Browsing by Author "Acquah-Gyan, Emmanuel"

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    Assessing the Usefulness and Challenges of a Mobile Health Intervention among Caregivers of Children Under-5years in Rural Communities in the Asante Akim North District.
    (November, 2019.) Acquah-Gyan, Emmanuel;
    The rapid growth in the use of mobile devices has influenced the creation of mobile Health (mhealth) interventions to contribute to healthcare development and childhood survival in underserved communities. MHealth interventions have been found to help widen healthcare coverage, and also improve on the quality of healthcare. Despite these numerous prospects of mHealth interventions in promoting health, its scale-up and sustenance, have been challenging. Many of such interventions are not able to advance beyond the pilot stage of implementation and often cover a small-targeted scope. The full benefits of mHealth therefore, have not been fully realized and utilized. The main objective of this study was to qualitatively explore the usefulness and challenges of a mHealth (IVR/toll-free call) system among caregivers of children under-5years in rural communities in the Asante Akim North District of Ghana. The study adopted an exploratory design and a qualitative approach. A simple random sampling technique was used to select 27 participants for the study. 11 In-depth interviews and 2 Focus group discussions (8 participants in a group) were conducted among participants using an interview guide and a focus group discussion guide respectively. Thematic content analysis strategy was adopted for the analysis of data in this study. The study discovered that the mHealth (IVR) system was useful in improving access to healthcare, improving communication between caregivers and health professionals, served as a decision and emotional support system to caregivers, and improved the knowledge of caregivers on selfmanagement of childhood diseases. The mHealth (IVR) system was found to be feasible and highly acceptable, and the attitude of caregivers towards the system was also found to be positive. Poor network quality and unstable electricity power supply, missed calls, dropped/cut calls, and toll-free number busy, and problems with the pressing of keys to feed information into a mHealth (IVR) system served as challenges towards the acceptance and use of the mHealth system. Among others, improved infrastructure, partnerships with community institutions and community stakeholders, and assignment of healthcare professionals to mHealth care delivery in health facilities were recommended strategies by caregivers to contribute to mHealth system sustenance, scale-up, and integration. The mHealth system implemented in the MOBCHILD project was found to be feasible and acceptable to contribute to healthcare delivery in this study. Therefore, investment in this system by Government and other funding agencies is required to sustain and scale-up, and also, integrate the mHealth (IVR) system into the broader healthcare delivery system.
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    This disease is not meant for the hospital, it is Asram’: Implications of a traditionally-defined illness on healthcare seeking for children under-5 in rural Ashanti, Ghana
    (PLOS Glob Public Health, 2022-09-08) Acheampong, Princess Ruhama; Mohammed, Aliyu; Twumasi-Ankrah, Sampson; Sylverken, Augustina Angelina; Owusu, Michael; Acquah-Gyan, Emmanuel; Adjei, Timothy Kwabena; Otupiri, Easmon; Owusu-Dabo, Ellis; 0000-0001-8986-1648
    Every child has the right to survive, grow and develop. However, in spite of the considerable global gains that have been made in child survival, Sub-Saharan Africa still has the highest child mortality rates and accounts for the greatest burden of mortality globally. The majority of these children die without ever reaching a health facility. The practice of appropriate healthcare-seeking behaviour has a great potential to reduce the occurrence of severe and life-threatening childhood illnesses. Several factors, however, influence healthcare-seeking behaviour, including perceptions of the cause of illness and socio-cultural perspectives.This study seeks to understand local concepts of a traditionally-defined illness complex,Asram, and its influence on healthcare seeking behavior of mothers/caregivers. This qualitative study was conducted from October 2019 to February 2020. Four Focus Group Discus sions were conducted with mothers/caregivers of children under-5 and 22 Key Informant Interviews with mothers/caregivers of children who had Asram, health workers at district, facility, and community levels, and Asram healers. Participants were selected from two rural communities, Akutuase and Wioso of the Asante Akim North district in the Ashanti region of Ghana. Data analysis was carried out iteratively throughout data collection, using a thematic analysis approach. The study shows that Asram is a childhood illness complex that is perceived to have been acquired spiritually and/or inherited. Nine types of Asram were described. This childhood illness was said to be treatable by Asram healers who had subspecialties in treatment approaches that were determined by the Asram type reported. Mothers/caregivers trusted Asram healers and preferred to call on them first. This was found to be the main reason for delays in seeking healthcare for children under-5 who showed symptoms of Asram. Asram is a childhood illness complex that is believed to be bet ter managed outside the health facility setting. This study complements existing knowledge and creates opportunities for further research and the introduction of more effective interventions in the effort to improve child survival in rural communities.