D.Cur. / Hospitalisation can be very traumatic for children – and this is especially true for the child admitted to a haematology-oncology unit. These children are subjected to an environment which they do not understand, nor have any control over, they are faced with many unfamiliar sights, sounds and smells and they have to undergo frightening and often painful procedures. In South Africa, there are no associations responsible for monitoring the environment that children are subjected to in hospital; neither does any Child Life Specialists, Hospital Play Therapists or scientifically based programs exist that can ensure that the psychosocial needs of children in hospital are met. The purpose of this study was to develop and describe a model for the facilitation of support for children through the mobilisation of resources according to their needs in a haematology-oncology unit in the private healthcare sector of South Africa. The following research questions were asked: • What are the needs of children in a haematology-oncology unit? • What are the resources that can be mobilised so that the needs of these children can be met? • How can support be facilitated for children in a haematology-oncology unit? During this study a theory generating, sequential explanatory (consisting of a quantitative field study followed by qualitative model development), explorative, descriptive as well as contextual research design was used. A model was developed according to the method of theory generation as explained by Chinn and Kramer (1995:77-102) and involved the following steps: Concept analysis (which includes concept identification as well as concept definition and –classification); description of the links and relationships between the concepts and a description and evaluation of the model. It became evident that children in a haematology-oncology unit are robbed of all feelings of control and choice in the situation, resulting in a sense of powerlessness. For this reason, the focus point of the model was changed to include the empowerment of children in a haematology-oncology unit as the main focus of the model. The final model aims at the facilitation of support in order to empower children in a haematology-oncology unit in the private healthcare sector of South Africa.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:uj/uj:7200 |
| Date | 13 September 2011 |
| Creators | Oberholzer, Annemarie Elizabeth |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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