Papers by Prof. Lydia Aziato
Introduction to Healthcare Service Marketing Management
Health Service Marketing Management in Africa, 2019
RESEARCH ARTICLE Open Access Validation of three pain scales among adult postoperative patients in Ghana
Background: Pain assessment is an important component of pain management and health professionals... more Background: Pain assessment is an important component of pain management and health professionals require valid tools to assess pain to guide their pain management decisions. The study sought to select, develop, and validate context-appropriate unidimensional pain scales for pain assessment among adult post-operative patients. Methods: A mixed methods design was adopted. The study was conducted at two hospitals in Accra, Ghana. The qualitative phase involved 17 patients and 25 nurses, and the quantitative phase involved 150 post-operative patients. Qualitative data was collected iteratively through individual interviews and focus groups. Results: Two existing pain scales (0–10 Numeric Rating Scale [NRS] and Wong-Baker FACES [FPS] scales) and one new pain scale (Colour-Circle Pain Scale–[CCPS]) were validated. The psychometric properties of the three scales were assessed when patients had fully recovered from anesthesia. The CCPS had higher scale preference than NRS and FPS. Converge...
A qualitative description of how Ghanaian radiographers identify suspected child physical abuse
Radiography, 2021
INTRODUCTION Child physical abuse is intentionally inflicted injury of a child and presents a cha... more INTRODUCTION Child physical abuse is intentionally inflicted injury of a child and presents a challenging diagnosis to clinicians mostly as a result of doubts about whether the findings were perpetrated by carers of these children. Suspected child physical abuse cannot be reported without its initial identification, substantiation and reporting. Imaging findings is one way of providing evidence of abuse in court. METHODS A qualitative design was used to gather data. Twenty (20) radiographers were recruited using purposive criterion sampling to share their experiences of mode of identification of suspected child physical abuse. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to gain deeper insight into their experiences. RESULTS Radiographers' suspicion or identification of child physical abuse was based on four (4) constructs: pre-radiographic observation; child's physical signs; caregiver secrecy and imaging findings. These observations provoked further investigations through questioning of the child (if of verbal age), parent or both. Their initial suspicion through assessment of cases was sometimes strengthened by the imaging findings. CONCLUSION Radiographers suspected child physical abuse using several approaches some of which were found to be unacceptable although it led to other important information, such as additional imaging performed by the radiographers without doctor consultation. However, being able to identify child physical abuse is important in child protection activities. IMPLICATION FOR PRACTICE Identification and reporting of suspected abuse to the appropriate child protection authorities are imperative for child protection. The possibility that some experienced radiographers may fail to deal with serious instances of child abuse exist. A radiographer's inability to identify such cases, could that the victim would miss the required protection from the professional.
Journal of Enzyme Inhibition and Medicinal Chemistry, 2016
Declining efficiency of antibiotic-inhibitor combinatorial therapies in treating beta-lactamase m... more Declining efficiency of antibiotic-inhibitor combinatorial therapies in treating beta-lactamase mediated resistance necessitates novel inhibitor development. Allosteric inhibition offers an alternative to conventional drugs that target the conserved active site. Here, we show that the evolutionarily conserved PWP triad located at the N-terminus of the H10 helix directly interacts with the allosteric site in TEM-1 beta-lactamase and regulates its activity. While point mutations in the PWP triad preserve the overall secondary structures around the allosteric site, they result in a more open and dynamic global structure with decreased chemical stability and increased aggregation propensity. These mutant enzymes with a less compact hydrophobic core around the allosteric site displayed significant activity loss. Detailed sequence and structure conservation analyses revealed that the PWP triad is an evolutionarily conserved motif unique to class A beta-lactamases aligning its allosteric site and hence is an effective potential target for enzyme regulation and selective drug design.
Perceptions of the functioning and effectiveness of nursing regulators in Ghana and South Africa: a cross-sectional study
BMJ Open, 2021
ObjectiveNursing regulators are important governance structures for nurses who are critical to th... more ObjectiveNursing regulators are important governance structures for nurses who are critical to the achievement of universal health coverage (UHC). This study examined the perspectives of the heads of nursing education institutions (NEIs) in Ghana and South Africa on the functioning and effectiveness of the respective nursing regulators.DesignThis was a cross-sectional survey.SettingThis study was conducted in Ghana and South AfricaParticipantsHeads of accredited NEIs in Ghana (n=65) and in South Africa (n=39).ResultsIn South Africa, the mean score for overall functioning of the South African Nursing Council (SANC) was 4.6 (SD 1.97), whereas the mean score for overall functioning of the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Ghana (N&MC) was 7.1 (SD 1.7) (p<0.0001). Similarly, the mean score for effectiveness of the SANC by NEIs was 5.1, compared with the mean effectiveness score of 7.2 for the N&MC (p<0.001).Compared to the SANC, the heads of NEIs scored the N&MC higher on each of t...
Introduction to Healthcare Service Marketing Management
Health Service Marketing Management in Africa, 2019
Nursing Open, 2020
This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which... more This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Background: Chemotherapy is the most common treatment option for breast cancer in Ghana. Chemothe... more Background: Chemotherapy is the most common treatment option for breast cancer in Ghana. Chemotherapy brings about unpleasant and traumatic experiences due to the effects of drugs on patients. Despite contexts specific variations, recent literature show improvement in breast cancer survival rates globally. Methods: This study aimed to explore factors that influenced resilience among women who completed chemotherapy for breast cancer in the Greater Accra Metropolis of Ghana. A qualitative exploratory descriptive design was adopted to study fifteen breast cancer survivors. A purposive sampling technique was used to select the participants. Individual in-depth interviews were conducted in English using a semi-structured interview guide. Data collection and analysis occurred concurrently. All interviews were audio-recorded with consent from the participants. Using a thematic and content analysis approach, all interviews were transcribed verbatim, coded and themes and subthemes generated...
