Improving stroke care in Ghana: a roundtable discussion with communities, healthcare providers, policymakers and civil society organisations.

UNLABELLED

Even though there have been advances in medical research and technology for acute stroke care treatment and management globally, stroke mortality has remained high, with a higher burden in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) such as Ghana. In Ghana, stroke mortality and disability rates are high, and research on post-stroke survival care is scarce. The available evidence suggests that Ghanaian stroke survivors and their caregivers seek treatment from pluralistic health care providers. However, no previous attempt has been made to bring them together to discuss issues around stroke care and rehabilitation. To address this challenge, researchers from the Institute of Advanced Studies, University College London, in collaboration with researchers from the African Centre of Excellence for Non-communicable diseases (ACE-NCDs), University of Ghana, organised a one-day roundtable to discuss issues around stroke care. The purpose of the roundtable was fourfold. First, to initiate discussion/collaborations among biomedical, ethnomedical and faith-based healthcare providers and stroke patients and their caregivers around stroke care. Second, to facilitate discussion on experiences with stroke care. Third, to understand the healthcare providers', health systems', and stroke survivors' needs to enhance stroke care in Ghana. Finally, to define practical ways to improve stroke care in Ghana.

FUNDING

This roundtable discussion was supported by the Wellcome Trust-funded project on 'Chronic Disease in Sub-Saharan Africa' led by Professor Megan Vaughan [Award No: 106534]. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.