The harsh realities currently facing public hospitals such as budget cuts, understaffing and poor working conditions, have resulted in nurses experiencing low morale and finding it increasingly difficult to stay in the public health sector. The obvious targeting of South African nurses by recruitment agencies with job offers to work overseas is causing a massive skills’ drain that the country cannot afford. The situation is further compounded by the fact that the government is freezing posts of those nurses who have resigned. Consequently, nurses who are currently working in these hospitals have to cope with unreasonable workloads. Public hospitals are nowadays faced with the challenge of delivering quality health care within the constraints of gross staff shortages, and an increasingly competitive global health environment. The main objective of this study was to identify strategies that can be implemented by hospitals in order to reduce turnover, thereby enhancing retention of staff. Interviews were conducted with the matrons-in-charge of the hospitals under study to investigate strategies that are in place to improve retention. Secondary data regarding staff turnover in the hospitals under study was collected and analysed. It emerged that there are no concrete strategies in place to lower turnover. Hospitals are indeed experiencing staff turnover and posts that were vacated by those nurses that have resigned are frozen. The literature survey revealed three strategies that can be utilised to retain employees, namely, motivation strategies, effective leadership strategies and human resources strategies. Based on various literature reviews, it was concluded that the three strategies are interrelated. The empirical survey was conducted at the three selected hospitals, to determine the extent to which the retention strategies identified in the literature survey are being utilised. All three are invariably used in the hospitals. It is evident that the leadership behaviour in these hospitals affects the level of motivation of employees. The extent to which some of the human resources strategies are utilised invariably leads to low morale and dissatisfaction among employees. Lastly, research findings were assessed with the aim of drawing conclusions so that appropriate recommendations could be made. Recommendations focused on the retention strategies that can be implemented to boost morale of employees and enhance retention.

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Acquired Immuno-Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) have brought about a global epidemic far more extensive than was predicted even a decade ago (van Rensburg, 2002:1). South Africa has one of the highest HIV prevalence rates in the world (South African Department of Health, 2000: 5), it still increase yearly. Before a vaccine and/or effective treatment become available, effective education and information campaigns are necessary for preventing the spreading of HIV and AIDS (WHO (the World Health Organization), 1988:21). According to WHO and ICN (International Council of Nurses) (1988:12), Nurses can play a pivotal role in the education of patients, their families and friends with regard to the prevention of HIV and AIDS transmission, so as to control the spread of this disease. In South Africa, more than 60 percent of the healthcare human resources comprise professional nursing practitioners (Muller, 2002: 95). Therefore, the education and training of nurses is one of the effective methods to preventing further spread of HIV and AIDS infection in South Africa. Accordingly, nurses need to reduce both personal and occupational risk of becoming infected with HIV themselves, as well as provide education to patients and their families. Before effective and efficient in-service education guidelines on the prevention of HIV and AIDS transmission can be developed, any knowledge deficit and negative attitudes of registered nurses regarding the prevention of HIV and AIDS transmission should be identified. Thus, it is important to survey the knowledge and attitudes of nurses in healthcare institutions related to the prevention of HIV and AIDS transmission. The main goal of the study was to explore and describe the knowledge and attitudes of registered nurses in public hospitals related to the prevention of HIV and AIDS transmission. The secondary objective was to develop in-service education guidelines for registered nurses in public hospitals to optimise both personal and occupational prevention measures relating to HIV and AIDS transmission. The research was conducted using a quantitative, explorative, descriptive and contextual design. The purposive sampling method was used to select the participants and a self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data. This data was analysed by inferential statistics and descriptive statistics and areas of deficits concerning knowledge and negative attitudes were identified. In this study there were deficits concerning the knowledge and negative attitudes regarding the prevention of HIV and AIDS transmission to a greater or lesser degree in all the subgroups of the questionnaire. In general, the registered nurses with the attendance of HIV and AIDS training program, experience in caring for HIV and AIDS patients made the level of certain knowledge related to the prevention of HIV and AIDS transmission different; Working experience as a registered nurses and the attendance of HIV and AIDS training programmes did not make attitudes towards the prevention of HIV and AIDS transmission significantly different. The registered nurses with experience of caring for HIV and AIDS patients had more positive attitudes than those without the experience. This information was used to compile in-service education guidelines for registered nurses concerning the prevention of HIV and AIDS transmission. The in-service education guidelines will be given to clinical facilitators at public hospitals. It is envisaged that this will guide them as to what to include in their in-service education programmes concerning the prevention of HIV and AIDS transmission for registered nurses.

