Shai Osudoku District Hospital, Accra, Ghana.
Department of Adult Health, 58835University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana.
Int J STD AIDS. 2022 Sep;33(10):890-895. doi: 10.1177/09564624221107791. Epub 2022 Jul 19.
Hepatitis B remains a public health concern in Ghana, with an estimated prevalence of 8.4% in adults and 14.3% in adolescents. This study explored the cognitive and emotional illness representations of persons with chronic hepatitis B who sought care at a tertiary hospital's liver clinic in Ghana. A qualitative exploratory descriptive design was adopted, and 15 participants were purposefully chosen for in-person interviews. The data was analyzed using the content analysis procedure. The findings revealed that participants' cognitive representations of hepatitis B infection varied. Some believed they got the infection through unsafe sexual practices, while others thought it was from their mother or spiritual sources. Participants' predominant emotional representations included shock, confusion, and fear. Education about the causes and management of hepatitis B should be addressed as part of patient care.
乙型肝炎在加纳仍是一个公共卫生关注点，成年人中估计有 8.4%、青少年中则有 14.3%患有乙型肝炎。本研究探讨了在加纳一家三级医院肝脏诊所寻求治疗的慢性乙型肝炎患者对该病的认知和情绪疾病表现。采用定性探索性描述设计， purposively 选择了 15 名参与者进行面对面访谈。使用内容分析程序对数据进行分析。研究结果表明，参与者对乙型肝炎感染的认知表现各不相同。一些人认为他们是通过不安全的性行为感染的，而另一些人则认为是从母亲或精神来源感染的。参与者主要的情绪表现包括震惊、困惑和恐惧。应该将乙型肝炎的病因和管理知识作为患者护理的一部分进行教育。
