PloS one
Sickle cell disease screening: Experiences of parents with positive newborns at Korle Bu TeachingHospital
By Kanyoke I, Blankson FH, Dwuma-Badu D and 1 others.
Abstract
Objective
To explore parents experiences following receipt of positive newborn screening for sickle cell disease (SCD) test results at a teaching hospital in Ghana.
Methods
Using purposive sampling, data were collected using semi-structured individual guides to interview parents of children attending the Paediatric SCD clinic at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH), a major referral health facility in Ghana. Questions were categorized into 3 main areas: parents' reactions to initial positive results, parents' responses to in-clinic counselling, and parents' attitudes towards follow-up clinic care. The Socio-Ecological Model of Health was used to underpin this study. Interviews were conducted face-to-face either in English or a local dialect (Twi), after which they were transcribed verbatim. Data were analyzed using NVivo software and Microsoft Word to identify relevant codes, which were then organized into themes and sub-themes.
