Please read the abstract in the dissertation Copyright / Dissertation (MSW)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Social Work and Criminology / unrestricted

Although the importance of early identification and intervention of infants at risk for communication delays and disorders have been advocated and emphasized in literature, case finding and service delivery in rural areas in South Africa appears to be problematic. The implementation of early communication intervention (ECI) within public service delivery has been proposed in the past. The primary health care (PHC) package had to be considered as a possible vehicle to be utilized for the implementation of ECI functions in rural communities. Against this background the existing identification methods and referral systems, utilized in Ditsobotla sub-district, were described in the current study to determine the limitations in case finding, and the feasibility of the implementation of ECI functions in collaboration with other PHC programmes. A descriptive dominant-less-dominant model provided the design to describe the identification process and teamwork in Ditsobotla sub-district. Data triangulation was utilized to improve reliability and validity of results which entailed a rating scale, face-to-face interviews with PHC personnel (participants in Group 1) and face-to-face interviews with PHC programme managers (participants in group 2). The results indicated that the capacity of facilities and human resources to support the implementation of ECI functions vary within the sub-district. Therefore an incremental implementation of ECI functions is feasible in collaboration with the existing PHC package. The current identification methods and referral systems are limited and a great need for collaboration exists. ECI functions need to be implemented formally within the PHC package and guidelines for such an implementation are provided. Furthermore the identification process to be introduced needs to form part of the incremental implementation of ECI functions. The implications are discussed in terms of ECI service delivery in rural South Africa. The proposed process of incremental implementation of ECI functions in rural areas, i.e. Ditsobotla sub-district, within the PHC package is provided. The need to develop identification methods, referral systems and guidelines for the implementation of ECI in PHC are emphasized. Future practice-based research is recommended in order to improve ECI service delivery in rural areas in South Africa. Copyright / Dissertation (MCommunication Pathology)--University of Pretoria, 2009. / Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology / Unrestricted

Introduktion Röntgenremissen ligger till grund för röntgensjuksköterskan och radiologens planering och utförande av undersökning. Det är av stor vikt att remitterande läkare skriver en informativ och relevant remiss för att röntgensjuksköterskor ska ha möjlighet att utföra ett patient- och personalsäkert arbete som samtidigt är effektivt. Tidigare forskning visar att bristfälliga remisser förekommer runt om i världen. Syfte Att undersöka och sammanställa röntgensjuksköterskans upplevda brister i akuta konventionella röntgenremisser. Metod Kvantitativ enkätstudie med fem deltagande röntgensjuksköterskor från ett sjukhus i norra Sverige. Kartläggning av vilka brister som kan finnas i röntgenremissen utan någon djupare statistisk analys. Resultat Av de besvarade 71 remisserna, 33 från hälsocentral och 38 från annan remittent upplevdes 32 remisser tillfredsställande. Brister förekom i 39 remisser varav 17 remisser från hälsocentral och 22 remisser från annan remittent. Vissa remisser ansågs tillfredsställande trots brister. Slutsats Studien visar att allvarliga brister i remisser till akut konventionell röntgen förekommer i olika utsträckning. Brister i remisser leder till mer arbete för röntgensjuksköterskan när möjligheterna att planera och prioritera försämras. / Introduction The x-ray referral is the basis for the radiographer and radiologist’s planning and execution of a radiographic study. It is of critical importance that the referring physician writes an informative and thorough referral for the radiographer to conduct at safe and efficient study from a staff and patient perspective. The literature on the subject shows that suboptimal referrals occur throughout the world. Purpose To study and compile the radiographers experienced deficiencies of acute conventional x-ray referrals. Method A quantitative survey study with 5 participating radiographers at a hospital located in the north of Sweden. Results Among the 71 referrals included in the study, 33 from primary care and 38 from a different referring medical professional 32 were noted as satisfactory. Deficiencies occurred in 39 referrals, 17 from primary care physicians and 22 from other medical professionals. Some referrals were considered satisfactory even though they contained some deficiency. Conclusion The study shows that severe errors are occurring in a significant number of referrals to the emergency conventional x-ray unit. Deficiencies in referrals leads to more work for the radiographer when the opportunities to plan and prioritize deteriorate.

