Navigating the Ghanaian health system: stories from families of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities

Abstract

This study explored the experiences of families in navigating the Ghanaian health system to address the general health needs of their children with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). The sample involved 22 primary caregivers of children with IDD aged 3-18 years who participated in a semi-structured interview. The interviews were analyzed using the constant comparison analytical method. The findings highlighted key enablers and barriers related to three overarching themes: entry into the health system; consultation with health professionals; and service coordination. The findings showed that the families and their children gained entry into the health system in many health facilities. However, the families revealed that some facilities denied the children services, either because the children had difficulties following entry processing protocols or there were no health professionals willing to address the children's needs. Although health professionals perform their duties professionally during consultation and care administration in many cases, the families reported on some challenges. Service coordination was seamless in some facilities; however, the families reported on other facilities they accessed where service coordination was not seamless. The study findings illustrate that the experiences of families and their children with IDD in the Ghanaian health system may be mixed.

Barriers to providing healthcare to children living with cerebral palsy in Ghana: A qualitative study of healthcare provider perspectives

“…Consistent with other studies, we found that OOP payments associated with medications and treatments often drain the financial resources of caregivers, forcing them to forego treatments and other health services [47,66]. As prior research indicates, we also found that inadequate health system infrastructure is a barrier to providing healthcare to people living with disabilities [67]. We also found that the necessary equipment for testing and diagnosis of CP was limited in most healthcare settings.…”

Neonatal Jaundice Management: Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice Among Nurses and Midwives in the Northern Region, Ghana

“…This can affect the quality of care provided to neonates presenting with jaundice in the study area, if not addressed. Previous studies in Ghana have highlighted the poor attitudinal behaviors of health workers, including nurses and midwives, towards patients of all age groups ( Amponsah et al, 2019 ; Asare et al, 2022 ; Dapaah, 2016 ; Lamptey, 2022 ; Sokoloff et al, 2020 ). For example, Andersen (2004) reported in a study on the differential treatments of patients that most nurses and midwives attend to patients with low level of education unprofessionally compared to persons with higher educational qualifications.…”