Post-basic nursing students' perceptions of the emigration of nurses from the Republic of South Africa: research

The emigration of nurses from South Africa to work in overseas countries continues to increase despite efforts to curb this phenomenon. This exploratory descriptive survey attempted to identify nurses' perceptions of their colleagues who have emigrated as well as their own intentions to emigrate should the opportunity arise. Selfcompletion questionnaires were posted to all students registered for under- and postgraduate studies at a distance education institution. The analysis of the data obtained from 453 completed questionnaires indicated that almost all respondents knew nurses who had emigrated, and that approximately 60% of the respondents would emigrate if the opportunity should arise. The major deterrent to their emigration was family ties which kept them in South Africa. The major reasons why they would emigrate related to better remuneration and to the ability to save money quickly for specific reasons. Besides improved remuneration and fringe benefits, employers could help nurses to remain in the Republic of South Africa (RSA) by showing appreciation for their work, by improving facilities and resources and by appointing competent health managers. The South African government could help nurses to remain within the RSA by appointing people in the frozen posts, eliminating corruption within the government and by improving safety and security in the country. Almost all respondents indicated that the government had no right to prevent South African nurses from emigrating to other countries. Die emigrasie van Suid-Afrikaanse verpleegkundiges om in oorsese lande te werk neem toe ten spyte van pogings om die verskynsel te bekamp. 'n Verkennende, beskrywende opname is gedoen ten einde verpleegkundiges se persepsies te verken oor kollegas wat ge?migreer het asook hulle eie voornemens om te emigreer indien die geleentheid sou voorkom. Vraelyste wat die studente self moes voltooi is aan alle studente gepos wat vir voor- of nagraadse studies by 'n afstandsonderriginstelling geregistreer was. Die ontleding van die data wat verkry is vanaf die 453 voltooide vraelyste het aangedui dat bykans alle respondente verpleegkundiges geken het wat reeds ge?migreer het, en dat ongeveer 60% van die respondente sou emigreer indien hulle so 'n geleentheid sou kry. Die belangrikste faktor wat hulle emigrasie teengewerk het was familiebande wat hulle in Suid-Afrika gehou het. Die hoofredes waarom hulle sou emigreer het verband gehou met beter besoldiging en met die vermo? om vinnig geld te spaar vir spesifieke doeleindes. Benewens verbeterde besoldiging en byvoordele kan werkgewers verpleegkundiges help om in RSA te bly deur waardering te toon vir hul werk, deur fasiliteite en bronne te verbeter en deur bevoegde gesondheidsorgbestuurders aan te stel. Die Suid-Afrikaanse regering kan verpleegkundiges help om in die RSA aan te bly deur mense in bevrore poste aan te stel, korrupsie binne die regering uit te roei en die veiligheid en sekuriteit in die land te verbeter. Bykans alle respondente het aangetoon dat die regering nie oor die reg beskik om Suid-Afrikaanse verpleegkundiges te verbied om na ander lande te emigreer nie. Keywords: Emigration of South African nurses, Migration of nurses, Nursing shortage in the RSA (Health SA Gesondheid: interdisciplinary research journal: 2003 8(4): 38-55

The MPIfR-MeerKAT Galactic Plane Survey - I. System set-up and early results

Galactic plane radio surveys play a key role in improving our understanding of a wide range of astrophysical phenomena. Performing such a survey using the latest interferometric telescopes produces large data rates necessitating a shift towards fully or quasi-real-time data analysis with data being stored for only the time required to process them. We present here the overview and set-up for the 3000-h Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie (MPIfR)-MeerKAT Galactic Plane Survey (MMGPS). The survey is unique by operating in a commensal mode, addressing key science objectives of the survey including the discovery of new pulsars and transients and studies of Galactic magnetism, the interstellar medium and star formation rates. We explain the strategy coupled with the necessary hardware and software infrastructure needed for data reduction in the imaging, spectral, and time domains. We have so far discovered 78 new pulsars including 17 confirmed binary systems of which two are potential double neutron star systems. We have also developed an imaging pipeline sensitive to the order of a few tens of micro-Jansky () with a spatial resolution of a few arcseconds. Further science operations with an in-house built S-band receiver operating between 1.7 and 3.5 GHz are about to commence. Early spectral line commissioning observations conducted at S-band, targeting transitions of the key molecular gas tracer CH at 3.3 GHz already illustrate the spectroscopic capabilities of this instrument. These results lay a strong foundation for future surveys with telescopes like the Square Kilometre Array (SKA)

