A quantitative descriptive study was conducted to establish professional nurses’ and patients’ knowledge and understanding of laparoscopic surgery and to determine whether nurses are sufficiently knowledgeable to disseminate adequate information about laparoscopic surgery to patients. Two state hospitals based in KwaZulu-Natal where laparoscopic surgery is done were selected and the respondents were selected through convenience sampling. Data were collected by administering questionnaires to theatre nurses (n=39), ward nurses (n=87) and patients (n=42) scheduled for laparoscopic surgery. The SPSS version 15 for Windows was used to compute the results. The findings revealed that the professional nurses were not sufficiently knowledgeable about laparoscopic surgery to give adequate information to patients and the patients themselves were not fully informed about all aspects of laparoscopic surgery including the possibility of conversion to open surgery, complications and advantages and after care. There is therefore a dire need for improvement of patient education to assist patients gaining optimal recovery / Health Studies / M.A. (Health Studies)

A quantitative descriptive study was conducted to establish professional nurses’ and patients’ knowledge and understanding of laparoscopic surgery and to determine whether nurses are sufficiently knowledgeable to disseminate adequate information about laparoscopic surgery to patients. Two state hospitals based in KwaZulu-Natal where laparoscopic surgery is done were selected and the respondents were selected through convenience sampling. Data were collected by administering questionnaires to theatre nurses (n=39), ward nurses (n=87) and patients (n=42) scheduled for laparoscopic surgery. The SPSS version 15 for Windows was used to compute the results. The findings revealed that the professional nurses were not sufficiently knowledgeable about laparoscopic surgery to give adequate information to patients and the patients themselves were not fully informed about all aspects of laparoscopic surgery including the possibility of conversion to open surgery, complications and advantages and after care. There is therefore a dire need for improvement of patient education to assist patients gaining optimal recovery / Health Studies / M.A. (Health Studies)

Systematic reviews on diagnostic test accuracy studies provide an overview of the current literature in a systematic and transparent manner. They are the highest level of evidence in clinical research, therefore they are critical to decision-making in the healthcare setting. Cancer is the primary source of mortality in Canada, however early detection of tumors can improve the survival rates and long-term health outcomes of patients. The primary method of cancer diagnosis is histopathological assessment, however, its use remains controversial. It is an invasive procedure and requires resources and clinical expertise not readily available. Noninvasive clinical imaging has been studied as a clinically desirable method for cancer diagnosis, however its diagnostic accuracy has yet to be established in the medical setting. With the increased role of DTA research in medicine, the current literature needs to be summarized in an effective way to properly educate and influence clinical decision-making. The objective of this thesis is to address the current evidence gaps in DTA research by conducting several systematic reviews to evaluate the accuracy of diagnostic methods in cancer-related imaging. The last chapter of the thesis will provide a critical reflection on the current landscape of DTA studies in cancer-related imaging, based on the findings of the reviews in the thesis.

The purpose of this study was to determine the views of nephrology nurses regarding pre-operative education prior to kidney transplant. The study was conducted in Nephrology Ward in King Abdulaziz Medical City, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Qualitative descriptive design was used. Purposive non-probability sampling was used until data saturation occurred. Target population were registered nurses working in the Nephrology Unit. Both male and female nurses aged between 25 and 59 years working for a period of at least one year in the Nephrology Unit were included in the study. Data saturation was reached after interviewing 15 nephrology nurses. Themes and categories emerged from adopting Creswell’s (2013) “data analysis spiral”. Some of the key findings were that pre-operative patient education is a multidisciplinary team approach and that psychosocial aspects of the patients should be taken into consideration before educating the patients. Conclusions were drawn and recommendations were also made from findings of this study. Ultimately, key recommendations were that there is a need to train and empower nurses in importance of delivering pre-operative education and that expatriate nurses have access to Arabic speakers to overcome language barriers while educating the patients / Health Studies / M.A. (Health Studies)