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Abstract Aim This study determined the prevalence and key determinants of burnout among nurses and midwives in Kumasi, Ghana. Design Hospital‐based cross‐sectional study. Method A questionnaire was used to obtain data from 391 nurses and midwives at a tertiary hospital in Kumasi, Ghana using simple random sampling. Results About 84.4% of the participants were females. The majority of the study participants experienced low burnout for all dimensions (58% in emotional exhaustion, 55.5% poor personal accomplishment and 38.3% depersonalization). Multiple regression analysis revealed that high emotional exhaustion was independently predicted by post‐graduate education (β = 6.42, p = .003), lack of support from management (β = 2.07, p = .024), dislike for leadership style, (β = 3.54, p

Background. Burnout among nursing professionals at the workplace and how it influences their decision to quit the profession is crucial to the delivery of quality health service. The shortage of nursing professionals has serious consequences on the healthcare system. Aim. To examine the effect of burnout on intention to quit the profession among nursing professionals. Methods. A cross-sectional study among 375 randomly selected nursing professionals in active service at a tertiary healthcare setting in Kumasi, Ghana. The Maslach Burnout Inventory was used to determine burnout, and their intention to quit the profession was assessed by asking participants whether they ever thought about quitting the profession in the past 12 months. The effect of burnout on intention to quit was analyzed using logistic regression analysis. Results. The overall prevalence of burnout among participants was 2.1% (8/375) with 10.1% (38/375), 24.0% (90/375), and 56.3% (211/375) experiencing high emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation, and low personal accomplishment, respectively. Nearly half (49.3%, 185/375) of the participants had intention to quit the profession. Emotional exhaustion (adjusted odds tatio, AOR = 5.46; 95% CI = 2.25–13.20), depersonalisation (AOR = 1.77 95% CI = 1.07–2.95), and personal accomplishment (AOR = 2.27; 95% CI = 1.30–3.96) were associated with intention to quit the profession. Conclusion. Burnout has a negative effect causing intention to quit nursing profession. It is imperative to identify strategies such as occupational health surveillance that will aim at reducing the incidence of burnout at the workplace due to its consequences, one of them being the intention to quit.

The 2019 corona virus disease (COVID-19) has wreaked havoc on countries, communities and households. Its effect on individuals and their families, although enormous, has not been adequately explored. We thus present a report on the illness experiences of three families in Ghana who had at least one member diagnosed with COVID-19. We interviewed them and recorded their commonest fears, such as death, stigmatisation and collapse of family business. Respondents had a fair idea about symptoms of COVID-19, mode of transmission and safety precautions. Family separation and loss of income were some of the adverse effects expressed. Majority of them were hopeful that family members with COVID-19 would recover and be reunited. The biopsychosocial impact of COVID-19 is tremendous and family physicians and other primary care workers have an essential role to play in addressing this.

Background: The occurrence of burnout amongst African health professionals has been widely anticipated, but there is a dearth of published data, especially amongst doctors. Burnout has been reported to be as high as 53% amongst doctors in the United States. If not detected, it can result in prescription errors, work-related accidents, substance abuse and depression. Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of burnout and its associated factors amongst a sample of physicians in Ghana. Setting: This study was conducted in Kumasi amongst physicians attending a conference organised by the West African College of Physicians, Ghana Chapter. Method: A cross-sectional study. Of the 90 physicians who registered for the conference, 60 responded to a self-administered Maslach Burnout Inventory questionnaire. Data were analysed descriptively and inferentially using STATA® version 14. Results: Approximately 52% of respondents had been in medical practice for 10–19 years (mean 15.4 years). All the major medical specialties were represented. Internal Medicine had the highest number of participants (48.3%). With respect to the components of burnout, 5.5% of respondents experienced depersonalisation, 7.8% had a lack of personal achievement and 10.8% experienced emotional exhaustion. The association between burnout and age, sex, years of practice and clinical specialty was not found to be statistically significant. Conclusion: This pilot study has shown burnout to be common amongst physicians in Ghana. It is recommended that further studies are conducted, involving a larger cross-section of doctors in various parts of Africa.

Background: Family instability and partner conflicts are reportedly common in serodiscordant relationships. To date, the family adaptability, partnership, growth, affection and resolve (Family APGAR), a standardised tool for assessing family function, has not been used in any published literature involving this peculiar group. Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the predictors of family functionality and its association with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) serodiscordance. Setting: The study was undertaken at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology Hospital and Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi, Ghana. Method: This was a cross-sectional study. A systematic sampling method was used to select HIV-positive clients whose partners were seropositive (concordant) or seronegative (discordant). A standardised format was used to extract relevant data. All data were analysed using STATA® (version 14). Results were reported as odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals for study and outcome variables. Results: The study recruited 374 respondents, of which 52% (195) were in HIV-discordant relationships. Approximately 68% (254) of the respondents rated their families as functional, 15% (57) rated as moderately dysfunctional and 17% (63) rated as severely dysfunctional. A statistically significant relationship was found between family functionality and gender, as well as between family functionality and HIV status disclosure to the partner. No association was found between the Family APGAR and HIV serodiscordance. Conclusion: Amongst HIV couples, the strongest predictors of family functionality are gender and status disclosure. Healthcare providers should invest efforts into addressing gender-based challenges, utilise the Family APGAR and support disclosure of HIV status, especially amongst discordant couples.

BACKGROUND:Viral hepatitis continues to play significant role in causing morbidity and mortality in sub-Saharan Africa. Apart from the few population based studies available, not many have investigated the burden of these viruses in jaundiced patients. Among the few studies, hepatitis E is the least studied among jaundiced patients. This study was aimed at describing the frequency, distribution and risk of the different hepatitis viruses among jaundiced patients reporting to the second largest teaching hospital in Ghana. METHODS:From November, 2015 to April, 2016, a cross-sectional study was conducted among jaundiced patients attending the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital. Between 3-5 ml of blood was collected from each patient and screened for viral hepatitis agents using both serologic and molecular-based assays. RESULTS:In the 155 patients recruited, hepatitis B was the most prevalent [54.2% (95% CI = 46.0%-62.2%)] followed by hepatitis E [32.9% (95% CI = 25.6-40.9%)]. Most cases of hepatitis E occurred as co-infections with hepatitis B (18%), with the predominant clinical feature being hepatocellular carcinoma. Risk factor variable analysis showed middle and older aged individuals were more at risk of hepatitis B exposure whereas younger age groups (