Master of Public Health - MPH / Background: According to the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) 340 000 children between 0-14years of age are living with HIV in South Africa as of 2019. Decentralization of HIV services was included in South Africa’s paediatric guidelines since 2010 in a bid to improve access to care. The current study sought to address the paucity of Eastern Cape (EC) data on the outcomes of down-referred paediatric antiretroviral therapy (ART) patients. These outcomes included retention in care (RIC) and virological suppression after 12 months Methodology: This retrospective analysis was conducted in the Buffalo City Municipality (BCM) district of the EC. The study population included HIV positive males and females, 0-14 years of age at transfer, who were initiated on ART at a tertiary or a regional hospital and subsequently down-referred, between June 2013 and June 2017. Data were collected from electronic databases at the facilities (Tier.net), patient files and patient registers. A descriptive analysis was performed using SPSS Statistics software version 26. Results: In total, 80.1% of patients successfully down-referred to a primary healthcare (PHC) facility, in a median of 42 days. Of those, 95.4% of patients were retained in care at 6 months and 93.1% at 12 months after arrival, with a median of 4 scheduled monthly visits missed. For those with results, virological suppression was maintained in 96.7% of patients at 6 months, 92.2% at 12 months and 96.2% for the entire post-transfer period of 2-14 months. In the 2-14 months post down-referral only 76.9% of patients had at least one viral load (VL) result and 50.3% had one CD4 result. For those with results, immune response (IR) to ART was maintained in 100% of patients at 6 months, 94.3% at 12 months and 97.7% in the 2-14 month period post successful down-referral. Conclusions: This study confirmed that loss to follow-up (LTFU) and treatment interruption at the point of transfer are significant risk factors for paediatric ART patients. This study also demonstrated high levels of RIC once patients had successfully down-referred. However, missed clinic visits suggest possible treatment interruptions for many patients post down-referral. While good virological and immunological responses to ART were maintained at the PHC facilities, suboptimal VL and CD4 monitoring was highlighted by the low proportion of available results. Therefore, while there are a number of issues to address, this study confirms that down-referral is a feasible option for up-scaling paediatric HIV care in the EC.

One of the biggest responsibilities of today’s marketing managers is to use their financial and labour resources in the most efficient way. However, any kind of traditional marketing method which is designed and spread by the seller is both costly and less influential on customer’s buying behaviour. Word of Mouth, which can simply be explained as any marketing action that leads to earn customer recommendation, (Word of Mouth Marketing Association) helps organizations to burst their sales revenues while decreasing their marketing budgets. WOM is considered as more transparent, more credible and more relevant by customers. Besides, it is a cheaper way of advertisement for organizations due to its organic spread characteristic. Therefore, marketers should focus on creating strategic marketing actions that will keep WOM effect at the peak level. This research attempts to disprove the common belief that, WOM cannot be controlled by the seller itself. Especially, the effort will be put on Business to Business relationships, which are usually considered more unreactive to WOM communication. In order to achieve that, author will provide a four-step WOM analysis framework to its readers. First, transactions mapping will be utilised to see possible areas of WOM development. Afterwards, WOM actors of the market will be identified and customer decision cycle elements will be disclosed in order to understand the WOM potential of a particular market. Final step of the framework will be the calculation of Customer’s Total Value which is composed of their Lifetime and Referral Values. Research also includes an online survey, whose results are converted to numerical data in order to determine Customers´ Referral Value. In the final part, Telefónica Data/Capacity Services´ customers will be ranked according to their total values and a Customer Value Matrix will be created. Customers will be segmented into four main groups named as Champions, Affluents, Advocates and Misers; all of which have different buying and WOM characteristics. Ultimately, tailored WOM strategies will be advised in order to maximize each group’s total value.

This study deals with sport's controversial dependence on the gambling market. The aim of the study is to analyse the comments of authorities, organisations and associations regarding the governmental public inquiry (SOU 2017:30) A re-regulated gambling market. The method used to collect and analyse data was a literature review in the form of a qualitative content analysis. The gambling market brings enormous amounts of money to the Swedish sports movement. The gambling policy that has been pursued in Sweden has encouraged the gambling market to return profit money to the sports movement. The problem has thus been to be able to apply national laws to foreign gambling companies. The advent of the Gambling Act (2018:1138) brought some significant changes, most notably the introduction of the licensing system and the 18 percent excise tax.  The results of the study show that the advent of the Gambling Act (2018:1138) has provided the opportunity for the state to collect taxes from foreign gambling companies and to be able to work more effectively against gambling abuse. Furthermore, it means creating a balance to meet the demand in the gambling market as well as being able to provide a high level of consumer protection.

