Reproductive health is very important as it shapes a woman's whole life. Currently there are a lot of obstacles which deny women their rights to reproductive health. The aim of this research was to find out what obstacles deny women the freedom to enjoy their reproductive health in order to establish a contribution which can be used by the Department of Health to improve their services. Descriptive research was conducted, using a survey approach. Convenience sampling was utilized. Participants were selected from a sample of people attending the reproductive health clinic at a hospital and a clinic in the Northern Province. The findings indicate that women are not enjoying reproductive health rights due to low educational level, cultural and societal constraints, low socio economic status and the negative attitude of the providers, of reproductive health services. / Contraceptives / Family planning / Health and gender / Health rights / Reproductive choice / Reproductive health / Reproductive rights / Reproductive health care / Women's rights / Rural women / Health Science / M.A.Cur.(Nursing Science)

DCur / Department of Advanced Nursing Science / See the attached abstract below

Unwanted and unintended pregnancies pose major reproductive health challenges to women throughout the world. Despite the availability of modern contraceptives, many women and men fail to use contraceptives effectively. This research focussed on reasons for not using contraceptives effectively in the Northern Tshwane area of the Gauteng Province of the Republic of South Africa (RSA). Structured interviews were conducted with 83 women and 71 men about their contraceptive practices. Age, religion, educational level and residential areas influenced clients' contraceptive practices. These results were categorised for adult males and females as well as for adolescent males and females. Adolescents encountered problems in accessing contraceptive services. Adult females knew most about traditional contraceptives, although men knew about some of these methods, and adolescents used some of them. All respondents could gain additional knowledge about modern contraceptives. The respondents' knowledge about · emergency contraceptives was extremely limited. Although most respondents knew about legalised choice on.termination of pregnancy (CTOP) services in the RSA, they did not know when nor how to access these services. Nurses working in contraceptive health services, revealed during a focus group discussion that a lack of resources (including shortages of malcondoms, contraceptive injections and oral contraceptives) hampered the quality of services that could be rendered. Of particular concern was the nonavailability of Norplant implants and female condoms. Nurses expressed a need for pecific national policy guidelines about supplying contraception to adolescents. Although most nurses knew about emergency contraceptives, they did not promote its use because they assumed that clients would misuse emergency contraceptives.instead of using contraceptives regularly. The nurses indicated that very few facilities offered CTOP services. The nurses regarded women who obtained repeated CTOPs to be misusing these services and suggested that limitations should be placed on the number-of times any woman could obtain such services. The negative attitudes of community members and of colleagues towards persons working in CTOP services caused hardships for them. Recommendations address ways in which contraceptive services could be improved. / Health Studies / D. Litt. et Phil. (Advanced Nursing Sciences)

The collection and utilisation of statistical data is an integral component of rendering primary health care services. This study aimed to assess the utilisation of statistics on certain statistical forms submitted regularly to the Department of Health, by professional nurses at local authority primary health care clinics. Results revealed the following important shortcomings: • Statistics on different forms are viewed in isolation, resulting in a lack of necessary comparisons being made to determine trends. • Several targeted issues in the Reconstruction and Development Programme received insufficient attention, for example, immunisations, teenage pregnancies, tuberculosis treatment, sexually transmitted diseases. • A general managerial inability to analyse, display and utilise collected data by professional nurses. Recommendations centred around increasing the knowledge regarding maternal health care, more focus on prioritised areas of the Reconstruction and Development Programme, appropriate training regarding analysis and utilisation of collected statistics at local primary health care level. / Health Studies / M.A. (Nursing)