MCur / Department of Advanced Nursing Science

Thesis (M. A. (Nursing)) -- University of Limpopo, 2019 / A master’s program in nursing is an essential tool to prepare students to manage and offer health care services to the public professionally and successfully. However, there has been low enrolment of professional nurses into masters studies of nursing in a higher educational institution. Therefore the study aimed to develop recruitment strategies for professional nurses into Master studies of Nursing at a higher educational institution. METHODS The qualitative research method was used to develop recruitment strategies of professional nurses in Mankweng Hospital into a Master's Studies at the University of Limpopo. The population were professional nurses with honours equivalent and those with honours degree.Semi-structured interviews were conducted from eighteen professional nurses who were purposely selected to participate in the study. Tech`s coding method of data analysis was used to analyze audio-recorded data. RESULTS The results indicated that lack of study leaves, shortage of nurses, lack of information about requirements for enrolling into masters, lack of recognition for postgraduates and financial instability contributed to most professional nurses not registering for master's studies. CONCLUSION The study concludes that the institution of higher learning should develop recruitment strategies for master's studies in nursing. Findings revealed lack of recruitment strategies, information about the masters degree, and scholarship as well as employer related factors such as lack of study leaves as challenges for recruiting nurses into a masters studies. Such strategies vi include the increase of funding scholarships by the universities that can facilitate the postgraduate uptake and allocation of study leaves for professional nurses by the Department of Health.

Tuberculosis (TB) has re-emerged as a major worldwide public health challenge in the last decade with an increasing incidence amongst children. The diagnosis of TB in children is difficult as the presentation is not always classical and available diagnostic modalities are imperfect. Diagnosis is, especially complex in developing countries where resources and access to sophisticated diagnostic facilities are limited. Thus practical score charts combining a number of complementary clinical characteristics with affordable special investigations have been developed to aid diagnosis. The new South African primary health care (PHC) nurse-driven system demands that first line nurses be equipped to suspect, diagnose, confirm the diagnosis and treat children with TB. Very little is known about the ability of PHC nurses to diagnose TB in children. In Mpumalanga province relatively low rates of notified paediatric TB prompted an investigation to determine the ability of local PHC nurses to diagnose TB in children and explore whether the PHC setting allowed this. Within method triangulation was used in this quantitative descriptive study by combining a self-completed knowledge survey with clinic visits to audit records and assess access to diagnostic aids and tests. Important deficiencies in knowledge and limited access to certain diagnostic modalities found in this study must be addressed if appropriate management of TB in children is to be assured. / Health Studies / M. A. (Public Health)

The study explored professional nurses' experience of working in a remote rural hospital in the Eastern Cape Province. A qualitative phenomenological design was used and the study was conducted in a remote rural hospital in region `D'. Eight professional nurses were selected non-randomly from a population of professional nurses who had been working in the hospital for more than one year. Purposive sampling was used to select the participants and semi-structured phenomenological interviews were conducted to collect data. Colaizzi's eight-step method was used for data analysis. The themes that emerged from the data analysis were shortage of human and material resources, poor access, communication problems and lack of safety and insecurity. The study found that the professional nurses at the remote rural hospital experience many obstacles to quality service delivery. / Health Studies / M.A. (Health Studies)

Quantitative, descriptive research was conducted to determine which factors contribute to absenteeism among nurses. A structured self-administered questionnaire was administered to the entire population of nurses who worked at a district hospital in the Limpopo Province. Statistical data analysis, involving factor analysis, frequencies and Chi-squares was performed. The findings revealed that various factors related to the characteristics of the nurse, characteristics of the manager, characteristics of the work and characteristics of the organisation contribute to absenteeism. Professional nurses and sub-professional nurses, as well as nurses younger than 40 and nurses who are 40 years and older, appeared to disagree on the extent to which various factors contribute to absenteeism in the workplace. This study was aimed at assisting organisations and managers in reducing absenteeism in the workplace, and by doing so, improving the quality of care. / Health Studies / MA (HEALTH STUDIES)

The purpose of the study was to explore and describe the professional nurse's perception of working in remote rural clinics in Limpopo Province. The research design was qualitative, exploratory, descriptive and contextual. The research population was the professional nurses working in remote rural clinics in Limpopo Province. Purposive sampling was used and data collected by means of tape-recorded in-depth semi-structured individual interviews. The study revealed that the professional nurses perceived working in the remote rural clinics both positively and negatively and had concerns. / Health Studies / M.A. (Health Studies)

The purpose of this study was to investigate challenges experienced by nurses in the use of electronic whiteboards at one private hospital in the Gauteng province in South Africa. The researcher had observed a continuation of use of the manual dry-erase patient whiteboards in parallel to the use of new the electronic whiteboards in a ward, yet the electronic whiteboard had been implemented to replace the manual system in order to improve service delivery. A descriptive, quantitative study design was used for the study, with n=83 participants being voluntarily surveyed at the hospital over a one month period. The major findings were that the new electronic whiteboards were not always online which necessitated a parallel manual system as backup. Secondly, 47.5% of the respondents requested more training on the whiteboards. A needs assessment to determine training requirements and further investigation into the frequent unavailability of the electronic whiteboards is recommended / Health Studies / M.A. (Public Health - with specialisation in Medical Informatics)

The purpose of this study was to describe the perceptions of the bridging programme graduates regarding their preparedness to manage a nursing unit .Quantitative; descriptive survey design was used with a structured questionnaire as data collection instrument. The sample included 58 bridging programme graduates who had completed their training at a private nursing school and was working at seven private hospitals in KwaZulu Natal. The graduates reported competence in performing some but not all management competencies addressed by this survey. Some graduates reported they were placed in charge of the nursing unit, in spite of not feeling competent, as early as in their first month. Recommendations with regard to nursing education, nursing practice and further research, specifically relating to improvement of management competencies for new graduates, were made / Health Studies / M.A. (Health Studies)