ArticleBMJ public health2025
Healthcare needs and treatment-seeking patterns of women living with obstetric fistula: a qualitative study in the Tamale Metropolis, Ghana.
Article in BMJ public health, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Healthcare-seeking behavior for obstetrical fistula and its determinant factors in sub-Saharan Africa: systematic review and meta-analysis protocol.AJOG global reports · 2026Review
- Socio-medical consequences of living with obstetric fistula: a phenomenological study of the lived experiences of women in the Tamale Metropolis, Ghana.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Introduction: Obstetric fistula is a form of maternal morbidity that can lead to prolonged disability and poor quality of life. This study explored the healthcare needs and treatment-seeking patterns of women living with obstetric fistula in the Tamale Metropolis. Methods: A qualitative phenomenology design was used. The target respondents (women with obstetric fistula and their healthcare providers) were recruited using purposive sampling. 11 in-depth and three key-informant interviews were conducted with the women and healthcare providers, respectively, between January and March 2024. The data were audio-recorded, transcribed and manually analysed using thematic content analysis. Results: The results showed that improved access to quality antenatal care (ANC), skilled healthcare practitioners with expertise in fistula repair, appropriate health facilities and adequate fistula treatment services were the common healthcare needs of the respondents. When seeking treatment for obstetric fistula, the participants tried traditional methods such as spiritual therapies and herbs before finally reporting to the hospital. Extended family members and husbands were the major sources of support for women with obstetric fistula. Conclusion: It is critical to give obstetric fistula treatment a top priority and to allocate enough resources to enhance both the general well-being of women, and the quality and accessibility of fistula treatment. We, therefore, recommend effective education on fistula prevention and treatment during ANC, establishment of more fistula repair centres, increased training and deployment of specialists for fistula management at the regional and district levels, and a dedicated public funding source for obstetric fistula treatment.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What Socratic holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.