Incidence of adverse events after discharge from a secondary hospital in northern Ghana

Background: Adverse events involve unintended injuries or complications resulting in death, disability, harm or prolonged hospital stay that arise from health care management. This paper aims at giving insight into the incidence, types and severity of adverse events after hospital discharge in the context of the management/care patients received from the hospital.Methods: A descriptive cohort study design was used in a secondary hospital in Ghana. The study population involved patients discharged from the medical, surgical and emergency wards of the Hospital. A total of 206 patients were recruited through a consecutive sampling technique.Results: The findings revealed an adverse events rate of 25.7%. The study also identified adverse events related to medications to be the leading type of adverse events recorded after discharge from the hospital. There were 3.9% death rate among participants 21 days after discharge from the hospital. The study revealed that adverse events usually occur after discharge from the hospitals which differ in several forms and in severity.Conclusions: These, therefore offer nurses and other service providers an opportunity to target the areas for improvement of services.

Seroprevalence of Syphilis Infection in Individuals at Cape Coast Metropolis, Ghana.

Background: Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection caused by Treponema pallidum. The disease becomes very common among individuals with multiple sexual partners without protection. Aim: This research aimed at assessing the prevalence of syphilis infection in Cape Coast Metropolis and the factors associated with the transmission of the disease Methodology: 200 participants from Cape Coast were sampled and assessed for syphilis infection using Venereal Disease Research Laboratory syphilis test strips (a nontreponemal test) and positive samples were confirmed with Treponema palladium haemagglutination (TPHA) test. Questionnaires, reflecting the participant’s sociodemographic data were also administered. The results were analysed, to assess the relationship between various risk factors and syphilis infection. Results: The prevalence of syphilis infection in Cape Coast was found to be 8.5%, mainly associated with participants having multiple sexual partners and having unprotected and indiscriminate sex. Other factors found to be indirectly affecting the rate of infection were illiteracy, lack of knowledge and information concerning the disease. Conclusion: The seroprevalence of syphilis infection in the Cape Coast Metropolis is an indication that the disease is endemic.