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BACKGROUND: Gestational diabetes (GD) can threaten the health of both the mother and the foetus if it is not effectively managed. While there exists a growing body of research on self-management interventions for GD, there is a lack of reviewed studies regarding the various self-management interventions in Africa. The purpose of this review is to map the evidence of self-management interventions for GD in Africa. METHODS: Searches for records were conducted in four major databases, including PubMed, PubMed Central, Science Direct and Journal Storage. Additional documents from Google and Google Scholar were also added. The guidelines for conducting scoping reviews by Arksey and O'Malley were followed. RESULTS: The results revealed that intermittent fasting, education on diet, insulin injection, blood glucose monitoring, physical activities, lifestyle modification and foot care were the available self-management interventions for GD in Africa. Most of the reviewed studies reported intermittent fasting and patient education as effective self-management interventions for GD in Africa. The barriers identified in the reviewed studies were either patient-related or facility-related. Patient-related barriers included lack of awareness, and negative attitude, while facility-related barriers included lack of access to education on GD, especially, face-to-face educational interventions. CONCLUSION: It is crucial to consider the cultural and personal needs, as well as the educational level of women with gestational diabetes when creating an effective self-management intervention. Optimal results can be achieved for self-management of gestational diabetes by integrating multidisciplinary approaches.

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BACKGROUND: Insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) are pivotal tools for malaria prevention in endemic regions like Ghana. Understanding the protective factors and barriers influencing ITN ownership and usage is crucial for designing effective interventions. A scoping review was conducted to identify studies exploring protective factors and barriers related to ITN ownership and usage. METHODS: This review followed the guidelines by Askey and O'Malley. Search was done in four major databases including PubMed, Science Direct, PubMed CENTRAL, and JSTOR. Additional searches were done in Google Scholar and Google. Peer-reviewed and grey literature were included. RESULTS: A total of 24 papers met the eligibility criteria and were included in the review. Included studies found regional disparities in ITN ownership and usage. Furthermore, included studies reported ownership rates between 97.8 and 28% and usage rates between 94 and 20%. Protective factors facilitating ITN ownership were marital status, higher educational attainment, higher income levels, and being aged 25 years or older. In contrast, the factors for its use included community-level campaigns advocating for ITN use and awareness, individuals with secondary education or higher and those residing in urban areas. Missed opportunities in free distribution exercises and the unavailability of subsidized ITNs at health facilities were barriers to ownership. CONCLUSION: Understanding and addressing protective factors and barriers influencing ITN ownership and usage are crucial for enhancing malaria prevention strategies and achieving sustainable progress in combating malaria in endemic areas. Collaborative and evidence-based interventions are essential for addressing these challenges effectively.

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BACKGROUND: Therapeutic communication (TC) promotes effective patient care, emotional wellbeing, and improves patient outcomes. The purpose of this review was to synthesise evidence on barriers and outcomes of TC between nurses and patients in Africa and to inform future studies and systematic reviews. METHODS: Search for the records was done in four major databases including PubMed, Science Direct, PubMed CENTRAL, and JSTOR. Additional searches were done in Google Scholar and Google. Results and findings from published studies and grey literature were included. A total of 16 articles met the eligibility criteria and were included in the review. This scoping review followed the guidelines by Askey and O'Malley. RESULTS: Barriers associated with TC were grouped under five main themes: sociodemographic factors, patient-related factors, nurse-related factors, environmental and health service-related. Age, and religious beliefs were the main sociodemographic factors that hindered TC while stress and inadequate knowledge and skills were identified among the nurse-related barriers to TC. Extreme weather conditions and mosquito infestation were environmental factors while lack of access to TC educational programmes on TC was a health service-related factor that interfered with TC. Both positive and negative outcomes of TC were also identified. CONCLUSION: Continuous professional development on TC is necessary to improve nurses' attitudes and update their skills to enable them to render culturally competent nursing care to patients.

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INTRODUCTION: Sickle cell disease (SCD) poses a significant global health burden, particularly affecting individuals in developing countries with constrained healthcare resources. While research on self-management in the context of SCD is emerging, it has predominantly focused on primary studies, and there is a notable dearth of evidence synthesis on SCD self-management in developing countries. This scoping review aims to identify and map self-management needs of individuals living with SCD, the strategies they employed to meet those needs, and the support systems available to them. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: The review will be conducted following the Arksey and O'Malley's (2005) 29 framework to comprehensively examine the landscape of SCD self-management research. Searches will be performed in PubMed, Scopus, Embase and Dimensions AI, with additional searches in other databases and grey literature. Indexed literature published in English from inception to January 2024 will be included. Reference list from included studies will also be searched manually. Two teams will be constituted to independently screen titles, abstracts and full text against the eligible criteria. Data will be extracted from included studies onto a customised data extraction form. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethical approval is not required for this review due to the fact that it synthesises information from available publications. The findings will be disseminated through publication in a peer-reviewed journal. Also, the findings will possibly be presented at relevant international and national conferences. This protocol has already been registered with the Open Science Framework. The study characteristics such as design and setting will be descriptively analysed and presented as graphs, tables and figures. Thematic analysis will also be conducted based on the study objectives and presented as a narrative summary.

