Lydia Aziato

• PhD, MPhil, BA, FWACN, ONDEC, RN
• Vice-Chancellor at University of Health and Allied Sciences Ho

Career women have varied responsibilities in society, and therefore, finding a balance among work, family, and personal life duties is becoming increasingly difficult. The literature explains that there is no one-size-fits-all standard for work-life balance. This study sought to explore ways of coping with family life and schooling among Ghanaian n...

Breast cancer (BCa) is one of the leading causes of mortality among women in most countries in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Female survivors of BCa have been the primary subjects of most studies with a focus on therapies like chemotherapy and mastectomy but less on radiation therapy especially experiences post-radiation therapy. We explored the psycho...

Background The evolving impact of climate change on adolescents' health is a pressing global concern. Climate change's effects on their physical, mental, and social well‐being worsen unique developmental challenges for adolescents. This study aims to map existing evidence, identify gaps, and highlight research and intervention needs. Methods Follo...

Background Deaths can be caused by terminal illnesses, accidents, or natural disasters. However, medically, death can be hastened by healthcare providers, patients themselves, or their relatives. In advanced cancers where the patient’s quality of life is compromised, Euthanasia can be used to hasten death. Inadequate medical resources and low socio...

Background Climate change and extreme weather events significantly threaten neonatal and child health. This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the current evidence on the impact of climate change on child health, using the evidence gap map (EGM) to address knowledge gaps and establish a foundation for evidence-based interventions an...

Climate change poses unique challenges to maternal well-being and increases complications during pregnancy and childbirth globally. This evidence gap map (EGM) aims to identify gaps in existing knowledge and areas where further research related to climate change and its impact on maternal health is required. The following databases were searched in...

Background Caring for children with cancer by parents in Ghana is associated with diverse psychological and emotional burdens. However, such parents utilize coping strategies to adjust to their distressing situations. There is dearth of literature on the coping strategies of parents of children diagnosed with cancer in Ghana. Therefore, this study...

Background Evidence shows that patients who visit the surgical and trauma emergency units may be discharged with untreated or increased pain levels. This study explored nurses’ pain assessment and management approaches at a trauma-surgical emergency unit in Ghana. Methods Seventeen nurses who work in the trauma department participated in this qual...

Nearly 31% of the Ghanaian population are adolescents, and these populations persistently face high rates of teenage pregnancies and unsafe abortions. This is despite sexual and reproductive health (SRH) being taught in the school curriculum. In this qualitative study, we explore the factors affecting adolescents’ access to, and experiences of, SRH...

Delayed reporting of breast cancer continues to increase in African countries, including Ghana, which is attributable to socio-cultural and economic factors. However, there is a paucity of data on socio-cultural and economic determinants of delayed reporting of breast cancer in Ghana. This study aimed to explore the socio‐cultural and economic dete...

Background Prostate cancer is the second most diagnosed cancer among males across the world. It is a condition that comes with several physical, psychological and social challenges, and imposed a lot of financial burden on the patients and their relatives. We explored the pull and push factors influencing the utilisation of prostate cancer care amo...

Abstract The year 2022 saw COVID‐19 as the primary public health concern, with vaccine rollout and mandates at the forefront. Other viral infectious diseases, such as Monkeypox and Ebola, emerged as public health concerns. Climate change and political conflicts significantly impacted global health, increasing the demand for humanitarian assistance...

Background The utilisation of research findings in healthcare among health professionals is key for promoting patient safety and achieving quality health outcomes including that of nursing and midwifery research. However, not much is known about the challenges Ghanaian nurses and midwives face in generating evidence-based findings to inform context...

Objective: The choice of the sick to access health care services in Ghana or consult a health care provider depends on the individuals’ beliefs about the disease and available services. This paper seeks to explore the health beliefs of cervical cancer survivors in Ghana. Methods: We employed an exploratory qualitative approach in this study. We int...

Introduction: The best interests of the child shall be paramount in any matter concerning a child and it should be the primary consideration by any court, person, institution, or other body in any matter concerned with a child. This study sought to explore the influence of legislation on and professional commitment of radiographers towards suspect...

Aim: The aim of the study was to explore and describe the mothers' perspectives on issues associated with caring for Ghanaian children aged 0-14 years living with tuberculosis. Design: Exploratory descriptive qualitative design. Methods: Semi-structured individual interviews were conducted face to face with 15 purposively sampled mothers from...

