Nurses from the University of Arkansas using DiaSpect Tm in Ghana

The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing at the University of Arkansas sent 15 nursing students on a Study Abroad program to Bolgatanga, Ghana, in the Summer of 2017. Working at a small village clinic, they discovered that anemia is prevalent and sometimes leads to blood transfusions, but more commonly, death. A new team returned this summer of 2018 to teach about iron-rich foods and to test for hemoglobin.

The nursing students of the program focused the testing on women of child bearing age and after reading current research data on anemia in Ghana, they developed a teaching program about anemia, provided nutrition education on local foods that were high in iron and protein, and also did a small research project on women’s perceptions of anemia in women and children.

The team was grateful for the donation of the DiaSpect Tm analyzer by EKF Diagnostics, as well as the very valuable case for travel and storage. As they were not sure the instrument would have made it without the protective transport case. The nursing students participating in the Study Abroad program provided nutritional information to new mothers, pregnant women, and some women of childbearing age at two clinics in Bolgatanga, Ghana. They managed to conduct a total of 395 tests, with a 50% rate of tests falling below normal values. It further supports the hypothesis that a lack of iron-rich and high-protein foods must be included in their diets. The educational program focused on identifying local foods rich in iron or high in protein and explaining why it is essential to incorporate them.

EKF’s contribution to their project reinforced the education, and women were so impressed that they could get their blood checked. The women who worked at the two sites, as well as the student nurses, also wanted to be tested. It was a very successful program.