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
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:nwu/oai:dspace.nwu.ac.za:10394/15771 |
| Date | January 2011 |
| Creators | Makhado, Lufuno |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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