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

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...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of environmental research and public health 2022-11, Vol.19 (23), p.15960
Main Authors: Asare, Sandra Fremah, Rodriguez-Muñoz, Maria F
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Attitude of Health Personnel
Childbirth & labor
Depressive Disorder
Female
Ghana
Gynecology
Health care
Health Personnel
High income
Hospitals
Humans
Interviews
Knowledge
Maternal & child health
Medical personnel
Mental depression
Mental health
Midwifery
Obstetrics
Patients
Postpartum depression
Postpartum period
Pregnancy
Prenatal depression
Professional development
Psychiatrists
Qualitative Research
Signs and symptoms
Suicidal behavior
Tertiary Care Centers
Womens health
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Summary: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.
ISSN:1660-4601
1661-7827
1660-4601
DOI:10.3390/ijerph192315960