Grace Low

Background Patient satisfaction is as an important measure of program assessment and health system performance. In our study, we assessed patient’s satisfaction with malaria care among pregnant women (PW) and mothers of children less than five years of age (MU5) in Ibadan, Nigeria. Methods A cross-sectional design, patient satisfaction with malaria care was assessed among 1,373 participants (818 PW and 555 MU5) with the anti-malarial care they received in a comprehensive hospital in Ibadan, Nigeria. Data on patient satisfaction was obtained using a validated eighteen-item questionnaire (PSQ-18) and analyzed using the standard satisfaction scales and quantitative scores. Results Majority of the study respondents were married and within the age group 25-34years. Overall, indecisive satisfaction (mean range of 3.0-3.99) was observed for items 4, 7, 9, 10, 12, 13, and 16 in the PSQ-18 tool. From the satisfaction sub-scales derived, lowest mean score reflecting poor satisfaction (mean 2....

Research has shown that music can be used to educate or disseminate information about public health crises. Grounded in the edutainment approach, we explored how songs are being used to create awareness about COVID-19 in Ghana, a sub-Saharan African country. YouTube was searched, and 28 songs met the study inclusion criteria. We conducted a thematic analysis of the song lyrics. Most lyrics were in English, Ghanaian Pidgin English, Akan, Ga, or Dagbani. Reflecting the multilingual population of Ghana, half of the songs contained three languages to convey their message, and only five songs were in one language. Eight themes emerged from the analysis: public health guidelines, COVID-19 is real and not a hoax, COVID-19 is infectious, prayer as method to stop the virus, emotional reaction and disruption of “everyday” activities; verbally expelling the virus, call for unity and collective efforts, and inspiring hope. We show that songs have the potential as a method for rapidly sharing in...

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has compounded the global crisis of stress and burnout among healthcare workers (HCWs). But few studies have empirically examined the factors driving these outcomes. We examined the association between perceived preparedness to respond to the pandemic and HCW stress and burnout and identified potential mediating factors among HCWs in Ghana. Methods: Data are from HCWs in Ghana who completed a cross-sectional self-administered online survey; 414 and 409 HCWs completed stress and burnout questions, respectively. Perceived preparedness, stress, and burnout were measured using validated psychosocial measures. We assessed associations using linear regressions with robust standard errors. Results: The average score for preparedness was 24 (SD=8.8), 16.3 (SD=5.9) for stress, and 37.4 (SD=15.5) for burnout. In multivariate analysis, HCWs who felt somewhat prepared and prepared had lower stress (β=-1.89, 95%CI:-3.49 to -0.30 and β=-2.66, 95%CI:-4.48 to -0....

Background The objective of this study was to model the predictors of HIV prevalence in Malawi through a complex sample logistic regression and spatial mapping approach using the national Demographic and Health Survey datasets. Methods We conducted a secondary data analysis using the 2015–2016 Malawi Demographic and Health Survey and AIDS Indicator Survey. The analysis was performed in three stages while incorporating population survey sampling weights to: i) interpolate HIV data, ii) identify the spatial clusters with the high prevalence of HIV infection, and iii) perform a multivariate complex sample logistic regression. Results In all, 14,779 participants were included in the analysis with an overall HIV prevalence of 9% (7.0% in males and 10.8% in females). The highest prevalence was found in the southern region of Malawi (13.2%), and the spatial interpolation revealed that the HIV epidemic is worse at the south-eastern part of Malawi. The districts in the high HIV prevalent zon...