by Chan Wai Han, Florence, Hui Wendy Wan Yee. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2000. / Includes bibliographical references (leaf [44]).

The purpose of this study was to establish if, and to what extent, management of nursing colleges enhanced personnel development with regard to the professional and personal development of nurse educators and clinical preceptors. From the literature survey, it was concluded that an effective personnel development programme that included all nursing personnel involved in the education and training of student nurses, was imperative for the rendering of continuous quality nursing education. The importance of co-operation between management of nursing colleges and nursing management of clinical facilities regarding the development of personnel involved in the education and training of student nurses, was emphasised. A programme for personnel development in nursing colleges was developed. The programme included suggestions for the educational development of both nurse educators and clinical preceptors/ registered nurses involved in the education and training of student nurses. It was suggested that nursing colleges should initiate the programme. Research consisted of an in-depth literature review about the management of personnel development in the educational milieu and a survey with regard to the management of the development of personnel involved in the education and training of student nurses. Principals of nursing schools, nursing educators, nursing directors of health services and clinical preceptors in clinical settings formed the population for the study. The theoretical framework used in this research with regard to personnel development in nursing schools, was Donabedian's theory on structural, process and outcomes standards as applied to quality improvement, as well as Alspach's theoretical foundation of nursing staff development. The focus of this study was to use data generated through research to develop a personnel development programme for all registered nurses involved in the education and training of student nurses. The most important conclusions of this research were as follows:  Personnel development was provided for nurse educators and clinical preceptors/ registered nurses involved in the education and training of student nurses in the clinical setting, but it did not necessarily meet the personal and professional developmental needs of these professionals.  The specific developmental needs of nurse educators and clinical preceptors/ registered nurses were related to educational skills, higher cognitive skill and skills related to research.  Available resources at nursing colleges did not facilitate and support the development of nurse educators and clinical preceptors involved in the education and training of student nurses. The main conclusion was that the establishment of a Department of Personnel Development at nursing colleges could provide for the educational needs of both nurse educators and clinical preceptors/ registered nurses, would benefit the personal and professional development of all learners involved and, ulitmately, would enhance the quality of patient care rendered by student nurses. / Advanced Nursing Sciences / D.Litt. et Phil. (Advanced Nursing Sciences)

M.Cur. (Professional Nursing) / Grievance procedures form an important instrument by means of which nursing staff can make their grievances known to management, thereby effecting a solution to the problem. Therefore, the way in which grievances are handled form an integral part of the staff duties of a nursing service manager. The effective handling of grievances directly influences the satisfaction of nursing staff, as well as the quality of nursing, and thus productivity. Effective handling of grievances depends on the nursing service manager's knowledge of and abiU ty to utilise grievance procedures. This implies that the nursing service manager should be willing and able to investigate all grievances that she becomes aware of, in a consistent manner. She can only fulfil this responsibility if there is an existing grievance procedure in the hospital, and if this procedure is known to all nursing staff. Utilisation of this procedure only is possible when all staff have access to it. This is ensured by training, which will equip them with knowledge and skills in the execution of grieval1ce procedures. The purpose of this study is to determine whether grievances are being handled effectively by nursing service managers in selected hospitals. A descriptive, exploratory study was done within this context by means of a historical analysis of available literature, including newspaper reports, as well as by case study analyses and interviews with nursing service managers in the selected hospitals. A self-training programme regarding the management of grievances will be developed. Analysis of the data indicates that nursing service managers in the selected hospitals do not handle grievance procedures effectively During interviews the nursing service managers indicated that grievance procedures do indeed exist at the hospitals in the Pretoria Witwatersrand area. However, a degree of uncertainty exist. about the difference between grievance procedures and disciplinary procedures.

M.Cur. / It is evident that the current political changes presently taking place in South Africa need to be accompanied by a dramatic transformation to accommodate the economic, social, technological and health changes amongst others. The nursing discipline is no exception. For a change to be felt by nursing staff and by health consumers, effective management strategies need to be developed to accommodate transformation guidelines as outlined by the Reconstruction and Development Programme, the National Health Plan and the Constitution which all emphasize the right to health, hence this study. This study focuses on a primary health care clinics. This is a qualitative, contextual, exploratory and descriptive study with the overall aim of exploring and describing a nursing service strategy for change in Soweto Primary Health clinics where the researcher is employed. To accomplish this aim, the following objectives were formulated: to explore and describe the expectations of the managers and the functional nurses concerning the required nursing service strategy for change within Soweto Primary Health Clinics; to explore and describe the expectations of health consumers concerning the required nursing service strategy for change in Soweto Primary Health Clinics; to describe the required nursing service strategy for Soweto Primary Health Clinics. Through purposive sampling, three focus groups were selected from the role players within Soweto who represent the nursing managers, the functional nurses' and the health consumers in order to infer the required change strategy for the nursing service. i. Data was collected through these focus groups interviews using semi-structured questions. Data management and data analysis was done using the methods of content analysis according to Kerlinger (1986: 480). An research expert, was utilised as a reliability measure to identify and categorise themes separately from the researcher. The categories that emerged were subsequently refined through consensus discussions between the researcher and the independent researcher. Woods and Catanzaro' s measures (1988: 136) to ensure validity and reliability were applied in this study.