Background Females in developing countries are likely to suffer from visual impairment more than their male counterparts. People living with blindness or any other form of disability also have the right to reproduce and care for their children like all other humans. There is paucity of literature in the experiences of blind mothers in Ghana. Theref...

This study aims to explore the perceptions of patients and family caregivers on the image of nurses and midwives in Ghana. The study adopted a qualitative exploratory descriptive approach. A total of 25 participants were interviewed during data collection. Content and thematic analysis were applied in the data analysis to develop themes. The findin...

On 23 July 2022, the World Health Organization reported monkeypox cases in over 75 countries and, as a result, declared the virus a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). Despite Africa being the centre of the zoonotic disease evolution, its healthcare systems have not provided optimum attention to the problem. The African health...

Managing postoperative pain require good understanding of the bio-ethical principles in order to preserve patients’ rights. Bio-ethical principles in health care include autonomy, beneficence, justice and nonmaleficence. It is important that health care professionals understand that patients in pain have the right to satisfactory management. Good i...

Background The World Health Organization endorses exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of every child’s life since exclusive breastfeeding has the potential of saving thousands of infants’ lives. The global exclusive breastfeeding rate among mothers is sub-optimal. This predisposes infants born to teenage mothers to all types of ailment...

Background: Childhood cancer is proportionately higher in Africa and these result in increased demands on caregivers. The inability of affected children to take care of themselves; coupled with prescribed medical interventions presents physical and social burdens on family caregivers. Aims and methods: This study used a qualitative exploratory d...

Aim: The purpose of this study was to explore the perceived benefits and challenges of online distance education and computer-based testing (CBT) among registered nurses and midwives in a sample of government-owned health facilities and health training institutions in Ghana. Design: Exploratory descriptive qualitative design. Methods: Individu...

Background Families, whether at home or at the hospital, should be a vital part of newborn care. However, most families are excluded from hospital care, particularly in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). This is incompatible with the concepts of Family-Centered Care (FCC) and may compromise care continuity and family satisfaction following disc...

Background Evidence-based health system guidelines are pivotal tools to help outline the important financial, policy and service components recommended to achieve a sustainable and resilient health system. However, not all guidelines are readily translatable into practice and/or policy without effective and tailored implementation and adaptation te...

Purpose The purpose of this study was to explore the meanings of quality of life among people living with epilepsy (PLWE) in Ghana. Methods An exploratory-qualitative study design was adopted. Face-to-face in-depth interviews, using a semi-structured interview guide, were conducted on 15 PLWE who were purposively selected for the study. The interv...

The study examined current issues in Clinical Nursing in Ghana

Adolescents living in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are struggling with accessing sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services, and COVID-19 has escalated the problem. The purpose of this review was to identify and assess the existing literature on the impact of the pandemic on SRH needs and access to services by adolescents in LMICs. A...

Objective Nursing 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. Design Th...

Background Patients recovering from abdominal surgeries may experience several psychological issues which affect their well-being and adversely impact recovery. This study sought to explore the postoperative recovery experiences focusing on psychological well-being after abdominal surgery in the Ho Municipality of Ghana. Methods The study was cond...

Background COVID-19 has impacted negatively on people physically, psychologically, spiritually, and socioeconomically worldwide. Nurses’ ability to prepare towards case management is imperative because the potential of one coming across the virus at the hospital is inevitable. This study intended to explore and describe nurses’ perspectives on prep...

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 implement...

Background Herbal medicine administration in conventional health care services is gaining popularity lately. Much has not been documented on the perceived enhancers and challenges to herbal medicine administration at the hospital. The study sought to explore the facilitators and barriers to the clinical administration of herbal medicine in Ghana....

Background: Pain sustained from burns is usually quite severe and has been linked to extreme distress, preventing patients from contributing to their care. Nurses have legal and professional obligations to promptly assess burns pain by using pain assessment tools and by relying on the patient’s behaviour and expressions. Objectives: To explore nurs...

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. Im...

Nurses and midwives are the majority of healthcare professionals globally, including Africa, and they provide care at all levels of the health system including community levels. Nurses and midwives contribute to the care of patients with rigid or dogmatic religious beliefs or those with suicidal ideations. This review paper discusses acute and chro...

Purpose The purpose of the study was to determine the norms and intentions of nurses towards the clinical use of herbal medicine. Method Information on nurses’ demographics, norms and intentions was gathered through individual face-to-face interviews. Interviews were analysed using the process of content analysis. Results Beliefs of the nurses an...

