This policy paper advocated for the extension of paid maternity leave for nurse-mothers in Ghana from 12 weeks to six months, complemented by structured reintegration mechanisms, including flexible return-to-work schedules, on-site childcare, and tailored mental health support. Ghana's current maternity policy, established under the Labor Act (2003), offers limited protection for nursemothers who must balance intense professional demands with maternal care responsibilities. Data indicated persistent nurse attrition, high stress, and discontinuation of exclusive breastfeeding linked to the inadequacy of existing provisions.

Drawing on systems thinking, the paper identified interrelated factors—short maternity leave, inadequate workplace support, and insufficient mental health care—that contributed to a cycle of workforce strain and reduced care quality. Comparative evidence from countries such as Gambia, Ethiopia, and Brazil demonstrated that comprehensive maternity and reintegration policies improve workforce retention, maternal well-being, and infant health outcomes. The proposed reforms aligned with Ghana's Health Sector Medium-Term Development Plan (HSMTDP 2022–2025), Sustainable Development Goal 3 (Good Health and Well-Being), and the Beijing Platform for Action on Women's Rights. The paper concluded with implementation strategies, stakeholder roles, and mitigation measures for potential barriers, while aiming to promote a sustainable, gender-equitable nursing workforce.

Human ; Maternity Leave ; Parental Leave ; Ghana

In palliative and hospice practice, health care professionals frequently faced ethical challenges related to end-of-life care. The complexities of patient care in the hospice and palliative care setting mandated a shift from healthcare professionals operating in “silo” to embracing an interprofessional team-based approach. However, ethical dilemmas and ethical conflicts within the interprofessional team and between the professional and patient family may arise, due to different perspectives about the patient's best interest. This paper utilized the Walker and Avant's (2011) concept analysis process in which the concept of interprofessional ethical reflective practice was developed. Adopting the analysis methodology from Walker and Avant (2011), this paper defined the concept and related concepts, attributes, antecedents, consequences, model case, borderline case and opposite case to describe the concept of interprofessional ethical reflective practice. The concept proposed a cyclical approach for interprofessional ethical reflective practice which includes three phases, pre-ethical situation reflection, intra-ethical situation reflection and post-ethical situation reflection. This concept allowed for the significance of interprofessional ethical reflective practice to become apparent, guiding healthcare professionals to navigate through ethical dilemmas with awareness, sensitivity, collaboration, and an attitude of commitment to upholding the ethical care principles in palliative and hospice care.

Human ; Ethics ; Ethical Dilemmas ; Palliative Care ; Hospice Care