Menlah Awube, Appiah Evans Osei, Boahemaa Maame Kodua
Valley View University, Oyibi, Accra, Ghana.
Int J Low Extrem Wounds. 2022 Sep;21(3):303-311. doi: 10.1177/1534734620939528. Epub 2020 Aug 28.
Buruli ulcer (BU) is one of the skin diseases that causes physical deformity, loss of function of the affected part, social stigmatization, and financial burden to individuals affected. Annually, an approximated 6000 cases of BU are reported worldwide especially from West Africa, Central Africa, and Asia. The aim of the study was to assess the experiences of BU patients in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana following discharge from the hospital. The study employed a qualitative descriptive phenomenological approach using snowballing sampling technique to sample 15 participants from the Greater Accra Region of Ghana who have been treated and discharged home. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews that was later transcribed and coded using qualitative content analysis. Findings from this study revealed that individuals with BU goes through several challenges during admission and after discharge including feeling of embarrassment, financially handicapped, and marital conflicts. The study concluded that BU has not been totally eradicated from the country, hence must be given the attention it deserves to help individuals cope better.
布鲁里溃疡（BU）是一种会导致身体畸形、患病部位功能丧失、社会污名化以及给患者个人带来经济负担的皮肤病。全球每年报告约6000例布鲁里溃疡病例，尤其是在西非、中非和亚洲。该研究的目的是评估加纳大阿克拉地区布鲁里溃疡患者出院后的经历。该研究采用定性描述性现象学方法，使用滚雪球抽样技术，从加纳大阿克拉地区选取了15名接受过治疗并已出院回家的参与者作为样本。数据通过面对面访谈收集，随后使用定性内容分析法进行转录和编码。该研究的结果显示，患有布鲁里溃疡的个体在住院期间和出院后会经历诸多挑战，包括感到尴尬、经济困难以及婚姻冲突。该研究得出结论，该国尚未完全根除布鲁里溃疡，因此必须给予其应有的关注，以帮助患者更好地应对。