Unwanted and unintended pregnancies pose major reproductive health challenges to women throughout the world. Despite the availability of modern contraceptives, many women and men fail to use contraceptives effectively. This research focussed on reasons for not using contraceptives effectively in the Northern Tshwane area of the Gauteng Province of the Republic of South Africa (RSA). Structured interviews were conducted with 83 women and 71 men about their contraceptive practices. Age, religion, educational level and residential areas influenced clients' contraceptive practices. These results were categorised for adult males and females as well as for adolescent males and females. Adolescents encountered problems in accessing contraceptive services. Adult females knew most about traditional contraceptives, although men knew about some of these methods, and adolescents used some of them. All respondents could gain additional knowledge about modern contraceptives. The respondents' knowledge about · emergency contraceptives was extremely limited. Although most respondents knew about legalised choice on.termination of pregnancy (CTOP) services in the RSA, they did not know when nor how to access these services. Nurses working in contraceptive health services, revealed during a focus group discussion that a lack of resources (including shortages of malcondoms, contraceptive injections and oral contraceptives) hampered the quality of services that could be rendered. Of particular concern was the nonavailability of Norplant implants and female condoms. Nurses expressed a need for pecific national policy guidelines about supplying contraception to adolescents. Although most nurses knew about emergency contraceptives, they did not promote its use because they assumed that clients would misuse emergency contraceptives.instead of using contraceptives regularly. The nurses indicated that very few facilities offered CTOP services. The nurses regarded women who obtained repeated CTOPs to be misusing these services and suggested that limitations should be placed on the number-of times any woman could obtain such services. The negative attitudes of community members and of colleagues towards persons working in CTOP services caused hardships for them. Recommendations address ways in which contraceptive services could be improved. / Health Studies / D. Litt. et Phil. (Advanced Nursing Sciences)

The collection and utilisation of statistical data is an integral component of rendering primary health care services. This study aimed to assess the utilisation of statistics on certain statistical forms submitted regularly to the Department of Health, by professional nurses at local authority primary health care clinics. Results revealed the following important shortcomings: • Statistics on different forms are viewed in isolation, resulting in a lack of necessary comparisons being made to determine trends. • Several targeted issues in the Reconstruction and Development Programme received insufficient attention, for example, immunisations, teenage pregnancies, tuberculosis treatment, sexually transmitted diseases. • A general managerial inability to analyse, display and utilise collected data by professional nurses. Recommendations centred around increasing the knowledge regarding maternal health care, more focus on prioritised areas of the Reconstruction and Development Programme, appropriate training regarding analysis and utilisation of collected statistics at local primary health care level. / Health Studies / M.A. (Nursing)

This study identified pregnancy-related challenges encountered by student nurses at SAMHS Nursing College, with an aim of identify factors contributing to student nurses' pregnancies as well as finding ways to deal and minimize the rate of the pregnancies amongst the student nurses. Thirty (30) structured interviews were conducted with student nurses who were pregnant and those who delivered their babies during the period 2002 to 2007. It has been revealed that ignorance is the major contributing factor for student nurses' pregnancies, 63% of the pregnancies were not planned, 52% of the respondents related their pregnancies to risk taking as they engaged in unprotected sex without the use of contraceptives, and thus it was concluded that student nurses are engaging themselves in risk behaviours and also engaging in unsafe sexual practices. The study also found that student nurses face physical, social, emotional as well as academic problems during pregnancy and after the delivery of their babies. Student nurses should be encouraged to use condoms and other methods of contraception, coupled with educating them on life skills, provision of recreational facilities; provision of counseling and support services may be the tool to minimise the unplanned pregnancies. / Health Studies / (M.A.(Public Health ))

This study identified pregnancy-related challenges encountered by student nurses at SAMHS Nursing College, with an aim of identify factors contributing to student nurses' pregnancies as well as finding ways to deal and minimize the rate of the pregnancies amongst the student nurses. Thirty (30) structured interviews were conducted with student nurses who were pregnant and those who delivered their babies during the period 2002 to 2007. It has been revealed that ignorance is the major contributing factor for student nurses' pregnancies, 63% of the pregnancies were not planned, 52% of the respondents related their pregnancies to risk taking as they engaged in unprotected sex without the use of contraceptives, and thus it was concluded that student nurses are engaging themselves in risk behaviours and also engaging in unsafe sexual practices. The study also found that student nurses face physical, social, emotional as well as academic problems during pregnancy and after the delivery of their babies. Student nurses should be encouraged to use condoms and other methods of contraception, coupled with educating them on life skills, provision of recreational facilities; provision of counseling and support services may be the tool to minimise the unplanned pregnancies. / Health Studies / (M.A.(Public Health ))

Social Work / M. A. (Social Science)

Social Work / M. A. (Social Science)