Development of guidelines for holistic healthcare interventions for women with infertility in Ghana

Abstract

In her thesis, Development of guidelines for holistic healthcare interventions for women diagnosed with infertility in Ghana, the promovenda was guided by the philosophy of pragmatism and conducted the research in three phases. Phase I reviewed literature on existing holistic healthcare interventions for infertility in the global context. Phase II included focus group discussions with women with infertility and application of a nominal group technique with healthcare providers. Phase III used an e-Delphi technique to obtain consensus from independent experts. The focus group findings indicated that women with infertility experienced various unmet psychological, social and spiritual healthcare needs. Based on these needs, a group of healthcare providers proposed holistic healthcare interventions for women with infertility. The guidelines, which incorporated the proposed interventions and findings from literature, were refined by a panel of international experts. The research could improve the quality of life for women with infertility if implemented by healthcare providers in Ghana.