My motivation to conduct this study was triggered by my exposure to the challenges which form the basis of this study. Being employed in the same environment as the respondents, it became natural for me to resolve to investigate the challenges facing these Health Professionals with the purpose of not only establishing what the challenges are but simultaneously propose remedial solutions to mitigate their impact. This study is both qualitative as well as quantitative to make sure that both the numerical as well as the social issues which impact these professionals‘ work were captured in the study. The assumptions from which the study moved were largely confirmed by the respondents. The recommendations which the researcher proposes to mitigate the challenges are informed by her own experience as well as the responses which were elicited from the respondents. While the study does contribute in a way to the body of knowledge, it is cautioned in the concluding chapter that recommendations made must be considered with this caution in mind as the study was limited to a specific environment – the OR Tambo District Health Municipality.

MCur / Department of Advanced Nursing Science

The objectives of this study were to identify leadership competencies required by health services leaders, determine the role of mentorship in leadership development and, make recommendations for succession planning in the public health sector. A quantitative approach using an exploratory and descriptive design was used, with the intention of conducting a census survey. Respondents were managers in positions 11 and upward. Findings revealed that experience assisted managers in improving the technical competencies of human resources, financial and strategic planning, but not that of leadership skills and behaviour, and communication and relationship management, which required development in the form of mentorship. It is recommended that leadership development for future leaders be embedded in succession planning, based on policy guidelines. Limitations of this study were that a response rate of 30% was achieved and due to the narrow geographical coverage, the findings could not be generalised. / Health Studies / M.A. (Health Studies)

Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Health Sciences in Radiography, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2016. / Introduction: Continuing Professional Development (CPD) has been introduced as a means to ensure that professionals continuously update their knowledge and skills. In addition, CPD has become a mandatory requirement by the Health Professionals Council of South Africa (HPCSA). However despite CPD being mandatory, health professionals nationally and internationally alike have experienced numerous challenges obtaining the required CPD points/hours. Some of these challenges included lack of awareness of the CPD requirements, lack of available activities, lack of employer support, lack of funding and a lack of time to participate. No studies have been conducted amongst radiographers working in the province of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), to determine if they are affected by similar challenges hence the need for this study. Purpose The purpose of this study was to identify the opinions, level of awareness, participation, and challenges related to CPD compliance by radiographers in KwaZulu-Natal, and to ascertain their suggestions for improvement to CPD practices in order to make recommendations to the HPCSA. Method A quantitative, descriptive research approach using a questionnaire with both open-ended and closed-ended questions was utilized. Radiographers from all four disciplines in Radiography, working in the province of KwaZulu-Natal were included in this study. A five point Likert scale was used for most of the closed questions. The open ended questions allowed respondents to express their opinions freely. The quantitative data was analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23.0. The inferential statistics included bivariate correlations and Chi-square testing. Open ended questions were analyzed by means of thematic analysis. Results Two hundred and ninety two questionnaires were administered and one hundred and forty six were returned which resulted in a 50% response rate. The mean age of respondents were 31.3 years. The majority of respondents were females (85.6%). Most of the respondents were diagnostic radiographers (80.8%) hence 59.6% were shift workers. Fifty percent of the respondents were employed in the public health sector. Respondent’s acknowledged the importance of CPD however majority indicated engagement due to the mandatory requirements by the council. The most common challenges identified were lack of funding and time. Suggestions for having formal polices in place and allocation for financial support were recommended. A number of respondents suggested having an online database for the systematic recording of CPD points in order to improve the audit process. In this study relationships between different variables were tested. It was noted that a progression in rank resulted in a greater level of agreement that CPD does improve professional competence. The infrequency of CPD engagement was directly affected by the difficulties associated with evidence and record keeping of CPD activities. The lack of funding was a greater challenge amongst the public health sector employees as opposed to the private sector. It was also noted that a lack of employer support affected how often respondents engaged in CPD activities hence support from employers was deemed crucial. Conclusion Radiographers working in KwaZulu - Natal were experiencing numerous CPD challenges. Suggestions were made to overcome these challenges as well as improving the auditing system by the HPCSA. / M

The objectives of this study were to identify leadership competencies required by health services leaders, determine the role of mentorship in leadership development and, make recommendations for succession planning in the public health sector. A quantitative approach using an exploratory and descriptive design was used, with the intention of conducting a census survey. Respondents were managers in positions 11 and upward. Findings revealed that experience assisted managers in improving the technical competencies of human resources, financial and strategic planning, but not that of leadership skills and behaviour, and communication and relationship management, which required development in the form of mentorship. It is recommended that leadership development for future leaders be embedded in succession planning, based on policy guidelines. Limitations of this study were that a response rate of 30% was achieved and due to the narrow geographical coverage, the findings could not be generalised. / Health Studies / M.A. (Health Studies)

The South African government has initiated the transformation of health services in the country towards primary health care (PHC) in order to provide comprehensive care to individuals and families. The move to PHC involves an increased need for collaboration between health professionals. It is proposed that for effective team-work to take place, an understanding of the roles and functions of team members is imperative in providing quality mental health care. This study explored health professionals’ perceptions of the role and function of clinical psychologists working as part of a health care team in a community context. Three focus groups and three individual interviews were conducted with social workers, nurses and doctors. The data was then processed and analysed using a grounded theory method. The research highlighted the importance of knowledge, and how this affects referrals, perceptions, inter-professional relations and the perceived usefulness of clinical psychology and clinical psychologists. What is of significance is the potential power that the health professionals have as gatekeepers between the general public and clinical psychologists.

