Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40131290›Full record

ArticleInternational health2025

The impact of COVID-19 on health system resilience to the cerebrospinal meningitis outbreak in the Upper West Region of Ghana: a qualitative study.

Sheba Mary Pognaa Kunfah, Linus Baatiema, Kenneth Mibut Dam, Leonard Baatiema

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in International health, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

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.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Sheba Mary Pognaa KunfahDepartment of Public Health, Tamale Teaching Hospital, Tamale, Ghana.ORCID 0000-0002-3514-4966
Linus BaatiemaGhana Health Service, Upper West Regional Health Directorate, Wa, Ghana.
Kenneth Mibut DamDepartment of Public Health, Tamale Teaching Hospital, Tamale, Ghana.ORCID 0000-0001-8169-4793
Leonard BaatiemaDepartment of Health Policy, Planning and Management, School of Public Health, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana.

Funding

Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 33016018
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic revealed significant weaknesses in global and national health systems. This study aims to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on health system resilience in responding to the cerebrospinal meningitis (CSM) outbreak in Ghana.

methodsA qualitative study design and purposive sampling were used to select clinical, public health staff and community health volunteers. From October 2023 to January 2024, data were collected across five selected districts with the highest burden of meningitis cases in the Upper West Region facilitated by a semi-structured interview guide. To analyse the data, we adopted a thematic analysis approach guided by the new health systems resilience framework.

resultsThe study revealed strengths and vulnerabilities across all six key domains of the resilience framework. These findings suggested that the health system was ill-prepared for the concurrent outbreaks, resulting in a suboptimal response. Key among the findings were the diverted attention towards COVID-19, inequitable distribution of resources and a delayed response to the meningitis outbreak.

conclusionsThis study offers a comprehensive understanding of the challenges and opportunities faced by the health system during the concurrent health crises. There is a need to integrate emergency preparedness and response plans during concurrent outbreaks and to set up a dedicated public health emergency fund at the national and subnational levels.

Indexed as

COVID-19Delivery of Health CareDisease OutbreaksMeningitisGhanaHumansQualitative ResearchSARS-CoV-2bacterial meningitisCOVID-19 pandemicdisease outbreakshealthcare systemhealth inequitiespublic health systems research

Identifiers

PMID40131290
PMCPMC12406780

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC
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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 OpenQuestion graph.