▪ Early detection, management and prompt referral of malnourished children by health workers is c... more ▪ Early detection, management and prompt referral of malnourished children by health workers is critical for preventing short and long term sequelae of the children. ▪ Parents of children under 5 years old need continuous education on the causes, signs and symptoms of malnutrition as well as sustainable financial support. ▪ Cooking demonstrations should be included in health education at the child welfare clinics. ▪ Feeding challenges of mothers should be addressed at the child welfare clinic and at primary health care levels. ▪ Regular training of health workers on early detection of malnutrition is important for timely management. ▪ It is important for interprofessional collaboration to address malnutrition in developing countries. ▪ The Kouzes-Posner Leadership Model provides valuable guidance for such a quality improvement project.
Perceptions of the functioning and effectiveness of nursing regulators in Ghana and South Africa: a cross-sectional study
BMJ Open, 2021
ObjectiveNursing regulators are important governance structures for nurses who are critical to th... more ObjectiveNursing regulators are important governance structures for nurses who are critical to the achievement of universal health coverage (UHC). This study examined the perspectives of the heads of nursing education institutions (NEIs) in Ghana and South Africa on the functioning and effectiveness of the respective nursing regulators.DesignThis was a cross-sectional survey.SettingThis study was conducted in Ghana and South AfricaParticipantsHeads of accredited NEIs in Ghana (n=65) and in South Africa (n=39).ResultsIn South Africa, the mean score for overall functioning of the South African Nursing Council (SANC) was 4.6 (SD 1.97), whereas the mean score for overall functioning of the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Ghana (N&MC) was 7.1 (SD 1.7) (p<0.0001). Similarly, the mean score for effectiveness of the SANC by NEIs was 5.1, compared with the mean effectiveness score of 7.2 for the N&MC (p<0.001).Compared to the SANC, the heads of NEIs scored the N&MC higher on each of t...
Background: Nursing and midwifery image has endured positive and negative stereotypes in transiti... more Background: Nursing and midwifery image has endured positive and negative stereotypes in transition from vocation to a recognised profession and a discipline. Nevertheless, concerns about professional image still persist and factors influencing contemporary image of nursing and midwifery are least understood.Aim: The aim is this study is to investigate nurses and midwives’ perception of their professional image and describe the factors influencing their perception.Methods: A mixed method approach was employed. Qualitative data was first collected followed by a quantitative evaluation. Participants were recruited from six (6) regions in Ghana. Nurses and midwife age 18 years with at least one year practiced experience were eligible. Recruitment was done through one-on-one contact and via social media platforms. In depth interviews were conducted with 60 nurses and midwives and questionnaires completed by 778 respondents online. Interviews were transcribed, coded and grouped into them...
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.afjem.2014.10.008 2211-419X a 2014 African Federation for Emergency M... more http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.afjem.2014.10.008 2211-419X a 2014 African Federation for Emergency Medicine. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Le renforcement de la qualité des soins aigus grâce au feedback fourni par les patients au Ghana Roger A. Atinga *, Robert Bella Kuganab-Lem , Lydia Aziato , Emmanuel Srofenyoh d a Department of Public Administration and Health Services Management, University of Ghana Business School, Legon, Accra, Ghana b Department of Allied Health Sciences, University for Development Studies, Tamale, Ghana c Department of Adult Health, School of Nursing, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana d Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Ridge Regional Hospital, Accra, Ghana
Patient Characteristics that Influence the Advocacy Role of Nurses in Ghana: A Qualitative Study
Study background: Several factors influence nurses to advocate for patients in the course of thei... more Study background: Several factors influence nurses to advocate for patients in the course of their work including particular patient characteristics. These characteristics however, are under reported in Ghana. Methods: The objective of the study was to determine the patient characteristics that influence the advocacy role of nurses. Ethical approval was obtained from the appropriate bodies and the study employed a qualitative exploratory descriptive design. A sample size of 15 nurses working in a regional hospital in Ghana was used and the participants voluntarily consented to participate in the study. Data was collected using a semi-structured interview guide and analyzed using content analysis. Results: The participants advocated for patients who were neglected, vulnerable, uninformed, intimidated and dissatisfied. They advocated for those whose relatives failed to provide them with food, drugs and care. The participants also advocated for unconscious patients, children and apathe...
SPECIAL SESSION: Home-Brewed Cultural Responsive Interventions for Pain Management in Ghana
The Psycho-Socio-Economic and Family Burden of Breast Cancer in Ghana
Journal of Nursing Education and Practice, 2021
While change is acknowledged as integral to all action research, literature linking the theories ... more While change is acknowledged as integral to all action research, literature linking the theories of change theoretically merits exploration. Are some theories of change more congruent to principles of action research than others? Does congruence depend on which type of action research and which change theory are being compared? During the implementation of a four-cycle community-based participatory action research (CBPR) project in nursing education in Ghana, such questions arose. This paper is an attempt to grapple with those questions. While Kotter’s eight-step theory of organizational change was chosen to guide this study, it became obvious that various elements of change theories were integrated in the study as it progressed. For Kotter’s organizational change theory to serve as an effective guide for the implementation cycles in the CBPR project, it must be conducted through the lens of critical social theory and a perspective on social and cultural change.
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Papers by Prof. Lydia Aziato