Background The World Health Organization has admonished member countries to strive towards achieving universal health coverage (UHC) through actionable health policies and strategies. Nurses and midwives have instrumental roles in achieving UHC via health policy development and implementation. However, there is a paucity of empirical data on nurses...

Introduction The success of the child protection process is dependent on rapid actions by healthcare professionals who encounter a child in possible need of protection and make appropriate referrals to statutory agencies. Clear rules that promote inter-professional working among health professionals is necessary to enhance child protection. Aim To...

This chapter explored the experiences of nurses and midwives working in the frontline at Covid-19 treatment centres in Ghana. Twenty-nine nurses and midwives working in the frontline at Covid-19 treatment centres in eleven health facilities across Ghana participated in this study. Three major themes emerged related to physical, psychological, and s...

Few women occupy a professorial rank in academia and senior management positions globally. The issues relating to women in academia find a locus in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals on quality education, gender equality, and reduced inequalities, with discussions focusing on women in power and decision-making. This chapter seeks to u...

Background Nursing is an embodiment of knowledge, clinical work, and interpersonal communication. Effective nursing care has a distinct influence on the overall satisfaction and experience of the patient. Communication is said to be indispensable in the delivery of quality healthcare. Effective communication between nurses and patients has proven t...

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 facto...

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 invest...

Postoperative pain remains a challenge in many healthcare settings. It is unethical if pain is not managed adequately. However, there is inadequate literature on nurses’ ethical decision making on pain management. Thus, this study aimed at exploring the factors influencing ethical decision making for postoperative pain management among nurses in Gh...

Aim This study was undertaken to discover the socioeconomic impact of breast cancer on young women in Ghana. Methods A qualitative exploratory and descriptive design was used to recruit 12 young women from the University of Ghana hospital, 37 Military hospital and Ridge hospital. Individual interviews were conducted face to face and data transcrib...

Background: Exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months can prevent diseases, boost immunity and improve quality of lives of infants. Ghana implemented programmes aimed at reaching the global target of increasing exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months to at least 50% by the year 2025. The country witnessed a decline in the overall ra...

Background: Breast cancer (BC) is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among females. Mastectomy is the treatment of choice in most African countries due to late reporting. The majority of women diagnosed with BC experience socio-economic challenges. This study explored the factors that affect the socio-economic well-being of women post-mastectomy in...

Aim The aim of the study is to investigate factors hampering the provision of mental health services by nurses and midwives to childbearing women to assist in the prioritization and distribution of limited mental health resources. Design This is a cross‐sectional self‐report study. Methods Data collected from 309 nurses and midwives were analysed...

Background The World Health Organization (WHO) recognizes the significance of families’ caregiving roles for sick children, especially in the case of cancer and other chronic diseases. Objectives: This study aimed to explore the psychological and spiritual wellbeing of family caregivers of children with cancer at a teaching hospital in Ghana. Metho...

Background: The World Health Organization has admonished member countries to strive towards achieving universal health coverage (UHC) through actionable health policies and strategies. Nurses and midwives have instrumental roles in achieving UHC via health policy development and implementation. However, there is a paucity of empirical data on nurse...

Background: The World Health Organization has admonished member countries to strive towards achieving universal health coverage (UHC) through actionable health policies and strategies. Nurses and midwives have instrumental roles in achieving UHC via health policy development and implementation. However, there is a paucity of empirical data on nurse...

Background: The World Health Organization has admonished member countries to strive towards achieving universal health coverage (UHC) through actionable health policies and strategies. Nurses and midwives have instrumental roles in achieving UHC via health policy development and implementation. However, there is a paucity of empirical data on nurse...

Background: The World Health Organization has admonished member countries to strive towards achieving universal health coverage (UHC) through actionable health policies and strategies. Nurses and midwives have instrumental roles in achieving UHC via health policy development and implementation. However, there is a paucity of empirical data on nurse...

Background: The World Health Organization has admonished member countries to strive towards achieving universal health coverage (UHC) through actionable health policies and strategies. Nurses and midwives have instrumental roles in achieving UHC via health policy development and implementation. However, there is a paucity of empirical data on nurse...

Background: Young women diagnosed with breast cancer face challenges that interfere with their entire life with psychological and physical effects. Method: We employed a qualitative exploratory descriptive design, and recruited twelve participants through purposive and snowball sampling methods to conduct 12 face to face individual interviews. A...

Background: Exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months can prevent diseases, boost immunity and improve quality of lives of infants. Ghana implemented programmes aimed at reaching the global target of increasing exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months to at least 50% by the year 2025. The country witnessed a decline in the overall rate o...

