Submitted in fulfilment of the requirement for the degree Masters of Nursing in the Faculty of Health and Wellness Sciences 2015 / Background: Oncology nursing continues to evolve in response to advances in cancer treatment. The role of the oncology nurse in the management of cancer in children is very significant as these children go through a lot of emotional trauma due to the disease. Aim and objectives: The aim of the study is to explore and examine the quality of nursing care given to children diagnosed with cancer in Ghana. Some of the objectives are to examine strategies nurses use in planning care; and to determine processes nurses use to evaluate care given. Methodology: A mixed-methods qualitative cross-sectional descriptive design was used. Population and samples: Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Ghana is selected as the research site. The population consists of all nurses working in the hospital and parents/carers looking after children diagnosed with cancer. The samples was nurses working on paediatric wards/clinics, parents/carers, and key informants. Selection of sample groups was opportunistic. Methods of data collection: three sources were used to collect data, i.e. questionnaires for nursing working on paediatric wards/clinics, interviews with nurses and carers, and key informant interviews. Analysis: descriptive statistical analysis of data was undertaken and the three data sources were triangulated to determine similarities and differences of responses. Benefits of the study: The results of the study will be submitted to the hospital management and articles will be submitted to peer-reviewed nursing journals. Key words: paediatric oncology, nurses, oncology nurses, Kumasi, Ghana, Komfo Anokye teaching hospital.

Studies on knowledge, attitudes and practices among healthcare workers involved in HIV and AIDS care have often revealed the lack of knowledge about HIV and AIDS. Nurses‘ knowledge may compromise the quality of care and attitudes towards patients living with HIV/AIDS. Special nursing knowledge and skills have been suggested as a prerequisite for taking care of patients with HIV. The purpose of this study was to assess nurses‘ knowledge, attitudes and practices towards patients with HIV and AIDS in Kumasi, Ghana. A quantitative cross-sectional study was conducted among 247 nurses at five selected health facilities in Kumasi. Data was collected by means of a structured self-administered questionnaire and analysed using SPSS version 23.0. Results were presented using charts and tables. Knowledge of HIV and AIDS was satisfactory but some of the nurses still hold erroneous beliefs and misconception about HIV transmission. A majority demonstrated favourable attitudes. Nurses had fears of contracting the virus, which resulted in the display of negative attitudes by some. Their practice of universal precautions was satisfactory; however, there was evidence of noncompliance among some of them. More studies should be conducted throughout the country to further assess nurses‘ knowledge, attitude and practices towards HIV and AIDS / Health Studies / M.A. (Nursing Science)

The purpose of the study was to examine the perceptions of nurses regarding ethico-legal training in Ghana. The study further determined whether there were any discrepancies regarding ethico-legal training of nurses in Ghana, using six hospitals in the Upper West Region (Province). Data were collected through a quantitative, cross sectional research design. Out of 150 people constituting the study population, a sample size of 110 respondents was drawn. A self-developed questionnaire was used to collect data. Nurses who have been in practice for at least five years answered the questionnaires. The convenience sampling technique was found to be appropriate for this study. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) was used to analyse data. The findings revealed that although ethico-legal topics were contained in the nursing training curriculum, majority of nurses did not receive teaching/training on them, making nurses vulnerable to litigation. / Health Studies / M. A. (Nursing Science)