This prospective descriptive study describes the referral patterns to the Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital. The study was conducted from 1st July to 31st December 1987 and entailed the collection of all referral letters presented (9288) to the hospital and the analysis of a sample of these letters (4702). The results indicated: * The patients are similar in terms of age and sex to those attending the Outpatients Department except that relatively fewer referred patients are Black. * The private sector, i.e. general practitioners, is the largest referral agency followed by Day Hospitals. * Most patients were ref erred to the Outpatients Department without an appointment. * Of the specialist clinics, the surgical clinics, i.e. Ophthalmology and Ear, Nose and Throat Clinics, were utilised the most. * The majority of patients (84,90%) were not admitted. * The contact made by the hospital with referral agents was poor (only in 30,30%). * The quality of information in referral letters was generally poor and did not contribute to patient care. Recommendations are made to the hospital and relevant health authorities.

The study is an exploratory investigation of Pentecostal pastors' perceptions on psychological distress, using grounded theory. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with five senior pastors, of Pentecostal churches in Soshanguve township located near Pretoria in South Africa. Data was analysed using open, axial and selective qualitative research methods. Verification of the results by the participants enhanced the validity and reliability of the research. Results indicate that there seems to be certain similarities between the established frameworks in psychology and the worldview of pastors with regard to psychological distress. It seems as if the pastors share common views about psychological distress with the medical, interpersonal and cognitive schools of thought. Therefore, psychological distress would be regarded as impairment in the social and occupational life spheres. The pastors' referral patterns and strategies to deal with religious clients' psychological distress are discussed, as well as their limitations as mental health care workers for their communities. It is suggested that, to bring psychological services to the black community, psychologists form collaborative relationships with Pentecostal pastors. / Thesis (MA(Clinical Psychology))--University of Pretoria, 2003. / Psychology / unrestricted

Research has shown that children born low birth weight (i.e., ≤2500 grams) and/or premature (i.e., birth prior to 37 weeks gestation) are at increased risk of experiencing developmental delays, as well as long-standing executive functioning and academic challenges. Despite these well-known risks, children born low birth weight are under-enrolled nationally in Part C Early Intervention (EI) services intended to support developmentally vulnerable children. Little is known regarding why EI enrollment is low in this high risk population, especially given children born LBW are readily identifiable as at increased risk of delays at birth. This study explored EI referral outcomes from a high risk infant follow up program serving children with complex early medical histories that place them at increased risk of experiencing developmental delays to determine how many children referred to EI were ultimately evaluated and enrolled in the program. This explanatory sequential mixed methods study included a quantitative phase characterizing the EI referral outcome and a qualitative phase consisting of interviews with families to explore the parent/caregiver's experience of the EI referral process. Data analysis included descriptive statistics to characterize the sample and Pearson Chi Square and independent samples t-tests to investigate child characteristics associated with successful referral. Qualitative interviews were transcribed and coded for themes in an iterative and cyclical fashion. Results indicate that only 62% of the children who were referred for EI services were evaluated by the program, with about the same percentage of those evaluated being found eligible (67%). Of those who were not found eligible, about a third of children should have qualified based on previous testing and/or medical conditions. However, these qualifying medical conditions were often not clearly documented on the referral form, and not all forms included documentation of the scores from developmental testing. There were also a significant number (71%) of Oregon children referred to EI but never evaluated who were likely to have qualified based on medical history and/or results from developmental testing. There were several key themes identified following analysis of the qualitative interviews. Most critically, the parent/caregiver's perception of the need for the EI referral was identified as an essential factor in facilitating a successful connection to EI. Other key themes included the need to honor the many different demands placed on the caregivers of these high risk children, as well as the necessity of providing clear explanation of the purpose of both the visit to the high risk infant follow up program and the EI referral. The Chronic Care Model is used as a framework for discussing implications for practice.

Title: The power of eWOM and online reviews on Generation Z - a quantitative study about to what degree do eWOM and online reviews influence Generation Z’s purchase intention regarding interior design in Sweden. Background: This thesis explains the influence of electronic word of mouth (eWOM) and online reviews on the purchasing intention of Generation Z, the world's largest consumer group, within the interior design industry in Sweden. As a result of their constant exposure to marketing through various platforms and social media, eWOM and online reviews have become increasingly influential in consumer purchasing intention. Purpose: The purpose of this research is to explain to what degree do eWOM and online reviews influence Generation Z’s (those born between 1995-2005) purchasing intention regarding interior design in Sweden. Method: The empirical findings were obtained using quantitative research with a deductive approach. Data collection was done through an online survey completed by participants born between 1995-2005 and did not exclude any other age groups. After analysing the findings through an independent sample t-test and Cronbach’s alpha test, they were compared and contrasted with the existing literature to determine their similarities and differences. Conclusion: Overall, this research contributes to our knowledge of consumer behaviour and provides guidance for companies and their marketers aiming to target Generation Z. Understanding the influence of eWOM and online reviews enables companies to adapt their marketing strategies to align with this generation's preferences and trust factors.