Background: Breastfeeding and caring for children demand time, energy and effort. Mothers with physical impairments in Ghana require special needs to be able to achieve optimal motherhood as society demands. Globally, literature on breastfeeding and caring for children among mothers with physical disabilities is limited. Similarly, there is dearth...

Background Nurses often speak on patients’ behalf and safeguard their safety through their advocacy role. However, some challenges like the negative attitude of team members and lack of institutional support often hamper this role. These challenges have not been well studied in the Ghanaian context. Aim This study explores the perceived environmen...

Purpose: To explore surgical patients’ perception of spirituality on the outcome of surgeries in the northern part of Ghana. Methods: A qualitative explorative descriptive design was adopted for the study. A purposive sampling technique was used to recruit participants. Data were saturated with 15 participants aged between 23 and 65 years. All the...

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess the coping strategies of people living with epilepsy (PLWEs) and their health outcomes. Methods: This was a descriptive-exploratory, qualitative study. Face-to-face, in-depth interviews were carried out on a purposive sample of 13 PLWEs using a semi-structured interview guide. Interviews were audi...

Objective The objective of this study was to explore how Community Psychiatric Nurses experienced stigma in their line of duty. Methods The study adopted qualitative exploratory descriptive design. Participants were selected from three district hospitals (Ga South, Ga Central and Okaikoi) all in the Accra Metropolis. Twelve (12) participants betwe...

This book responds to calls for quality healthcare service management practices or processes from developing economy perspectives. Focusing primarily on African and other developing economy contexts, this book covers eight thematic areas: strategy in healthcare; marketing imperatives in healthcare management; product and pricing management in healt...

Aim This study sought to identify ways of coping with breast cancer diagnosis and its treatment challenges among young Ghanaian women living in the Accra metropolis. Methodology The study used an exploratory descriptive qualitative approach to recruit twelve participants aged 28–45 years through purposive and snowball sampling methods from three h...

Purpose: The study aimed at describing the beliefs that People Living with Epilepsy (PLWE) have about the disease. Methods: A descriptive-exploratory qualitative design was employed to guide the study. Thirteen (13) participants living with epilepsy in the Accra Metropolis were purposively sampled. Face-to-face in-depth interviews were conducted...

Given the emerging global youth disengagement epidemic, anticipated population growth, and the threat of continued rural–urban migration among young adults, recent research has focused on community leadership practice and the factors that influence youth engagement at the local level. Studying these practices and factors can elicit interventions th...

Insight into the involvement and professional development needs (PDNs) of non-mental health nurses and midwives with respect to promoting maternal mental health is necessary to integrate mental health services into primary healthcare delivery. Using a cross-sectional survey and self-report methodology, the study investigates the involvement, PDNs,...

Background In Ghana, as in the rest of the world, nurses constitute the core of Human Resources for Health (HRH). The success of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) is dependent on the nursing profession. As part of a broader comparative study on nursing governance in Ghana and South Africa, the aim of this paper is to present the factors that influenc...

Introduction For nursing practice to be responsive to the needs of patients, it must be driven by contextual research evidence. To guide institutional and national nursing research policy, there is need to determine the quantity and quality of nursing research in Ghana. Purpose The purpose of this integrative literature review was to quantify, cri...

Background Suicide is higher among adults with disabilities compared to their counterparts without disabilities and suicide is mostly preceded with suicidal ideations. For each successful suicide, there could be many ideations and attempts. Limited scientific data exist on the issue of mothers with disabilities and suicidal ideations. Therefore, th...

Introduction: Radiographers are well placed to flag non accidental injury in children due to their unique position within the imaging chain. Being able to identify (or suspect) physical abuse in children and reporting the incident are, however, two different issues. This study was conducted to explore the external influences in the decision making...

Background: Preterm birth (PTB) is a leading cause of infant morbidity and mortality worldwide. Every year, 20 million babies are born with low birthweight (LBW), about 96% of which occur in low-income countries. Despite the associated dangers, in about 40%-50% of PTB and LBW cases, the causes remain unexplained. Existing evidence is inconclusive a...

Background The purpose of the study was to explore surgical patients’ experiences of discharge planning and home care in the Northern part of Ghana. Methods The study was conducted at a referral hospital located at the Northern part of Ghana. A qualitative explorative descriptive design was adopted for the study. Purposive sampling technique was u...

