Utilisation of Prostate Cancer Care at a Public Health Facility in Ghana: A Qualitative Study of the Pull and Push Factors

Abstract

Abstract Background Prostate cancer is the second most diagnosed cancer among males across the world. It is a condition that comes with several physical, psychological and social challenges, and imposed a lot of financial burden on the patients and their relatives. We explored the pull and push factors influencing the utilisation of prostate cancer care among men. Methods The study adopted a qualitative approach to explore the utilisation of public health facilities for prostate cancer care at the Sogakope District Hospital, Ghana. Participants were purposively recruited. In-depth interviews were conducted in English and Ewe language, audio-recorded, transcribed and analyzed using thematic analysis with NVivo. Results The push factors for public health facility utilisation for prostate cancer care among participants include indecision, misconception, ignorance, fear of complication, financial constraint and herbal medication usage. The pull factors for public health facility utilisation on the other hand included belief in the health system, alternative medicine failure, participants’ desperations, healthcare accessibility, professional competence, financial support, and recommendation from others. Conclusion Several mitigating reasons as well as motivations contributed significantly to the utilisation of public health facilities for prostate cancer care in Ghana. To sustain, promote and accelerate the utilisation of prostate cancer care in public health facilities, there is a need for deliberate mass education on the condition, Ghana Health Service and healthcare professionals must improve upon the standards of care to sustain the patients’ trust, the government could also institute robust financial policies to lessen the burden of treatment costs and commit some resources into researches to determine the effectiveness of alternative medicine on prostate cancer care.