Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of North Texas, Dec., 2008. / Title from title page display. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 90-93). Also available in print.

Thesis (M.Med.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2008. / Full text also available online. Scroll down for electronic link.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Michigan, 1983.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Michigan, 1993.

Patients diagnosed with Multidrug-resistant(MDR) and Extreme drug-resistant (XDR) tuberculosis (TB) have to be hospitalised for a period of six to twelve months, according to the MDR/XDR Policy Guidelines on the treatment of drug-resistant TB – until the patient recovers, and is no longer infectious. There are factors associated with both the patients’ and their partners’ (spouses) resistance to long-term hospitalisation. This has resulted in several acts of violence against the hospital property and members of the health-care team. However, there are a small number of partners who assist the health-care team – by ensuring compliance from the patients and providing their continued support to the patient – despite their own risk of being infected with MDR and XDR TB. This qualitative study was aimed at exploring and describing the resilience factors that have been observed amongst a small number of partners of patients with MDR and XDR TB at an in-patient treatment centre in Port Elizabeth. The research design was exploratory, descriptive and contextual in nature; and the researcher interviewed eight spouses or live-in partners of patientsfor this study, until data saturation was achieved. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews; and the data analysis was conducted, according to the eight steps proposed by Tesch model of data analysis (in Creswell, 1998).Guba’smodel of trustworthiness was used to assess the data collected during the interviews. The findings from this study will inform the health-care team on methods of how the support of the patients’ partners could be mobilised in the holistic treatment plan of MDR and XDR TB patients in an in-patient treatment centre.

An exploratory study was conducted on 25 male and female patients who were admitted to a 29-bed surgical unit of a 450-bed general hospital, for diagnostic testing. The purpose of the study was to answer the following questions: (1) What situations does the patient perceive as helping him feel comfortable while he is experiencing the diagnostic regime? (2) What situations does the patient perceive as making him feel uncomfortable while he is experiencing the diagnostic regime? (3) What coping responses does the patient utilize in adapting to discomfort promoting situations during the diagnostic regime? The data for the study were collected through the utilization of a structured questionnaire for the initial visit and taped interviews with the selected patients. During the interviews, particular emphasis was placed upon exploring the patients' concerns by the use of Orlando's Open-Ended Interview Technique and a modified version of the Critical Incident Technique. The results were then categorized into themes of patient responses, tabulated, and analyzed. The results of the study revealed that the situations the patient perceived as promoting comfort or discomfort were dependent upon two significant variables: (1) The degree to which the patient's personal value system needs were met during the diagnostic regime; (2) The patient's ability to mobilize adaptive coping responses to deal with the stresses created by the diagnostic regime. The coping responses utilized by the patients in adapting to discomfort promoting experiences in hospital were numerous and highly diversified. It was noted that the patients' ability to cope adaptively was primarily influenced by their evaluation of what was happening to them. In turn, this evaluation was affected by their past experience, their present biopsychosocial state, and the duration of the uncomfortable experience. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Nursing, School of / Graduate

This experimental study was designed to determine the effectiveness of a structured preoperative teaching programme for the adult surgical patient as measured by several indicators. The major questions asked in this study were: What are the effects of a structured preoperative teaching programme upon the adult surgical patient's length of hospital stay, postoperative complications, number of analgesics administered postoperatively, recall of knowledge explained preoperatively, and satisfaction with his preoperative teaching. This study was conducted over a four month period, on one surgical ward of a large general hospital. A total of forty subjects met the criteria of the study, and their informed consent was obtained. The first twenty subjects were assigned to the control group, and received the unstructured, pre-existing preoperative instruction from the staff nurses. The second twenty subjects made up the experimental group and received structured preoperative teaching in small groups conducted by the investigator, with the aid of a slide-taped programme developed specifically for the study. Prior to discharge, each subject was given two questionnaires to complete, and data were collected by means of a patient profile sheet. The two groups of subjects were found to be similar when compared on selected characteristics. The alternative hypotheses of the study were analyzed by means of a t-test, and chi square test at the .05 level of significance. The results revealed no significant effect of the structured preoperative teaching programme upon the adult surgical patient's length of hospital stay, postoperative complications, number of analgesics administered postoperatively, or the degree of satisfaction attained from the preoperative teaching he received. However, statistical significance was found for the patient's ability to recall knowledge explained preoperatively. Implications of this study and recommendations for future research were also suggested. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Nursing, School of / Graduate

No description available.

Thesis (M.S.)--Boston University / The chronically ill patient in a general hospital designated for the treatment of the acutely ill presents serious problems to the medical team. With the advancements made in the medical profession, together with improved hospital facilities, more people today can benefit from hospitalization. Because of this fact, more people utilize hospital facilities today than in the past, with the results that hospitals are often overcrowded and cannot accommodate all who require treatment. Consequently, it is extremely important that the period of hospitalization be as short as possible, and consistent with the patient's condition, both for the chronically and the acutely ill if these services are to be available to all.