During the summer of 2022, I had the amazing opportunity to travel to Ghana, a country in West Africa, with the Hutton Honors Study Abroad Program “Culture and Health in Africa”. I have barely traveled within the United States, so traveling to a different continent was a huge milestone for me. I accumulated new memories, tried new foods, met new people, and broadened my horizons beyond Indiana University.
As a part of the program, students designed and executed independent qualitative research projects focused on an area of public health. Due to the differences in language and culture, I was interested in studying patient-doctor interactions. To narrow down the scope of my research, I decided to interview women who had recently given birth. Ghana has a high rate of infant mortality so by hearing the patient’s experience on maternal care, I hoped to understand some of the barriers women may face when accessing quality healthcare during pregnancy.
With the guidance of professors, I designed and carried out my research. I made a list of open ended questions to pinpoint barriers that women experienced when accessing maternal care. I interviewed women at the markets, at a university, and even a gynecologist at a local hospital. For interviewees who were more comfortable speaking in a Ghanian language or another language besides English, I had a professor translate my questions and their answers. I recorded every interview and transcribed the conversations so I could pick out common themes and experiences. I am working on publishing my research, so I won’t disclose all of my findings, but these interviews really helped me to understand the real-life difficulties of accessing healthcare in Ghana.
The most challenging part of my research was having to approach people for my study. I was so worried about inconveniencing people and making them step away from their work. While it took some time for me to build up the courage to ask if I could interview people, I was grateful that all of my interviewees were so generous and willing to give up some of their time to explain their experiences. Asking personal questions about healthcare is difficult for anyone to discuss, but it was especially daunting since I was both a stranger and a foreigner. I am so honored that all of my interviewees were so open, comfortable, and willing to answer my questions.
In conclusion, this program to Ghana not only helped me to improve my research skills, it also helped me to become a more well-rounded person. I was able to see another way of life beside my own, experience a continent I had never set foot in, and enjoy things that I would never have been able to experience without traveling to Ghana.