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BACKGROUND: Prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV services has become an integral part of antenatal services. Prevention of mother-to-child transmission was introduced in all the regions of Ghana, but mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) continued to increase. OBJECTIVES: To explore and describe midwives' perceptions and attitudes towards PMTCT of HIV services. METHOD: Quantitative research approach and descriptive cross-sectional design were used. The population includes all midwives between the ages of 21 and 60 years who work in antenatal care (ANC) clinics in 11 district hospitals in the Central Region of Ghana where the study was conducted. Forty-eight midwives were interviewed using a census sample process. Data were analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 21. Correlation analysis was performed to find the relationships between the attitudes and the perceptions of the midwives on PMTCT of HIV services. RESULTS: Seventy percent of midwives had positive perceptions of PMTCT of HIV services and 85% had positive attitudes towards the provision of PMTCT of HIV services. Midwives were screening all pregnant women who visited the ANCs and referring those who tested positive to other institutions where they can be monitored. Some of the concerns considered were views on retesting HIV-infected pregnant women throughout their pregnancy. There was a positive correlation between attitudes and perceptions of midwives on PMTCT of HIV services. CONCLUSION: Midwives had positive perceptions and positive attitudes towards the PMTCT of HIV services that they were providing to antenatal attendees. Also, as the attitudes of the midwives towards PMTCT of HIV services improved, their perceptions of PMTCT services also improved.Contribution: Decentralisation of PMTCT of HIV services to community-based health facilities is appropriate to enable sub-district health facilities to test for HIV and provide counselling services to pregnant women.

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Background: Prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV services has become an integral part of antenatal services. Prevention of mother-to-child transmission was introduced in all the regions of Ghana, but mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) continued to increase. Objectives: To explore and describe midwives' perceptions and attitudes towards PMTCT of HIV services. Method: Quantitative research approach and descriptive cross-sectional design were used. The population includes all midwives between the ages of 21 and 60 years who work in antenatal care (ANC) clinics in 11 district hospitals in the Central Region of Ghana where the study was conducted. Forty-eight midwives were interviewed using a census sample process. Data were analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 21. Correlation analysis was performed to find the relationships between the attitudes and the perceptions of the midwives on PMTCT of HIV services. Results: Seventy percent of midwives had positive perceptions of PMTCT of HIV services and 85% had positive attitudes towards the provision of PMTCT of HIV services. Midwives were screening all pregnant women who visited the ANCs and referring those who tested positive to other institutions where they can be monitored. Some of the concerns considered were views on retesting HIV-infected pregnant women throughout their pregnancy. There was a positive correlation between attitudes and perceptions of midwives on PMTCT of HIV services. Conclusion: Midwives had positive perceptions and positive attitudes towards the PMTCT of HIV services that they were providing to antenatal attendees. Also, as the attitudes of the midwives towards PMTCT of HIV services improved, their perceptions of PMTCT services also improved. Contribution: Decentralisation of PMTCT of HIV services to community-based health facilities is appropriate to enable sub-district health facilities to test for HIV and provide counselling services to pregnant women.

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BACKGROUND: The World Health Organisation's efforts to eliminate cervical cancer by 2030 with a target of 70% screening coverage using a high-performance test demand that women increase participation in screening. Factors that impact uptake of screening must therefore be identified and bottlenecks addressed, especially in lower- and middle-income countries where cervical cancer incidence remains high. This study investigated Muslim women, participation in, intention to engage in and self-efficacy about cervical cancer screening. METHODS: An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted among Muslim women aged 18 years and above in the Cape Coast Metropolis of Ghana using an interviewer-administered questionnaire. Data were analysed using appropriate descriptive statistics, Chi-square test, point biserial correlation and binary logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: The mean age of participants was approximately 31 years (M = 30.9, SD = 10.4). Out of the 431 women, 21 (4.9%) had ever participated in cervical cancer screening. Participants demonstrated very low knowledge about cervical cancer and screening, with a mean knowledge score of 3.68 out of 15. Knowledge about cervical cancer was associated with increased odds of participating in cervical cancer screening (aOR = 1.32, 95%CI 1.11, 1.56). Concerns about similarity with health provider in terms of gender and faith was associated with decreased odds of cervical cancer screening self-efficacy (aOR = 0.81, 95% CI 0.67). Islamic modesty (aOR = 0.88, 95%CI 0.81, 0.96) was associated with decreased self-efficacy about seeking cervical cancer screening, whereas attitude (aOR = 1.32, 95%CI 1.14, 1.53) was significantly associated with increased self-efficacy about seeking cervical cancer screening. Again, Islamic modesty (aOR = 0.88, 95%CI 0.80, 0.97) was associated with decreased intention to participate in screening, whereas attitude (aOR = 1.42, 95%CI 1.20, 1.68) was associated with increased intention to participate in screening. CONCLUSIONS: There are gaps in knowledge of cervical cancer among Muslim women in this study as less than 5% had participated in screening. A positive attitude was found to influence intention to screen and actual participation in screening programmes. Islamic modesty and commitment to the Islamic faith decreased intention and self-efficacy regarding screening. Therefore, comprehensive and appropriate socio-cultural and religion-specific interventions aimed at addressing the barriers to screening are important in improving uptake among Muslim women.

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