The Upper East Regional Hospital has intensified efforts to improve healthcare delivery by integrating clinical research more deeply into its patient care system, with a renewed focus on evidence-based medical practice.
Hospital management says the move is part of a broader strategy to position the nearly 80-year-old referral facility as a leading centre for clinical excellence, innovation, and training in Ghana’s healthcare system.
The initiative, spearheaded by Medical Director Dr Joseph Kojo Tambil, seeks to strengthen the hospital’s research culture and ensure that medical decisions are guided by scientific evidence and improved data analysis.
As part of the rollout, the hospital’s Research Department has begun engaging staff across various units through orientation programmes designed to align them with the institution’s strategic vision and highlight the importance of research in improving patient outcomes.
Head of the Research Department, Mr Francis Kwaku Wuni, explained during one of the sessions that research plays a critical role in guiding treatment decisions and improving the quality of care delivered to patients.
He noted that evidence-based practice helps healthcare workers identify effective treatments, eliminate ineffective approaches, and ultimately enhance recovery rates while reducing complications and hospital costs.
Mr Wuni also emphasised that research contributes to patient safety by improving infection control, guiding the use of medical equipment, and supporting better clinical protocols.
He stressed the need for locally generated data to address specific health challenges within the Upper East Region, pointing to findings from a recent hospital study which revealed an 89.9 percent resistance rate to ampicillin—information that has already influenced treatment reviews and prescription practices.
According to him, such evidence is crucial in helping clinicians adjust protocols, avoid ineffective medications, and improve overall healthcare outcomes.
He further encouraged all healthcare professionals to view research not as a separate function but as a core component of modern medical practice.
“Strong health systems are built on three pillars: clinical practice, research, and training. Research is what drives continuous improvement,” he noted.
The hospital says its enhanced focus on research is aimed at improving service delivery, strengthening patient-centred care, and reinforcing its position as one of the country’s key referral health institutions.
