MCur / Department of Advanced Nursing Science / Introduction: During the provision of care to preterm babies, midwives encounter many problems and challenges which may vary according to the gestational age of the women, condition of the foetus, availability of equipment and resources, and experience of the midwives. In addition, poor working conditions, feelings of insecurity, staff shortage, and lack of support from the management and having to deal with parents who do not comply with the hospital management plan for their babies; all contribute to the problems faced by midwives. The purpose of this study was to determine challenges encountered by midwives when providing care to preterm neonates at selected hospitals in the Mopani District of Limpopo Province, South Africa. Methods: Qualitative research in this study was conducted in a natural setting at the selected hospitals. The target population was the midwives who have been working in maternity wards for at least two years and were on duty during the period of data collection. Non-random purposive sampling was used to select the participants. Data were collected using unstructured interviews, which were tape recorded and transcribed. The six steps as described by Creswell were used for data analysis. Trustworthiness was ensured by using the model of Lincoln & Guba that included credibility, dependability, confirmability and transferability. Ethical principles, namely, permission to conduct the study, informed consent from participants, privacy, confidentiality, autonomy, anonymity and respect were observed. Results: When midwives provide care to preterm babies they often encounter multiple challenges which can be human or material resource related. In his study, midwives were found to perform their duties in the face of multiple challenges, including staff vi shortages, which resulted in exhaustion of the available midwives. Nursing a preterm baby is a challenge on its own as these babies are likely to develop clinical problems related to immaturity, e.g., hypoglycaemia, hypothermia, jaundice, sepsis and respiratory distress. Mothers may be traumatised and find it difficult to accept their babies as they are, this leads to lack of cooperation in the care of the neonate and it becomes a problem for the midwives who are directly providing such care. The aforementioned challenges are related to all the four major concepts of human caring as described by Jean Watson which are health, human being, nursing and environment. Recommendations: It is recommended that further research be conducted on the same topic, but in a different setting to generate more knowledge. Policy makers should work together with health care professionals who are directly involved in the care of preterm babies to improve the practice of the contents in the policies. / NRF

Bakgrund: Demenssjukdom förväntas öka i framtiden vilket kan komma att påverkaröntgenkliniker samt avdelningar som möter patientkategorin. Det finns svårigheter att undersöka patienter med demenssjukdom på grund av beteendeförändringar, agitation samt röntgensjuksköterskans korta möte. Det är därför av vikt att sammanställa den forskning som finns inom ämnet idag. Syfte: Att beskriva röntgensjuksköterskors, röntgensjuksköterskestudenters samt sjuksköterskors erfarenheter av att vårda patienter med demenssjukdom. Metod:En litteraturstudie vars resultat är uppbyggt på åtta kvalitativa studier. Databaserna som användes vid artikelsökning var Cinahl, Pubmed och Scopus. Analysen har varit inspirerad av Fribergs metod. Resultat:Tre huvudkategorier och nio underkategorier skapades efter analys av samtliga studier. Huvudkategorierna omfattar: Uppfatta orsaker till olämplig vård för personer med demenssjukdom, erfara svåra utmaningar vid behandling av patienter med demenssjukdom och uppleva faktorer som påverkar personcentrerad vård av patienter med demenssjukdom. Konklusion:Det korta vårdmötet begränsar möjligheten för vårdare att ge patienter med demenssjukdom god vård, vilket indikerar behovet av att avsätta mer tid till patienter med demenssjukdom. Kunskapsbrist har visats vara ett återkommande problem vid vård av demenssjukdom och ökad utbildning kan vara en adekvat åtgärd. Nyckelord: Radiografi, personcentrerad vård, beteendemässiga utmaningar, individuell erfarenhet / Background: Dementia will increase in the future which can affect radiology clinics and hospital departments caring for patients with dementia. There are difficulties examining patients with dementia due to behavioral changes, agitation and the limited time radiology nurses spend with patients. Therefore it is important to summarize current research on the subject. Aim: Describe the experiences of diagnostic radiology nurses, students in radiology nursing programs and general nurses when caring for patients with dementia Method:A literature review of eight qualitative studies using Cinahl, Pubmed and Scopus databases to discover articles. The analysis was inspired by Friberg’s method. Results:Three main categories and nine subcategories were identified after analysis. The main categories were; caregiver perceived reasons for inappropriate care of patients with dementia, difficult challenges experienced while treating patients with dementia, and perceived elements that affect personalized patient-centered care for those with dementia. Conclusion:The limited time allocated to attend to patients, limits the ability of caregivers to provide good care. This indicates a need to devote additional time for patients with dementia. A lack of knowledge was identified in dementia care, where increased education can be an adequate measure. Keywords: Radiography, patient-centred care, behavioural challenges encountered, individual experiences

