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An evaluation of neonatal nursing care in selected hospitals in the Western Cape

Thesis (MCUR)--University of Stellenbosch, 2003. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: South Africa has a proud history of a high standard of health care delivery in State funded
hospitals. This implies that high standards of education and care in both medical and
nursing training have been achieved. The care of sick and premature newborn infants by
nurses is a speciality that has evolved worldwide over the last forty years as a result of
various technological developments.
In order to ensure the standard of care delivered, protocols of care should be available for
nurses to refer to and to measure their work against. There were no protocols of care
available in the two Neonatal Units (NICUs) used in this study.
Using a non-experimental, exploratory descriptive design, the researcher set about
measuring the quality of nursing care in the NICUs. Standards (structure, process and
outcome) were written by the researcher, and validated.
The results showed that the standards were not met at an acceptable level in various
areas. One of the areas of great concern was the lack of effective hand washing.
Outcome standards which reflect the consequences of care indicated serious shortages of
staff in some cases and insufficient staff training.
Recommendations are that a Quality Assurance Program should be introduced with
training and education of the nurses working in the NICUs and the introduction of evidencebased
practice. Future research should aim at showing the way to improve the service
delivered. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Suid-Afrika het ‘n trotse geskiedenis van ‘n hoë standard van gesondheidsorgdienslewering
in Staatsbefondsde hospitale. Dit impliseer dat hoë standaarde in mediese en
verpleegopleiding bereik is. Die versorging van siek en premature pasgebore babas deur
verpleegkundiges is ‘n spesialiteit wat oor die afgelope veertig jaar wêreldwyd ontwikkel het
as gevolg van verskeie tegnologiese ontwikkelings.
Ten einde te verseker dat ‘n hoë standard van sorg gelewer word, moet protokolle
beskikbaar wees vir verpleegkundiges om te gebruik en hulle werkverrigting teen te meet.
Daar was geen protokolle beskikbaar in die twee neonatale eenhede wat in hierdie studie
gebruik is nie.
‘n Nie-eksperimentele, verkennende, beskrywende ontwerp is deur die navorser gebruik
om die gehalte van verpleegsorg in die neonatale eenhede te evalueer. Standaarde
(struktuur, proses en uitkoms) is deur die navorser opgestel en gevalideer.
Die resultate toon aan dat die standaarde in verskeie areas nie aanvaarbaar nagekom
word nie. ‘n Kommerwekkende bevinding was die afwesigheid van effektiewe was van
hande. Uitkomsstandaarde wat die resultaat van sorg weerspieël, het aangedui dat daar
ernstige tekorte aan personeel in sommige gevalle bestaan het asook onvoldoende
opleiding van personeel.
Aanbevelings is dat ‘n Gehalteversekeringsprogram ingestel behoort te word en met die
opleiding van verpleegkundiges werksaam in die neonatale eenhede en evidence-based
practice aangespreek moet word. Toekomstige navorsing behoort aan te dui hoe om die
diens wat gelewer word, te verbeter.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/16253
Date12 1900
CreatorsBarlow, Hilary Joan
ContributorsBester, M.E., University of Stellenbosch. Faculty of Health. Dept. of Interdisciplinary Health Sciences. Nursing Science.
PublisherStellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch
Source SetsSouth African National ETD Portal
Languageen_ZA
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeThesis
Formatxi, 117 leaves : ill.
RightsUniversity of Stellenbosch

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