This study investigates the role of unconscious and conscious coping strategies in the mediation of stress in high risk occupational contexts. The Social Readjustment Rating Scale, the Multidimensional Coping Inventory and the Defense Style Questionnaires were completed by 194 police, ambulance and teaching personnel. A sample of 37 teachers served as a non high risk occupation control group. Descriptive statistics, regression analysis, analysis of variance, analysis of difference and principal component analysis were performed on the data. Results indicated minimal significant between group differences. Within group variances were yielded. A minor relationship between levels of stress and usage of positive and negative mechanisms was observed. The significance of these findings is discussed and recommendations made for further study.

A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Arts, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Bachelor of Arts (Masters). / As the past decade has witnessed a growing interest in the nature, causes and management of stress reactions in emergency workers, the present study examined emergency workers' reactions to traumatic work related incidents. Furthermore, although Job Dissatisfaction and Increased levels of Turnover have been identified in literature and research on emergency workers as being behavioural manifestations of the traumatic stress associated with emergency work, the effect of occupational trauma on these variables has not been documented extensively in trauma literature or research. A second aim of the study was therefore to provide further insight into the effects of work related trauma on these constructs. Moreover, although literature on emergency workers has not documented the impact of occasional trauma on Job Involvement, the present study undertook to examine the effects of trauma on tnis construct. The study was considered to be exploratory in this regard. By examining how exposure to occupational trauma impacts on Job Satisfaction, Job involvement and Propensity to Leave, it was hoped that this will lead to a better understanding of the effects of occupational trauma and its implications for employees and organisations alike. One hundred full-time paramedics completed a self-report questionnaire. The questionnaire also included questions to obtain demographic variables as it has been documented that the relationship between exposure to traumatic events and the expression of distress is constructed by personal factors. In addition, qualitative data pertaining to the constructs under investigation was obtained from 30 paramedics. The reported symptoms revealed that 17% of the sample was suffering from rrso. Correlational analyses using a non-experimental, cross-sectional design, revealed a significant relationship between PTSD and Job Satisfaction. A non-significant relationship was found between PTSD and both Job Involvement and Propensity to Leave, Of the demographic variables measured, stepwise regression analysis. revealed that gender and previous exposure to trauma were the most efficient predictors of PTSD Content Analyses performed on the qualitative data indicated that paramedics were subjected to numerous job stressors which seemed to associated to Job Involvement and Propensity to Leave. The results of the study are discussed with respect of the literature reviewed and limitations and implications of these findings are discussed thereafter. Lastly implications of the present study for future research are presented. / Andrew Chakane 2018

The purpose of this study was to investigate the Isoniazid preventive therapy (IPT) initiation amongst eligible HIV positive patients at health facilities in the Polokwane subdistrict to identify key features in the knowledge and practice of health professionals as well as available resources at the health facilities. A quantitative non-experimental, descriptive, cross-sectional design was used to describe the practice of IPT initiation in health facilities. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire with medical doctors, operational managers and registered nurses from the district’s 34 health care facilities. The census sample was 124. Data were captured and analysed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 24. The results showed that the health care professionals knew the policy and procedures for the implementation of IPT but lacked knowledge on patient screening. The findings further suggest that record keeping and data capturing was not implemented sufficiently. Resources at the facilities were found to be sufficient. / Health Studies / M. P. H.

This study investigated the registered nurses' perceptions of the bureaucratic view of power in health care services in the Tshwane metropolitan region. The study further sought to describe how power affects the role of registered nurses in an organisation that is perceived to be predominantly bureaucratic in its' approach to management. A quantitative descriptive exploratory approach was adopted. Data was drawn from 121 respondents by random distribution of questionnaires to three selected health care services in the Tshwane metropolitan region. The findings revealed that registered nurses were largely divided in their perception of the bureaucratic view of power in health care services. Almost half of the respondents indicated that great strides had been taken by organisations in transforming health care services in accordance with the White Paper (1997) on Transformation of the Health System in South Africa and the recommendations of the 2001 Health Summit. The others indicated that registered nurses still needed to break out of the restraints of their dependant role towards taking ownership of health care services by equally bearing the burden of the organisation with management. / Health Studies / M.A.(Health Studies)