruited for the study in Ledzokuku-Krowor Municipal (LEKMA) Hospital, in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. Interventions: An adapted self-administered questionnaire was used to obtain information regarding demographics, prevalence and pattern of WMSDs, associated job risk factors and the reported coping strategies commonly employed by the participants. Point- prevalence of WMSDs, coping strategies and risk factors were summarized with percentage. The prevalence was further analyzed with regression analysis to determine its correlation with BMI, age, years of experience and type of profession at p&lt;0.05 level of significance. Results: The 12-months prevalence was 79.0%, 53.8% and 18.8% for the RGN, RM, and RCHN respectively. Lifting or transferring of dependent patients 70(52.1%), inadequate training on injury prevention 63(46.5%) and working in awkward or cramped positions 53(39.6%) were the most perceived job risk factors. Forty-six (34.3%) participants commonly sought assistance from colleagues in handling heavy patients, 44(32.8%) modified their positions and 27(20.3%) modified their caring procedure as coping strategies.Conclusion:  There was high point prevalence of self-reported WMSDs among the sampled nurses and midwives and lifting of patients was identified as the major risk factor. The findings have implication for body mechanics know-how of the nurses and midwives.  Funding: LEKMA Hospital Keywords: Work-related musculoskeletal disorders, coping strategies, nursing, midwifer

Exploring Students' Experiences in Occupational Therapy Education:A Phenomenological Study of Professional Identity Development

The existing literature on professional identity enactment and development, subscribes to students’ socializing in a learning environment, where they regularly encounter practicing professionals throughout their education period. However, in most countries with less resourced occupational therapists like Ghana, education in occupational therapy is fraught with inadequate number of same professionals to mentor undergraduate occupational therapy students. The students are thus faced with serious dilemma regarding their professional identity which tends to elicit a bleak perception of their chosen career. The present study was therefore envisaged to interpret and analyse the students’ lived experiences, with the view to capture the process of constructing and developing professional identity. The study focused on purposively sampled group of nine undergraduate occupational therapy students during their practice placement education, and their learning styles on didactic lectures. A hermeneutic phenomenological approach was adopted for the study. The students were followed up throughout their four-year study program for data collection, using one-to-one semi-structured interviews each year. With reference to the threshold concepts, transcribed interview data were analyzed using interpretative phenomenological procedures. The study established a transformational development of professional identity from the novice stage into graduate professionals, amidst complex interaction of co-constructed themes which included: personal knowing, professional knowing and experiential knowing

Attitudes and Barriers Towards Engaging in Continuing Professional Development Among Clinical Physiotherapists in Ghana

Purpose: Continuing Professional Development (CPD) programmes are important components of professional training to maintain competence. There is insufficient information regarding physiotherapists’ participation in CPD activities in Ghana. This study aimed to provide insight into the engagement, attitude, and barriers towards CPD activities among Ghanaian physiotherapists. Methods: A cross-sectional survey study involved 50 clinical physiotherapists who were registered with the Ghana Association of Physiotherapists. A validated questionnaire that contained 34 open and closed-ended items was adapted from an existing tool to gather information from the participants. The questionnaire sought information on biodata, clinical practice issues, engagement, attitudes, and barriers regarding CPD. Data were analysed using frequency distributions, means, percentages, and one sample proportion (z score) test. Significance level was set a priori at p\u3c 0.05. Results: The reported clinical experience of the participants showed that the majority (n=33: 67.34%) had worked less than six years whilst 11 (22.45%) had worked for more than 10 years. Most respondents 27(56%) spend 1 to 3 hours per week reading their professional literature. A significant proportion (p≤0.05) of physiotherapists showed good attitude towards CPD. Lack of leadership direction (22%) and non-availability of relevant courses (18%) were identified as the main barriers by the respondents at health practice facilities. At the national level, lack of sponsorship (33%) and information (23%) were cited as their barriers. Conclusion: Physiotherapists demonstrated a positive attitude towards CPD. Lack of sponsorship and leadership direction were identified as main barriers at the national level and practice facility respectively, thus stressing the need to motivate healthcare personnel in their quest to improve skills