This research project focuses on conversions from Islam to Christianity in the Sudan. It first gives a biblical and theological understanding of conversion and then introduces the sociological and psychological understanding of such a change in religious affiliation. It discusses conversion as a spiritual decision process and develops a spiritual decision matrix for evaluating conversion processes of Muslims. The heart of the study is an analysis of the conversion processes of six converts with a Northern Sudanese background from different Muslim tribes. The interviews that were conducted with these converts are analysed in terms of five parameters: reasons for conversion; factors that led to conversion; stages in the conversion processes; problems encountered during the conversion processes; and results of the conversion. These parameters are compared with existing data from six studies of Muslims in other geographical areas who also converted to the Christian faith. / Christian Spirituality Church History and Missiology / M.Th. (Missiology)

Educators strive to improve student learning outcomes and there are numerous theories suggesting how this is best achieved. However, application of these theories to the coal face of a classroom is often fraught with obstacles resulting in poor outcomes. Constraints imposed by educational policy, school systems, structures and the individual students themselves, realistically require adaptation of theoretical techniques if genuine learning is to be imparted to students. This paper discusses some of the issues surrounding the practical implementation of new methodologies into the classroom and identifies important factors that affect teenagers in their learning of mathematics. Working within the constraints, constantly confronted with obstacles, can be frustrating and demoralising. This paper reflects on twenty years of classroom teaching of mathematics to students with relatively poor socio-economic backgrounds and the lessons learnt from them that may assist teachers to remain enthusiastic and creative with the energy to truly improve mathematics education. Key issues explored in the paper include: ‘Realities of a teacher’s working day’, ‘The learning of mathematics within a government secondary system’, and ‘What can be done to ensure mathematical learning takes place?’

This research project focuses on conversions from Islam to Christianity in the Sudan. It first gives a biblical and theological understanding of conversion and then introduces the sociological and psychological understanding of such a change in religious affiliation. It discusses conversion as a spiritual decision process and develops a spiritual decision matrix for evaluating conversion processes of Muslims. The heart of the study is an analysis of the conversion processes of six converts with a Northern Sudanese background from different Muslim tribes. The interviews that were conducted with these converts are analysed in terms of five parameters: reasons for conversion; factors that led to conversion; stages in the conversion processes; problems encountered during the conversion processes; and results of the conversion. These parameters are compared with existing data from six studies of Muslims in other geographical areas who also converted to the Christian faith. / Christian Spirituality Church History and Missiology / M.Th. (Missiology)

Educators strive to improve student learning outcomes and there are numerous theories suggesting how this is best achieved. However, application of these theories to the coal face of a classroom is often fraught with obstacles resulting in poor outcomes. Constraints imposed by educational policy, school systems, structures and the individual students themselves, realistically require adaptation of theoretical techniques if genuine learning is to be imparted to students. This paper discusses some of the issues surrounding the practical implementation of new methodologies into the classroom and identifies important factors that affect teenagers in their learning of mathematics. Working within the constraints, constantly confronted with obstacles, can be frustrating and demoralising. This paper reflects on twenty years of classroom teaching of mathematics to students with relatively poor socio-economic backgrounds and the lessons learnt from them that may assist teachers to remain enthusiastic and creative with the energy to truly improve mathematics education. Key issues explored in the paper include: ‘Realities of a teacher’s working day’, ‘The learning of mathematics within a government secondary system’, and ‘What can be done to ensure mathematical learning takes place?’