Technology Use Among Ghanaian Junior High School Mathematics Teachers in the Ahafo – Ano South District

The study sought to investigate technology use among Ghanaian Junior High School mathematics teachers in the Ahafo-Ano South District of Ghana. Descriptive survey (cross-sectional survey) design with mixed quantitative and qualitative data was gathered for the study. The population of the study comprised of all JHS mathematics teachers in Ahafo-Ano South District, Ashanti region. A stratified sampling technique was used to select 60 JHS mathematics teachers from rural, peri-urban and urban schools in the district. The findings revealed that mathematics teachers technology use in teaching Mathematics at the Junior High School level in the district was low (2.048 ± .85388). These technologies were grouped into manipulatives, digital/computer-based and audio-visual technologies. The results established that most of the teachers used manipulates in teaching Mathematics (3.120 ± 1.063). On the contrary, the results also showed that digital/computer-based technologies such as virtual protractors, calculators, geometry pad, stepping stones 2.0 comprehensive mathematics and computer game programs such as Globaloria etc., were never used by mathematics teachers in the district (1.621 ± .840). Similarly, evidence from the study adds that audio-visual technologies including television, pie chart assignment to students based on TV program and other audio-visual devices were never in use by mathematics teachers in the district (1.416 ± .712)

Thyroid scintigraphy in the management of benign thyroid disease

Thyrotoxicosis as a clinical entity has varied aetiologies. Accurate distinction of the underlying aetiology is important to guide therapy. Clinical findings are not always accurate in identifying the underlying aetiology. There is considerable overlap between the various aetiologies when using serum T3/T4 ratio. Although ultrasound is widely available and has reasonable sensitivity, it is operator dependent and misses many cases of early Grave's disease. 99mTc scintigraphy is a simple and accurate modality for assessing the functional status of the thyroid gland and delineating the aetiology of thyrotoxicosis. This paper seeks to inform on the use of thyroid scintigraphy in the management of benign thyroid disorders. Funding: None Keywords: Scintigraphy, thyroid gland, functional imaging, Grave’s disease, Ghan

Social factors influencing child health in Ghana

Objectives Social factors have profound effects on health. Children are especially vulnerable to social influences, particularly in their early years. Adverse social exposures in childhood can lead to chronic disorders later in life. Here, we sought to identify and evaluate the impact of social factors on child health in Ghana. As Ghana is unlikely to achieve the Millennium Development Goals’ target of reducing child mortality by two-thirds between 1990 and 2015, we deemed it necessary to identify social determinants that might have contributed to the non-realisation of this goal. Methods ScienceDirect, PubMed, MEDLINE via EBSCO and Google Scholar were searched for published articles reporting on the influence of social factors on child health in Ghana. After screening the 98 articles identified, 34 of them that met our inclusion criteria were selected for qualitative review. Results Major social factors influencing child health in the country include maternal education, rural-urban disparities (place of residence), family income (wealth/poverty) and high dependency (multiparousity). These factors are associated with child mortality, nutritional status of children, completion of immunisation programmes, health-seeking behaviour and hygiene practices. Conclusions Several social factors influence child health outcomes in Ghana. Developing more effective responses to these social determinants would require sustainable efforts from all stakeholders including the Government, healthcare providers and families. We recommend the development of interventions that would support families through direct social support initiatives aimed at alleviating poverty and inequality, and indirect approaches targeted at eliminating the dependence of poor health outcomes on social factors. Importantly, the expansion of quality free education interventions to improve would-be-mother’s health knowledge is emphasised

Adaptation of the Wound Healing Questionnaire universal-reporter outcome measure for use in global surgery trials (TALON-1 study): mixed-methods study and Rasch analysis

BackgroundThe Bluebelle Wound Healing Questionnaire (WHQ) is a universal-reporter outcome measure developed in the UK for remote detection of surgical-site infection after abdominal surgery. This study aimed to explore cross-cultural equivalence, acceptability, and content validity of the WHQ for use across low- and middle-income countries, and to make recommendations for its adaptation.MethodsThis was a mixed-methods study within a trial (SWAT) embedded in an international randomized trial, conducted according to best practice guidelines, and co-produced with community and patient partners (TALON-1). Structured interviews and focus groups were used to gather data regarding cross-cultural, cross-contextual equivalence of the individual items and scale, and conduct a translatability assessment. Translation was completed into five languages in accordance with Mapi recommendations. Next, data from a prospective cohort (SWAT) were interpreted using Rasch analysis to explore scaling and measurement properties of the WHQ. Finally, qualitative and quantitative data were triangulated using a modified, exploratory, instrumental design model.ResultsIn the qualitative phase, 10 structured interviews and six focus groups took place with a total of 47 investigators across six countries. Themes related to comprehension, response mapping, retrieval, and judgement were identified with rich cross-cultural insights. In the quantitative phase, an exploratory Rasch model was fitted to data from 537 patients (369 excluding extremes). Owing to the number of extreme (floor) values, the overall level of power was low. The single WHQ scale satisfied tests of unidimensionality, indicating validity of the ordinal total WHQ score. There was significant overall model misfit of five items (5, 9, 14, 15, 16) and local dependency in 11 item pairs. The person separation index was estimated as 0.48 suggesting weak discrimination between classes, whereas Cronbach's α was high at 0.86. Triangulation of qualitative data with the Rasch analysis supported recommendations for cross-cultural adaptation of the WHQ items 1 (redness), 3 (clear fluid), 7 (deep wound opening), 10 (pain), 11 (fever), 15 (antibiotics), 16 (debridement), 18 (drainage), and 19 (reoperation). Changes to three item response categories (1, not at all; 2, a little; 3, a lot) were adopted for symptom items 1 to 10, and two categories (0, no; 1, yes) for item 11 (fever).ConclusionThis study made recommendations for cross-cultural adaptation of the WHQ for use in global surgical research and practice, using co-produced mixed-methods data from three continents. Translations are now available for implementation into remote wound assessment pathways