Department of Nursing, Valley View University, Accra, Ghana.
Department of Maternal and Child Health, School of Nursing, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana.
BMJ Open. 2017 Nov 3;7(11):e017665. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2017-017665.
This study explored the experiences of people with hepatitis B in the Accra metropolis.
The study employed qualitative exploratory descriptive design with purposive sampling technique. Data were collected through face-to-face interview and transcribed verbatim. The data were analysed using content analysis.
Participants were recruited from one government and one mission hospital in Ghana.
Fourteen individuals aged between 26 and 45 years with hepatitis B infection were interviewed.
The findings of the study showed that people with hepatitis B in the Accra metropolis were unclear about the impact of their infection. Furthermore, they experienced psychological and social problems especially when they were initially informed about their hepatitis B status. Sadness, fear, shock, shame and disbelief were some of the experiences reported by participants. Coping strategies adopted include religiosity, denial and lifestyle modification.
It is, therefore, necessary as a country to integrate hepatitis B counselling into the already existing HIV structures in the health delivery system to offer support for individuals diagnosed with hepatitis B. Furthermore, it is important to draw lessons from the process used in the diagnosis of HIV, particularly in ensuring that people provide consent for being tested.
本研究探索了加纳阿克拉都会区乙型肝炎患者的体验。
本研究采用定性探索性描述设计和目的抽样技术。通过面对面访谈收集数据，并逐字转录。使用内容分析法分析数据。
参与者是从加纳的一家政府医院和一家教会医院招募的。
采访了 14 名年龄在 26 至 45 岁之间的乙型肝炎感染者。
研究结果表明，阿克拉都会区的乙型肝炎患者对其感染的影响并不清楚。此外，当他们最初被告知乙型肝炎状况时，他们会经历心理和社会问题。参与者报告的一些经历包括悲伤、恐惧、震惊、羞耻和难以置信。他们采用的应对策略包括宗教信仰、否认和生活方式的改变。
因此，作为一个国家，有必要将乙型肝炎咨询纳入卫生服务系统中已经存在的艾滋病毒结构，为乙型肝炎感染者提供支持。此外，从艾滋病毒诊断过程中吸取教训非常重要，特别是在确保人们同意接受检测方面。
