Hospital Practices and Research

Abstract Background: Effective inventory management and control have been associated with numerous benefits for healthcare institutions, including improved organizational performance and enhanced competitive advantage.
Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the practices, impacts, and challenges of inventory management and control in two public hospitals in Ghana.
Methods: A qualitative phenomenological approach was adopted in this study. Thirty participants—comprising procurement managers, officers, storekeepers, and other relevant administrative staff—were selected through purposive and convenience sampling. Data were collected using in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. Thematic content analysis served as the primary analytical technique, complemented by interpretative phenomenological analysis to deepen the understanding of participants' lived experiences.
Results: Participants reported key inventory control practices such as First-In-First-Out (FIFO), Last-In-First-Out (LIFO), and First-Expiry-First-Out (FEFO). Positive outcomes identified included improved availability of medical supplies, reduced waste and cost, and enhanced patient safety. However, challenges included limited financial resources, delays in supplies, and instances of mismanagement or misuse of stock by healthcare staff.
Conclusion: The study recommends enhanced collaboration among healthcare stakeholders to address persistent inventory management challenges. It further encourages policymakers and hospital administrators to invest in inventory systems and staff capacity-building to strengthen overall healthcare delivery.

Abstract Background: Hand hygiene has been recognized as an upfront yet a vital practice that halts the transmission of nosocomial contagions or healthcare-associated diseases in hospital locations. In healthcare organizations, hand hygiene is an important component of contagion prevention and protects patients' safety as a low-cost intervention.
Objectives: The objective of the present study was to evaluate hand hygiene practices among public health nurses in Trauma and Specialist Hospital and Winneba Municipal Hospital in the Effutu Municipality in the Central Region of Ghana.
Methods: This study employed a quantitative approach with a descriptive cross-sectional design. Structured questionnaires were used to collect data from 100 respondents through simple random sampling technique. Data analysis was done using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS), version 21.
Results: Findings revealed a low level of knowledge on hand hygiene (45%) among the respondents and a high hand hygiene practice (79%). Most of the respondents always washed their hands immediately after a risk of body fluid exposure (95%) and few always washed their hands before touching a patient (60%). Most of the respondents always rubbed soap on wet hands before rinsing (78%) and few of them always allowed their hands to dry (16%). The barriers which prevented most of the respondents from washing their hands in the health facility were busy work schedules (65%), forgetfulness (61%), lack of hand hygiene resources in the health facility (38%), minimal patient contact (37%) and lack of knowledge on hand hygiene (13%).
Conclusion: Respondents in this study exhibited a low level of knowledge on hand hygiene yet, hand hygiene practice among them was found to be somewhat satisfactory. The study recommends that multifaceted and dedicated efforts must be made to rectify the barriers which impede public health nurses from effectively complying with hand hygiene practices in the health facilities.

Abstract Background: Provision of quality and accessible health services comes with its challenges. Therefore, the need to highlight how motivation and job satisfaction can impact nurses’ performances at the Korle-Bu teaching hospital.
Objectives: The research aimed to practically highlight nurses’ motivation and job satisfaction by identifying what constituted motivation packages of nurses and how the work they did could give them satisfaction at the Korle-Bu teaching hospital.
Methods: The research employed a qualitative method with a case study design. In-depth interviews and focus group discussions (data triangulation) were used for primary data collection. A total of 40 respondents, including ten key informants, were selected using the purposive and convenience sampling techniques.
Results: The research found that the recognition of needs of nurses, improved remunerations, enhanced conditions of service of the nurses’, regular payment of nurses’ salaries’, the institution of study leave with pay policy, among others, were considered as factors that could contribute to nurses’ motivation and job satisfaction. These findings are consistent with the findings of other studies. Again, the study found that professional allowances paid to nurses, reduced rent, and the like are current motivation packages directed at nurses at the Korle-Bu teaching hospital.
Conclusion: It is important to state that for motivation to accomplish its intended purpose, there is the need for the hospital to identify the individual needs to satisfy to enhance job satisfaction.