The objective of this study is to evaluate the impact of the Diabetes Nurse Care Manager on an at-risk diabetic population using a Primary Group Visit Model in Outlying Medical Offices within the Kaiser-Permanente Health Care System upon the process and outcome of care in this population.

Prior to 1994, the South African Health Department was characterised by a fragmented health care system, which was largely curative and hospital based, with services planned and managed without community involvement and participation. The government, through the establishment of a district health system, integrated the health services with the aim of overcoming the fragmentation, and providing integrated comprehensive health care services that are equitable, accessible, efficient and effective. The integration of health services in Gauteng, meant the devolution of primary health care services from the provincial health department to the local authority health department, because the local authority services are nearer and accountable to the community. The process of integration of health services also meant the closing down of provincial clinics and transferring of provincial authority nurses to the local authority clinics. The transfer process impacted negatively on staff morale and on the resources available for health care delivery to the communities. It is against this background that the researcher decided to investigate the integration process. The researcher then conducted focus group interviews with the local authority nurses, provincial authority nurses and the district management team as these nurses's immediate supervisors. The results revealed that the local and provincial authority nurses were integrated without proper consultation and as a result integration was rejected. The following themes emerged from the results as negative perceptions and obstacles towards integration: lack of consultation, disparities in conditions of service and resistance to change. Positive perceptions also emerged from the results as strategies to improve the integration, and these strategies were used to develop guidelines to operationalise the model. It is envisaged that the proposed model will serve as a theoretical framework for nurse managers from both spheres of government, local and provincial to improve the integration of nurses through proper consultation, and involvement of nurses in the process affecting them. It is further envisaged that the model will serve as guideline to introduce changes within the district health system with more understanding and acceptance by nurses affected. Health care managers will find the model useful to overcome disparities in conditions of service among nurses and, in turn this may boost the moral of nurses and lead to successful integration of provincial and local authority nurses. / Health Studies / D.Litt. et Phil (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 main purpose of this quantitative, descriptive, non-experimental study was to explore the perceptions of nurses in supervisory roles (NSRs) regarding competence of novice professional nurses (NPNs) in health education. The study’s conceptual frameworks were the objectives of the Regulation R.425 programme and the scope of practice of professional nurses. The study sought to reveal whether the NPNs were competent in health education and in identifying barriers to health education, and to make recommendations. A structured questionnaire was used for data collection from the professional nurses in supervisory roles. The data was analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21.0 program. The results revealed that NPNs were competent in health education, however, paid less attention to family involvement and patients’ level of education (a barrier to health education). The study recommended assessment of the level of education of patients and involvement of family members when giving health education / Health Studies / M.A. (Health Studies)

Nurses face ongoing difficulties in using evidence and making a reality of evidence-based practice. Studies of the factors that facilitate or impede evidence-based practice suggest that nurse managers should have a key role, but the nature of this role has not yet been fully articulated. This study aimed to explore and explain the roles of nurse managers in relation to evidence-based practice implementation. Four case studies in Scottish NHS Acute Trusts provide rich data on evidence-based practice implementation, drawing on interviews (n = 51), observation and documentary analysis. A wide literature on evidence use in nursing suggests that implementation is hindered by confusion and debate about what counts as evidence, and by an incomplete understanding by staff of the complexity of implementation processes. This study confirms such conclusions. Moreover, the study reveals that the roles of nurse managers in facilitating evidence use are currently limited, largely passive and under-articulated. As such, the findings expose significant discrepancies between nurse managers' roles in practice and those espoused in much of the literature. Partial explanation for this can be found in the organisational contexts in which nurses and their managers work (e.g. competing demands; confused communication; diffuse and overloaded roles and limits to authority and autonomy). In particular, the role of the contemporary nurse manager is one that places considerable emphasis on aspects of general management to the detriment of clinical practice issues. More positively, the study uncovered genuine facilitation in two study sites where hybrid roles of nurse manager and clinical nurse specialist were in place. In both sites, these roles had been successful in supporting and progressing implementation in discrete areas of practice and show some potential for advancing evidence-based practice more widely. These findings have significant implications for research, policy and practice in relation to evidence-based practice in nursing.

The main purpose of this quantitative, descriptive, non-experimental study was to explore the perceptions of nurses in supervisory roles (NSRs) regarding competence of novice professional nurses (NPNs) in health education. The study’s conceptual frameworks were the objectives of the Regulation R.425 programme and the scope of practice of professional nurses. The study sought to reveal whether the NPNs were competent in health education and in identifying barriers to health education, and to make recommendations. A structured questionnaire was used for data collection from the professional nurses in supervisory roles. The data was analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21.0 program. The results revealed that NPNs were competent in health education, however, paid less attention to family involvement and patients’ level of education (a barrier to health education). The study recommended assessment of the level of education of patients and involvement of family members when giving health education / Health Studies / M.A. (Health Studies)