IntroductionPostpartum depression is a mood disorder that affects approximately 10–15% of adult mothers yearly. This study sought to determine the prevalence of postpartum depression and interventions utilized for its management in a Health facility in Ghana.MethodsA descriptive cross-sectional study design using a quantitative approach was used for the study. The study population included mothers and healthcare workers. Simple random sampling technique was used to select 257 mothers, while a convenience sampling technique was used to select 56 health workers for the study. A Patient Health Questionnaire was used to screen for depression and a structured questionnaire comprising closed-ended questions was used to collect primary data on the interventions for the management of postpartum depression. Data were analyzed using statistical software SPSS version 16.0.ResultsPostpartum depression was prevalent among 7% of all mothers selected. The severity ranged from minimal depression to severe depression. Psychosocial support proved to be the most effective intervention (p = 0.001) that has been used by the healthcare workers to reduce depressive symptoms.ConclusionPostpartum depression is prevalent among mothers although at a lower rate and psychosocial support has been the most effective intervention in its management. Postpartum depression may affect socialization behaviors in children and the mother, and it may lead to thoughts of failure leading to deeper depression. Frequent screening exercises for postpartum depression should be organized by authorities of the hospitals in conjunction with the Ministry of Health.

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BackgroundGlobally there are about 3.3million children under the age of 15 years living with HIV. Of this number, 88% live in sub-Saharan Africa. In Ghana, an estimated 33,000 children were said to be living with the HIV infection in 2012. Lack of disclosure adversely affects the well-being of the child, including access to paediatric HIV treatment and care and adherence to treatment. However, the greatest psychosocial challenges that parents and caregivers of HIV-infected children face is disclosure of HIV status to their infected children. This study sought to determine the prevalence of and the barriers to the disclosure of HIV status to infected children and adolescents in Lower Manya-Krobo District in Ghana.MethodsA cross sectional study with a sample of 118 caregivers of HIV infected children and adolescents aged 4–19 years attending three HIV clinics in the Lower Manya Krobo District, and 10 key informants comprising of healthcare workers and HIV volunteer workers involved in the provision of care to infected children and their families.ResultsThe prevalence of disclosure was higher. Main barriers to disclosure identified in this study included age of child, perceived cause of HIV, stigma attached to HIV, child’s inability to keep diagnosis to self and fear of psychological harm to child.ConclusionThere is the need for the Ghana Health Service in conjunction with the Ghana Aids Commission and the National Aids Control Programme to develop comprehensive context-based disclosure guidelines.

BackgroundTherapeutic communication is essential in the provision of quality healthcare to patients. The purpose of this study was to explore the perceived barriers to effective therapeutic communication among patients and nurses at Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital,Kumasi.MethodsAn exploratory study design was employed using a qualitative approach. A purposive sampling technique was used to select 13 nurses and patients who were interviewed using an unstructured interview guide. Interviews were audio-taped, transcribed verbatim and analyzed using thematic content analysis.ResultsPatient-related characteristics that were identified as barriers to effective therapeutic communication included socio-demographic characteristics, patient-nurse relationship, language, misconception, as well as pain. Nurse-related characteristics such as lack of knowledge, all-knowing attitude, work overload and dissatisfaction were also identified as barriers to effective therapeutic and environmental-related issues such as noisy environment, new to the hospital environment as well as unconducive environment were identified as barriers to effective therapeutic communication among patients and nurses at Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital,Kumasi.ConclusionNurse-patient communication is an inseparable part of the patients’ care in every health setting; it is one of the factors that determine the quality of care. Several patient-related characteristics, nurse- related characteristics and environmental-related issues pose as barriers to effective therapeutic communication at Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital,Kumasi and have ultimately; resulted in reducing effective communication at the wards. Therefore, all the barriers must be eradicated to promote effective therapeutic communication.

BackgroundExclusive breastfeeding (EBF) is one of the optimal infant and young child feeding practices. Globally, <40% of infants under 6 months of age are exclusively breastfed. In Ghana, 63% of children <6 months are exclusively breastfed which is far less than the 100% recommended by the United Nation Children Emergency Fund. This study was carried out to find out the factors that influence the practice of exclusive breastfeeding in the district.MethodsA cross-sectional quantitative study was conducted using structured questionnaires. A convenience sampling technique was employed to select 380 nursing mothers who attended postnatal care at the postnatal clinic in all the 13 health facilities with child welfare clinics (both public and private) and were available on the day of data collection. Data were analysed using frequency and CHISQ tables.ResultsThere was a significant association between socio-demographic characteristics of mothers such as age (p = 0.129), religion (p = 0.035) type of employment (p = 0.005) and the practice of exclusive breastfeeding. Again, there was significant relationship between mothers’ knowledge on EBF in terms of sources of information about EBF (p = 0.000), steps taken by mothers who perceived not to have breast milk (p = 0.000), some medical conditions of nursing mothers (p = 0.000) and the practice of EBF.ConclusionMost nursing mothers use infant formula feeds as either supplement or substitute for breast milk based on their perception that breast milk may not be sufficient for the babies despite the high cost of these artificial milk. This puts the babies at a higher risk of compromised health and malnutrition which has the potential of increasing infant mortality. Most mothers are not practicing exclusive breastfeeding because their spouses and family members do not allow them.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13104-017-2774-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.