Investigating the Experiences of Frontline Health Workers in the Delivery of Healthcare during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Ghana
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The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on the lives of many in Ghana and globally, including the frontline health workers (FHWs). FHWs provide diverse services, including treatment, care, contact tracing, and public education and awareness during the pandemic. Most of these workers had direct daily contact and interactions with people infected with the virus. However, their experiences, challenges, strategies and motivations as they performed their duties have not been thoroughly examined, particularly in Ghana.
Objective
This study examined the experiences of FHWs of COVID-19 in Ghana in order to understand their challenges, strategies and motivations for their work. The results of this study can be used to plan and implement appropriate policies, strategies and interventions in future health emergencies.
Method
The study employed primarily a qualitative design with an interpretive approach even though in some cases frequencies and percentages were reported to compliment the narrative responses. A purposive sampling procedure was used. Delphi technique served as the primary data collection technique. Participants for this study were thirty-two (32) FHWs drawn from three regions of Ghana; Greater Accra, Ashanti, and Western regions, from 20 th August 2022 to 22 nd February 2023.
Results
The results of the study revealed that FHWs faced several challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. These include high-stress levels, inadequate resources, patients’ spiritual beliefs about the disease, burnout due to work overload, inadequate support system, bribery by people who test positive, and difficulty in balancing family life and work. They employed different strategies to mitigate these challenges, including taking adequate rest, self-motivation, and satisfaction from provision of accurate information to patients, maintaining calm, self-control and assuring patients. Finally, they were motivated to perform their daily tasks by the incentive and reward packages instituted by the government as well as satisfaction they got from providing high-quality care and treatment to patients.
Conclusion
The study concludes that because FHWs play a pivotal role in pandemic emergencies, their working conditions, health and wellbeing must be taken seriously to enable them provide the needed services for patients. This study adds to the body of knowledge on the subject matter, provides insight to ease the burden of FHWs during emergencies, provides information to guide policy and decision making, and creates a basis for future research.
