Exploring the challenges of public health nurses in the management of infertility in Northern Ghana: a qualitative descriptive study

OBJECTIVE: To explore the challenges public health nurses (PNHs) face in managing infertility in rural settings of the Talensi and Nabdam districts in the Upper East Region of Ghana. DESIGN: The study adopted a qualitative descriptive design approach where PHNs who worked in rural settings were interviewed using a semistructured interview guide. Thematic analysis was employed to analyse the data. SETTING: Primary healthcare setting in the Upper East Region of Ghana. PARTICIPANTS: The study participants were 15 PHNs working in primary health centres with a mean age of 36.9 years (SD=6.40). RESULTS: This study revealed that couples with infertility issues face challenges in seeking care for their condition. The challenges expressed by the participants that affect individual and couples’ access to infertility care were (1) lack of material and human resources, (2) lack of specialists and guides for infertility treatment and (3) inadequate and inconsiderate communication. CONCLUSION: This study provides evidence of the challenges experienced by PHNs in managing infertility among couples. Adequate measures are therefore required to ameliorate these challenges to improve care provision for couples with infertility.