Thesis (M.S.)--Boston University / PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis or dissertation. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / 2031-01-01

Thesis (Ed. D.)--Boston University, 1965. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 166-171).

Thesis (Ed. D.)--Boston University, 1965. / Typescript. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 166-171).

Thesis--University of California. / Photocopy (positive) made by Library Photographic Service, University of California. Printed on double leaves. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.S.)--Boston University

Thesis (PhD--History)--University of Auckland, 2007.

HIV/AIDS continues to be a major global priority given the increasing number of infected people. Driven by their needs, clinical services for People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) are rapidly changing. Hence, the global shortage of nurses happens to be one of the greatest obstacles of dealing with the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Nurses lack the necessary information needed to adequately care for PLWHA. Some nurses are expected to continually adapt and keep 'up with new programmes, information and practices. The purpose of this study is to investigate knowledge and psychosocial wellbeing of nurses caring for PLWHA in order to develop guidelines to support these nurses at a regional hospital in Vhembe district. A descriptive, cross-sectional study design was used. A cohort of 233 nurses (professional, enrolled and enrolled nursing auxiliaries) involved in the caring for PLWHA participated in the study. A structured questionnaire was used as an instrument for data collection. The instrument consisted of participants' demographic and professional characteristics, HIV I AIDS knowledge questions, the AIDS Impact Scale (AIS), Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), and the Beck Depression inventory (BDI) . The study participants were conveniently selected from the regional hospital and stratified into three categories. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS statistics 18) computer software was used for data analysis. Knowledge levels were cross-tabulated against qualification to detect possible patterns and variations. Correlation was done to assess possible relationships between knowledge and measures of MBI and AIS as well as BDl. Regression analysis was done to establish the predictors of measures of MBI using backward and enter methods. Ethical clearance was obtained from North West University ethics committee and Department of Health. The results showed that the HIV/AIDS knowledge level among nurses was below the average mean 7.90 (SD 9.04), revealing lack of knowledge among nurses caring for PLWHA. There was a significant level of burnout in about 50% of nurses caring for PLWHA. This study also revealed a significantly high level of burnout among assistant nurses as compared to enrolled and professional nurses. There was no significant relationship between HIV/AIDS knowledge, burnout (r=0.00) and depression (r=-0.09). A moderate level of reported burnout was evident among nurses. Guidelines for support in respect of nurses caring for PLWHA included structured nursing educational support, organisational support with respect to employee wellness programmes, depression and burnout interventions, as well as social support. Hence, the provision of these support mechanisms may create a positive practice environment for nurses in South Africa in general, and Vhembe district of the Limpopo Province in particular. / Thesis (M.Curation.(Nursing Science) North-West University, Mafikeng Campus, 2011

The purpose of this thesis is to explore the diagnostic potential of Hewson's ratios in evaluating the performance of selected subjects on the Wechsler scales, the Kahn Intelligence Test: Experimental Form was administered and analyzed in an attempt to develop some meaningful method of utilizing this test in diagnosis of brain disorders.

A Research Report submitted to the School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Public Health. October 2014, Johannesburg. / Background: Patient satisfaction with health services has widely been associated with increased health-seeking behaviour, improved clinical outcomes, and overall quality of health care. Research that has emerged from the developed world has steered the development of both satisfaction measures, as well as research into patient satisfaction at public health facilities. Despite the importance of patient satisfaction to positive health outcomes, few studies exist in the developing world that examine patient satisfaction levels with public health services. Even fewer exist in the field of public mental health services. This study aims to determine adult patients’ satisfaction with dimensions of care at a psychiatric out-patient clinic in Maseru, Lesotho. Design: The study employs a quantitative cross–sectional study design, using interviewer administered paper-pencil questionnaires, which was adapted from the Charleston Psychiatric Out-patient Satisfaction Scale (CPOS) (Pellegrin, Stuart, Maree, Freuh, & Ballenger, 2001). The sample size for the present study was 271, with 194 females, who comprised the majority of the sample and 77 males. The adapted questionnaire elicited information on patient satisfaction within four specific dimensions of care namely, the staff-patient relationship, administrative services, responsiveness to patients’ treatment expectations and waiting times. In addition, a qualitative component including two open-ended questions gauged participants’ overall experience of satisfaction and self-reported recommendations on how to improve the clinic services. Statistical analyses: Univariate analyses were conducted on patient socio-demographic variables and patient satisfaction scale. Subscales of patient satisfaction with the quality of services at the psychiatric facility were created. Bivariate analysis was conducted on the socio-demographic variables, treatment history, referral source and subscales of the patient satisfaction scale using crosstabs and chi- square analysis. The two open-ended questions were analysed using thematic content analysis, hence identifying the themes and sub-themes. Results: Univariate analyses showed that across all the 12 items measuring patient satisfaction, patients were mostly highly satisfied with the services. Chi-square analysis showed that age was significantly associated with administrative services (p=.014) and waiting time (p=0.05) and marginally significantly associated with responsiveness to patients’ treatment expectations (p=.063). Results from the open-ended component highlighted that most participants were dissatisfied with aspects pertaining to access to service, waiting times and adequacy of services. Conclusion: Despite the seeming overall satisfaction expressed with the quality of psychiatric care on a scale of patient satisfaction, disaggregation of the results by subscales, as well as exploration of the open-ended responses from patients suggests that our understanding of patient satisfaction with the quality of mental health services may be limited by methodological issues, where patients felt more comfortable with the non-limiting nature of the open-ended section as opposed to the closed-ended nature of the quantitative section of the study tool. Furthermore, patients who are older may be more likely to show higher levels of satisfaction with care in a context where public health care is often challenging to access. This finding highlights a need for management and other stakeholders to pay more attention to the improvement of services for younger patients, who showed lower satisfaction levels with care. Future research employing mixed methods study designs is also suggested.

Thesis (M.S.)--Boston University / PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis or dissertation. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / 2031-01-01