Prevalence, Management, and Impact of Dysmenorrhea on the Lives of Nurse and Midwife Trainees in Northern Ghana

Background. Dysmenorrhea is the most common gynecological problem affecting the majority of female students in the nursing profession today. They often experience severe pain that is not only incapacitating but also has a significant impact on their day-to-day college life, academic, and clinical performance. Aim. This study was conducted to assess the prevalence, management, and impact of dysmenorrhea on the lives of nurse and midwife trainees in northern Ghana. Methods. A descriptive cross-sectional design with a quantitative approach to data collection was employed to collect data from nurse and midwife trainees in three colleges of nursing and/or midwifery in the northern region of Ghana. A proportionate stratified random sampling technique was used to recruit 303 respondents for the study. After gaining permission from various institutions, data were collected by using a structured questionnaire from 13th September to 28th October, 2022. Stata (special edition) for Windows version 17.0 was used for the statistical analyses. Results. The study revealed a high prevalence of dysmenorrhea among female nursing students (66.7% and 95% CI: 0.611–0.720). More than half of the respondents (67.3%) experienced loss of appetite for food. The most common site of most intense pain was the pelvis and lower abdomen (98.0%). A greater proportion of students (65.8%) used antispastic drugs to reduce pain. The respondents’ concentration in the classroom was greatly affected (77.2%) as well as normal physical activities (58.4%). A multivariable logistic regression analysis revealed that the odds of dysmenorrhea are 2.67 times higher when the duration of menstruation is 4-5 days (AOR = 1.82, 95% CI = 1.13–6.28, and p = 0.024) than a duration of 1–3 days. Having urinary tract infections was associated with 3.56 times higher odds of dysmenorrhea (AOR = 3.56, 95% CI = 0.98–12.86, and p = 0.053). Again, the odds of dysmenorrhea were also four times higher among respondents with a family history of the same condition (AOR = 4.05, 95% CI = 2.16–7.61, and p = 0.001). Conclusion. The current study revealed a high prevalence of dysmenorrhea among nurse and midwife trainees in the northern part of Ghana. The majority of the respondent experienced loss of appetite and intense pain in the pelvis and lower abdomen, and their concentration during lectures was also significantly affected. The most predominant nonpharmacological method used for reducing the pain was sleep and the application of warm objects on the abdomen

Evaluating Knowledge, Practices, and Barriers of Paediatric Pain Management among Nurses in a Tertiary Health Facility in the Northern Region of Ghana: A Descriptive Cross-Sectional Study

Background. Pain is a major source of distress for children on admission, parents, and clinician. Hospitalized children continuously experience unrelieved pain; hence, the provision of effective pain management is an integral and important part of the nurse’s role. Adequate knowledge and positive practices of nurses regarding pain management among children are key if optimal pain management is to be achieved among paediatric cases. However, there is a paucity of published data on paediatric management among nurses in the northern part of Ghana. Aim. The current study, therefore, evaluated nurse’s knowledge and practices and identified the barriers to paediatric pain management in the Tamale Teaching Hospital, Ghana. Methodology. This was a descriptive cross-sectional facility-based study that employed a quantitative approach to data collection. A total of 180 nurses were selected conveniently from 10 selected wards of the hospital for the study. Data were collected using a questionnaire. The data were subsequently analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 23.0. Logistic regression analysis was done to determine the association between the dependent and independent variables of interest. Results. The findings revealed that the majority (61.1%) of all the nurses had an overall good knowledge of paediatric pain management while 57.8% demonstrated good practices of pain management. From the study, the most reported barriers to paediatric pain management by the nurses were insufficient knowledge in pain management (76.1%), inadequate paediatric pain assessment tools (73.9%), and inadequate staffing (72.2%). In further analysis, critical care nurses were 5.87 times more likely to engage in good practices of paediatric pain management than paediatric nurses (OR = 5.87 (95% CI : 1.07–32.00), p=0.041). Conclusion. The majority (61.1%) of all the respondents showed good knowledge of pain management and 57.8% demonstrated good pain management practices. Despite the high knowledge and practice, factors such as insufficient knowledge in pain management (76.1%), inadequate paediatric pain assessment tools (73.9%), and inadequate nurse staffing (72.2%) affect effective pain management. Paediatric pain management should be treated as a priority, and hence more efforts should be put in place to curtail the barriers that hinder its practice

Determinants and Mitigating Factors of Brain Drain among Ghanaian Nurses: Insights from Nurse Managers in Northern Ghana—A Qualitative Inquiry

Acknowledgements: The authors would like to express their appreciation to the nurse managers who took time out of their busy schedules to participate in the study.Background. Nurse emigration, often termed “brain drain,” poses significant challenges to Ghana’s healthcare sector. Aim. This study explores nurse managers’ perspectives on determinants and strategies for mitigating nurse emigration in Northern Ghana. Methods. Sixteen nurse managers were interviewed using semistructured interviews between October and December 2023. Purposive sampling was used to select the participants. QDA Miner Lite version 6 was used for systematic coding and thematic data analysis, following the conventional content analysis approach. Results. Following data encoding and classification, the study identified three primary categories: determinants of brain drain, impact of brain drain on the healthcare system, and mitigating factors of brain drain. Conclusion. The study reveals that various factors, including inadequate pay, limited opportunities for career growth, and lack of access to technology, drive the brain drain among Ghanaian nurses. These lead to negative impacts on the healthcare system, such as increased workload, reduced patient satisfaction, and a shortage of skilled nurses. To tackle this issue, solutions including offering career advancement opportunities and improving salaries and working conditions among others have been highlighted to mitigate the brain drain among Ghanaian nurses