PhD (Advanced Nursing Sicence) / Department of Advanced Nursing Science

MPH / Department of Public Health / See the attached abstract below

The Choice on Termination of Pregnancy Act (no 92 of 1996) was implemented during 1997. This study attempted to investigate professional nurses' attitudes towards rendering these services in the Carletonville area of South Africa. The research results, obtained from questionnaires completed by professional nurses, indicated that most professional nurses would prefer:  women to be at least 16 years of age to access these services  not to allow repeated terminations of pregnancy to the same women  to administer pills rather than to use vacuum aspirations  to work in these services by choice only  to have better equipment, more resources and more staff members in units offering these services  more support from their families, friends, managers and communities Some professional nurses experienced guilt, depression, anxiety and religious conflicts as a result of the nature of their work. / Health Studies / M.A. (Health Studies)

The legalising of abortion in many countries has given women the choice or right to decide to terminate pregnancy. The Choice on Termination of Pregnancy Act (Act No 92 of 1996) was promulgated in 1997. This legislation promotes reproductive rights including to choose between having an unwanted pregnancy terminated early, safely and legally. The legislation affects both the women who choose to terminate pregnancy and the staff involved in the termination of pregnancy (TOP) procedures. This exploratory, descriptive and contextual qualitative study was designed to gain insight into the experiences of registered nurses in the procedure for termination of pregnancy and to explore recommendations based on these experiences. The researcher adopted a phenomenological approach. Participants were drawn from registered nurses providing TOP services at Soshanguve Community Health Centre near Pretoria. Registered nurses have the right to refuse to participate in TOP, those that do provide the service are exposed to emotional and psychological trauma. / Health Studies / M.A.

The purpose of the study was to determine how professional nurses perceive their roles in patient centered care in various units, in three regional hospitals in Mpumalanga Province. The main objectives of this study were to determine * whether the working environment in provincial hospitals is supportive of patient centered care * what factors could hinder the provision of patient centered care * the extent to which patient centered care is provided to patients in provincial hospitals * professional nurses' perception of their role in patient-centered care The researcher used the descriptive exploratory method. A questionnaire with closed and open-ended questions was used to collect data from professional nurses in the three hospitals. Seventy- two (72) respondents returned the completed questionnaires. The findings indicated that the professional nurses perceived patients' and nurses' lack of knowledge as the biggest hindrance to patient centered care. Patients and relatives seemed to be less involved in their own care and the lack of information given to patients by professional nurses subsequently contributed to patients' inability to make / Health Studies / M.A. (Health Studies)

Aim of the study is to explore the role caring practices within the nurse-patient relationship, in facilitating effective chronic pain management in the primary health care context. Objectives are to analyse the current caring practices within the nurse-patient relationship during the management of patients with chronic pain within primary health care services; explore the challenges experienced by nurses in primary health care services when managing patients with chronic pain; observe the caring practices within the nurse patient interaction for the patients suffering from chronic pain within the Primary health care setting and explain the nurses‟ caring practices when managing their chronic pain in the primary health care setting. Method The research design for this study is sequential, explanatory and mixed method, which is more appropriate due to the complexity of the phenomenon under study. Findings: Although the survey measured the caring practices subjectively which other studies had done consistently, generally nurses associated caring as their core function within the health profession. Nurses do not actively involve the patients in the development of a treatment plan and as a result the caring behaviours that are intended to benefit the patients are not realised and, thus patients report nurses as not being caring. The results indicated that lack of an inclusive treatment plan, which can only be discovered through the development of the therapeutic NPR, is not given priority in the management of patients with chronic pain Conclusions: Caring should not be seen as concrete execution of the set of activities towards the patient but rather as a joint venture between the nurse and the patient. The strength of the model developed in this study is the identification of the nurses‟ internal readiness to create a caring environment by experiencing the love, faith and hope before engaging with the patient. / Health Studies

Text in English / The purpose of the study was to describe and explore the experiences of student nurses in caring for mental health users with profound intellectual disabilities in one of the care and rehabilitation centre at Gauteng province incorporating the Common Sense Model. Qualitative descriptive and explorative research was conducted to explore the experiences of student caring for mental health care users with profound intellectual disabilities and to recommend the best practices in caring for mental health care users with profound intellectual disabilities. Data collection was done using reflective diaries and in depth interviews. Twelve participants participated in the study. The study composed of student nurses (n=12) caring for mental health care users with profound intellectual disabilities. Five themes emerged from the study i.e. emotionally challenging, communication difficulties, lack of knowledge on the nature of intellectual disability, burden of care and mixed feelings. Findings of the study revealed that completing nurses find working with profound intellectual disabilities to be emotionally challenging and that negative experiences outweigh the positive experiences, resulting in their reluctance to want to work with profound intellectual disability users. It is therefore incumbent upon policy makers and hospital administrators to take cognisance of these negative feelings so that ways of minimising these frustrations and promoting the wellbeing of nurses caring for mental health care users with profound intellectual disabilities are promoted. / Health Studies / M.A. (Health Studies)

The purpose of this study was to explore first year student nurses’ experiences of encounters with death and dying of a patient during clinical practice so as to make recommendations on increase support for first year student nurses. Qualitative research which was explorative, descriptive and contextual was conducted. Data collection was done using in-depth unstructured interview. Nine participants were interviewed and data was analysed. The findings revealed that lack of knowledge, emotional trauma, low self-esteem and nutritional disorder are the results of dealing with death and dying of patients for first year student nurses. Negative attitudes of clinical professionals, shortage of staff and congested block programme were identified as some aspects worsening the situation. Incidental learning that occurs with negative experience encountered was also identified. The findings show the need for review of curriculum for first year student nurses and the need for change of attitudes of clinical professionals / Health Studies / M.A. (Health Studies)

Text in English / The purpose of the study was to describe and explore the experiences of student nurses in caring for mental health users with profound intellectual disabilities in one of the care and rehabilitation centre at Gauteng province incorporating the Common Sense Model. Qualitative descriptive and explorative research was conducted to explore the experiences of student caring for mental health care users with profound intellectual disabilities and to recommend the best practices in caring for mental health care users with profound intellectual disabilities. Data collection was done using reflective diaries and in depth interviews. Twelve participants participated in the study. The study composed of student nurses (n=12) caring for mental health care users with profound intellectual disabilities. Five themes emerged from the study i.e. emotionally challenging, communication difficulties, lack of knowledge on the nature of intellectual disability, burden of care and mixed feelings. Findings of the study revealed that completing nurses find working with profound intellectual disabilities to be emotionally challenging and that negative experiences outweigh the positive experiences, resulting in their reluctance to want to work with profound intellectual disability users. It is therefore incumbent upon policy makers and hospital administrators to take cognisance of these negative feelings so that ways of minimising these frustrations and promoting the wellbeing of nurses caring for mental health care users with profound intellectual disabilities are promoted. / Health Studies / M.A. (Health Studies)

The purpose of this study was to explore first year student nurses’ experiences of encounters with death and dying of a patient during clinical practice so as to make recommendations on increase support for first year student nurses. Qualitative research which was explorative, descriptive and contextual was conducted. Data collection was done using in-depth unstructured interview. Nine participants were interviewed and data was analysed. The findings revealed that lack of knowledge, emotional trauma, low self-esteem and nutritional disorder are the results of dealing with death and dying of patients for first year student nurses. Negative attitudes of clinical professionals, shortage of staff and congested block programme were identified as some aspects worsening the situation. Incidental learning that occurs with negative experience encountered was also identified. The findings show the need for review of curriculum for first year student nurses and the need for change of attitudes of clinical professionals / Health Studies / M. A. (Health Studies)