Patient advocacy

Background: Prior to the advent of modern obstetric services, traditional birth attendants (TBAs) have rendered services to pregnant women and women in labour for a long time. Although it is anticipated that women in contemporary societies will give birth in hospitals and clinics, some women still patronize the services of TBAs. The study therefor...

Objective: The objective of this study was to explore surgical patients’ experiences of preoperative and intraoperative nursing care. Materials and methods: The study was conducted at the Regional Hospital, Bolgatanga, Ghana and employed a qualitative explorative descriptive design. Purposive sampling technique was used to recruit participants. The...

Background: The highest incidence of preterm birth (18%) occurs in Africa but the causes are largely unknown. Some studies have reported adverse effects of maternal physical exertion on birth outcomes. A randomized controlled trial (RCT) is proposed to determine the effectiveness of an intervention reducing lifting and carrying in pregnant women i...

Background Patient advocacy has been identified as a core duty of the nurse, and certain nurse characteristics influence the performance of the role. However, these characteristics have not been adequately explored in Ghana. This study aimed to explore the perspectives of nurses about the characteristics of nurses that influence their role as patie...

Introduction There are a number of factors that influence health promotion activities among the youth. This study sought to gain a comprehensive understanding of the facilitators and inhibitors of health promotion among the youth from the perspectives of community leaders in a rural setting in South Africa. Methods The study adopted an exploratory,...

Background Due to the debilitating effects of severe labour pains, labour pain management continues to be an important subject that requires much attention. Thus, this study sought to gain a detailed insight into the experiences of midwives on pharmacological and non-pharmacological labour pain management strategies in a resource limited clinical c...

Aim: To explore Ghanaian nurses' knowledge of invasive procedural pain in children who are in hospital and to identify the effect of unrelieved pain on children, parents and nurses. Method: An exploratory, descriptive and qualitative design was adopted. A purposive sampling technique was used and individual face-to-face, semi-structured intervie...

Background: Although social participation has been linked to positive physical and mental health outcomes, elderly people in rural areas remain highly disengaged. Also, few studies have examined community residents' perceptions of the barriers and opportunities for the elderly to participate in community activities. Purpose: This article highlig...

Objective: Drug dependency has been typified as a persistent relapsing disorder. Overall, 65% of people with substance use disorders relapse within one year after treatment. Recent interventions have focussed on contextually relevant relapse prevention strategies. This study explored relapse prevention strategies utilised by patients recovering fro...

Background: A 2010 study of preceptorship as a clinical teaching model in Ghana revealed weaknesses related to high student-preceptor ratios and inadequate support from faculty in the educational institution. A four-cycle community-based participatory action research study was designed to further delineate clinical teaching and learning issues and...

Background Women have experienced severe labour pain over the years and various attempts have been made to effectively manage labour pain. However, there is paucity of literature on the labour pain experience and perceptions about labour pain with the contemporary Ghanaian health system. Therefore this study sought to gain an in-depth understanding...

Relapse to substance abuse is a global problem and is conceptualized as an integral component of the recovery process. Global statistics on rates of relapse after substance abuse treatment are disturbingly high, averaging about 75% within a 3- to 6-month duration after treatment. This study sought to gain full understanding of the factors that prec...

Background Beliefs surrounding pain during childbirth has biblical foundations that contribute to labour pain being viewed as a natural phenomenon. Contemporary health care promotes evidence-based labour pain management but the faith of the midwife may influence her midwifery practice regarding labour pain management. Therefore this study sought to...

Many individuals remain skeptical about the safety and use of herbal medicine thereby slowing the efforts being made to integrate herbal medicine into Ghana’s health system. This study sought to provide an in-depth description of the clinical use of herbal medicine in Ghana through interviews with participants at two locations—a national research c...

Background Religiosity in health care delivery has attracted some attention in contemporary literature. The religious beliefs and practices of patients play an important role in the recovery of the patient. Pregnant women and women in labour exhibit their faith and use religious artefacts. This phenomenon is poorly understood in Ghana. The study so...

Objective: This study sought to investigate the experiences and perceptions of adolescents who have experienced a recent pregnancy and undergone a termination of pregnancy. Design: A vignette-based focus group approach was utilized to have adolescents reflect on scenarios that happen to others during an unwanted pregnancy. Setting: The study w...

Background The use of complementary and alternative medicine including herbal medicine is increasing in many countries including Ghana. However, there is paucity of research on the perspectives of patrons of herbal medicine regarding the facilitators and barriers of herbal medicine use. This study sought to investigate the facilitators and barriers...