Yevoo, Linda L. http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2309-2158
Agyepong, Irene A.
Gerrits, Trudie
van Dijk, Han
Funding for this research was provided by:
Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (W 07.45.102.00)
Article History
Received: 31 August 2017
Accepted: 24 June 2018
First Online: 3 July 2018
Ethics approval and consent to participate
: This research study obtained ethical approval, and verbal and written informed consent from management of the hospitals and research participants to participate in the study. The Ghana Health Service Ethical Review Committee granted ethical approval for the research (Ethical Review Number GHS-ERC: 03/01/12). Subsequently, the researcher obtained written approval and gained access into the two hospitals through an introductory letter from the Greater Accra Regional Director of Health Services to each of the District Director of Health Services who provides supervision and management support to the two hospitals. The District Directors also gave their written consent and forwarded their own approval letters, copies of the Regional Directors’ letter and the researcher’s ethical approval letter to the hospitals’ managers for the study to be carried out in their hospitals. The hospitals’ management in turn granted clearance for the study to be undertaken in their facilities with an approval letter to the researcher. Upon the approval, the hospital managers introduced the researcher to all members of staff and informed them about the research, its objectives, methodology and duration of the researcher’s stay in the hospital.In addition, the researcher obtained verbal consent from all pregnant women and healthcare providers involved in the study before observations and conversations were done.Finally, the researcher obtained written informed consent from each mother in the longitudinal study and in the focus group discussions by providing them with consent information sheets. The information on the sheet was read in English and translated into a local language Twi by the researcher or the research assistant to the mothers, in the presence of an independent witness. The mothers were also informed that their participation was voluntary and could also withdraw from the study at any point if they were not comfortable. Mothers, who accepted to participate in the study, gave a written informed consent either by appending their signature or thumb printed on the informed consent sheets.
: The mothers and healthcare providers also gave written consent for the research findings to be published as articles or written reports on the internet during the informed consent process. They were however, informed that any information in the text that may identify them in the publication will be anonymised. Hence, in this article, apart from mothers’ educational status, pseudonyms are used for all the pregnant women, postpartum mothers, healthcare providers and the hospitals.
: The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
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