Understanding Healthcare Professionals’ Knowledge on Perinatal Depression among Women in a Tertiary Hospital in Ghana: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

Health conditions affecting women in the perinatal period still account for a major contribution to disease burden in Sub-Saharan Africa, yet there is a dearth of empirical research to understanding health professionals’ perspective on their experiences and how they care for perinatal women in depression. We used a qualitative exploratory descriptive approach through a face- to face-interview to explore the knowledge of 11 health professionals of Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Kumasi- Ghana. Interviews were taped recorded and transcribed verbatim. The study adopted Haase’s modification of Colaizzi’s method for the analysis. Four main themes emerged: ineffective communication (Referral lapses among care providers, long waiting time, lack of confidentiality), workload (Inefficient staff to meet perinatal women’s need, no screening tools and time constraints), Reaction to patients symptoms (Identifying patient’s symptoms, assessment through patient’s centeredness and Education and counselling). Our results emerged that time constraints, stigmatization and lack of awareness delayed the care and management of perinatal depression among healthcare professionals in the hospital setting. There is the need to improve healthcare professionals’ knowledge on perinatal depression and it is imperative for the hospital administrators to invest in continuous training and professional development for healthcare professionals.

Perceptions and experiences of prenatal mental health: A qualitative study among pregnant women in Ghana

“…In Ghana, estimates of the prevalence of mental health problems have varied across settings. Prior research has mostly focused on the post-natal period, been quantitative, and conducted in locations outside Accra in less population dense contexts ( Asare and Rodríguez-Muñoz, 2022 , Pobee et al, 2022 , Weobong et al, 2014 ). For instance, Bindt et al, (2013) and Weobong et al, (2014) have estimated the prevalence of depression among childbearing women to be 10%–38% and the prevalence of anxiety is estimated to 33% ( Bindt et al, 2013 ).…”