Patient and public criticism of care in many South African public hospitals has resulted in negative media reports. The purpose of the study was to determine the effect of appointing Quality Assurance Nurse Managers (QANMs) on the provision of quality patient care in selected public hospitals of the Limpopo Province and to make recommendations where appropriate. The study was quantitative, exploratory and descriptive in nature. Data was collected by means of a self-developed questionnaire from 112 respondents, consisting of 10 QANMs and 102 Quality Assurance Team members (QAT). The response rate was 100% for the QANMs and 57% for the QAT members. The study found that most of the ten selected hospitals have a good QA foundation with a vision, mission and goals, QA programme and manual. Moreover, the appointment of the QANMs had a positive impact on the nursing care. Regarding the improvement and change in the provision of nursing care, the majority of the respondents indicated that patients’ complaints about nursing care had declined considerably; the in-service training assisted in improving nursing care, and patients were nursed in totality because of the quality guidelines in the QA manuals. However, the study found that the shortage of equipment, which interferes with the delivery of quality patient care, is a serious problem that hinders the QA programme and needs to be tackled. Recommendations were made for practice and further research. / Health Studies

A quantitative, descriptive and contextual research study was conducted to establish the impact of the South African Nursing Council regulation number 212 on the training of theatre nurses in the Northern are of the Eastern Cape Province. A survey was conducted, using a questionnaire as research instrument. Convenience sampling was used to select the required sample of registered theatre nurses employed in the area. The data analysis revealed that the way theatre nurses are utilized in the area does not yet show an impact in terms of the aim of this course namely to develop their knowledge, skills and attitudes in order to be effective practitioners. However, the respondents felt positive about the curriculum. / Health Studies / MA (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)

The purpose of the study is to determine the knowledge of midwives on implementing clinical guidelines for the management of pre-eclampsia with the aim of improving midwifery practice and preventing maternal and neonatal death due to pre-eclampsia. A quantitative, descriptive, cross sectional study design was used for the study. Data was collected using a self-administered questionnaire from 100 midwives working in the maternity section of the clinic referring to the regional hospital in UMgungundlovu District. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23 was used for data analysis. The findings show that respondents to the study have a high mean value (3.6) of knowledge but need support in terms of providing training on the new guidelines. The study also showed that there is need to improve on distribution of guidelines. There was no significant association between demographic factors and the knowledge of midwives on clinical guidelines for the management of pre-eclampsia. A clinical audit of maternity records as well as a quality care project can be developed based on the findings / Health Studies / M.A. (Health Studies)

Text in English / In South Africa, retention of newly qualified professional nurses in public health institutions upon completion of their year of compulsory remunerated community service remains a challenge that exacerbates the shortage of professional nurses in these institutions. The literature indicates that many newly qualified professional nurses leave the public health institutions due to lack of professional development support and heavy workloads while they are still finding their feet. A mixed-methods design of concurrent triangulation approach was used to answer the question: How are the newly qualified professional nurses supported in terms of induction and professional development during community service in South Africa? Triangulation was achieved by using both quantitative and qualitative methods. Induction/orientation documents from public health institutions were analysed using a checklist. A survey questionnaire with mixed quantitative closed items (1–43) and qualitative open-ended questions (43–46) was sent to newly qualified professional nurses who had recently completed community service. Focus groups held with operational nurse managers and individual interviews with coordinators of community service for nurses yielded rich qualitative data. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to describe and synthesise data. The qualitative findings confirmed the quantitative findings. Findings were lack of professional development support in some public health institutions, informal, non-comprehensive support where given, shortage of experienced professional nurses, reluctance by some professional nurses and operational nurse managers to supervise newly qualified nurses, and increased workload due to the shortage of experienced professional nurses in the public health institutions. Inadequate clinical skills, poor discipline and lack of professionalism in the newly qualified professional nurses also played a part. Respondents suggested constructive recommendations for the induction and professional development support of the newly qualified professional nurses, and these were incorporated in the recommended guidelines for the induction and professional development support of newly qualified professional nurses during community service. / Health Studies / D. Litt. et Phil. (Health Studies)

The purpose of this study was to determine the nurse educators’ experiences in implementing the evidence-based practice (EBP) in teaching and learning, and to describe the importance and benefits of EBP teaching and learning to the nursing profession, especially for nurse educators and student nurses. A qualitative research design and methods were followed in conducting the study. A non-probability purposive sampling technique was used to access the sample of twelve nurse educators from two nursing campuses under KwaZulu-Natal College of Nursing within Umgungundlovu Health District. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews, the interview guide, and the digital voice recorder. Data were analysed manually, following a content thematic data analysis approach. Two themes emerged as follows:  Challenges experienced by nurse educators with the implementation of EBP in teaching and learning.  Benefits/value of EBP in teaching and learning. Findings revealed that, although most of the nurse educators are supportive and displayed a positive attitude towards implementing EBP in teaching and learning, the level of knowledge and skills was questionable. This was coupled with a lack of motivation and commitment towards research. Therefore, recommendations for nursing education, nursing practice, and future research were suggested, for successful implementation of EBP in teaching and learning. / Health Studies / M.A. (Health Studies)

The purpose of this study was to describe and compare the perceptions of the registered nurses and the nurse managers regarding the role of the registered nurse in integrated primary health care. Quantitative, descriptive research was conducted to determine if there were any discrepancies between role perceptions and role expectations. Data collection was done using structured questionnaires. Two groups of respondents participated in the study. The registered nurse group (n=40) provided direct clinical care in integrated primary health care settings. The second group was composed of nurse managers (n=20) managing integrated primary health care services. The findings revealed that there are some areas where there is lack of congruence between the perceptions of registered nurses and nurse managers regarding the functions that registered nurses perform. These differences may result in confusion and role conflict among registered nurses, which can ultimately impede the attainment of integrated primary health care goals. / Advanced Nursing Sciences / M.A.(Nursing Science)

The purpose of the study was to describe the support services available for nurses who care for patients with human immunodeficiency virus / acquired immune-deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) in Pretoria urban pubic hospitals. Problems faced by nurses in HIV/AIDS care support preferences were also investigated. The study was conducted between March and April 2003, using a descriptive design. Respondents comprised eighty-seven (87) nurses who were conveniently selected from five (5) hospitals. Results reveal that support available is inadequate in both quality and coverage of nurses. Other significant findings are inadequate job preparation, shortage of nurses and that nurses prefer to receive support from both within and outside the hospital. It has been recommended that management should work with nurses to design support interventions that match the identified problems/needs. Nurses need to take an active role in caring for themselves and more in-service training opportunities need to be created for nurses. / Health Studies / MA (Health Studies)

The purpose of the study was to determine professional nurses’ knowledge of culture- competent care at selected medical and oncology wards and outpatient departments in Mopani District, Limpopo Province. A quantitative descriptive design was used and data collected from one hundred and five professional nurses by means of a structured questionnaire. The study found that cultural knowledge needs to be nurtured through continuing education and mentoring and that culture-competent care should be included in the curriculum. Furthermore, cultural knowledge is not effective if there is no correlation of theory and practice and early clinical placement of student nurses during their basic training / Health Studies / M. A. (Health Studies)