Die opleidingsfunksie van die geregistreerde verpleegkundige - Deel 1

A descriptive exploratory survey was undertaken by means of a questionnaire submitted to student nurses and registered nurses of hospitals affiliated with a nursing college in the Transvaal. The aim of the study was to establish whether, and to what extent, the training function of the ward sister is realised in practice. Analysis of the data showed the ward sister to be aware of her training function and her responsibility towards the student nurse as learner. It appears that the ward sister believes herself to be adequately involved with the basic care of patients and making a significant contribution to the training of student nurses. However, the observations and the experience of the student nurse differ from this point of view. She is of the opinion that more can be done in the ward to help her achieve her training needs. The fact that in many cases she is primarily considered as a worker, comes as a great disappointment

Factors influencing pre-eclampsia / eclampsia outcomes in high-risk patients in Zimbabwe: research

Severe pre-eclampsia / eclampsia remains one of the major causes of maternal mortality in Zimbabwe. Based on this problem, factors associated with maternal mortality due to severe pre-eclampsia / eclampsia were investigated in an effort to improve pregnancy outcomes in Zimbabwe. Cases and controls were selected from 318 obstetric records of patients with severe pre-eclampsia / eclampsia to conduct a retrospective case-control study. (Cases referred to patients who were diagnosed with severe pre-eclampsia / eclampsia and who died from these conditions while controls survived these conditions). No significant factors could be identified which influenced maternal deaths among women suffering from severe pre-eclampsia / eclampsia. Magnesium sulphate was not routinely administered, as recommended internationally. Cases apparently received better reported care than controls. Recommendations based on this research report include improved midwifery education and in-service training, regular audits of patients' records and changed policies for managing these conditions more effectively in Zimbabwe. Ernstige pre-eklampsie / eklampsie bly een van die hoofoorsake van moederlike sterftes in Zimbabwe. Gebaseer op die probleem is faktore wat verband hou met moederlike sterftes as gevolg van ernstige pre-eklampsie / eklampsie ondersoek, in 'n poging om die swangerskapsuitkomstes in Zimbabwe te verbeter. Gevalle en kontroles is geselekteer uit 318 ernstige pre-eklampsie / eklampsie obstetriese rekords ten einde 'n retrospektiewe gevallekontrolestudie uit te voer. Geen beduidende faktore was identifiseerbaar wat moederlike sterftes onder vrouens met ernstige pre-eklampsie / eklampsie beïnvloed het nie. Magnesiumsulfaat was nie as roetine, teenstrydig met internasionale aanbevelings, toegedien nie. Volgens verslae het gevalle klaarblyklik beter sorg gekry as kontroles. (Gevalle is gedefinieer as pasiënte wat met pre-eklampsie / eklampsie gediagnoseer was en daaraan beswyk het terwyl kontroles die toestande oorleef het). Aanbevelings wat op die navorsingsverslag gegrond is, sluit in dat vroedvroue se onderrig en indiensopleiding verbeter moet word, pasiënte se rekords aan gereelde ouditering onderwerp moet word, en dat beleid verander moet word om die toestande in Zimbabwe meer effektief te beheer. Key words: Case fatality rate, Maternal mortality ratio, Quality care, Risk factor, Severe pre-eclampsia eclampsia (Health SA Gesondheid : interdisciplinary research journal: 2003 8(1): 39-56

Tied-Array Beam Localisation of Radio Transients and Pulsars

International audienceMulti-element interferometers such as MeerKAT, which observe with high time resolution and have a wide field-of-view, provide an ideal opportunity to perform real-time, untargeted transient and pulsar searches. However, because of data storage limitations, it is not always feasible to store the baseband data required to image the field of a discovered transient or pulsar. This limits the ability of surveys to effectively localise their discoveries and may restrict opportunities for follow-up science, especially of one-off events like some Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs). Here we present a novel maximum-likelihood estimation approach to localising transients and pulsars detected in multiple MeerKAT tied-array beams at once, which we call Tied Array Beam Localisation (TABLo), as well as a Python implementation of the method named SeeKAT. We provide real-world examples of SeeKAT's use as well as a Monte Carlo analysis to show that it is capable of localising single pulses detected in beamformed MeerKAT data to (sub-)arcsecond precision

Discovery of an Extremely Intermittent Periodic Radio Source

International audienceWe report the serendipitous discovery of an extremely intermittent radio pulsar, PSR J1710-3452, with a relatively long spin period of 10.4 s. The object was discovered through the detection of 97 bright radio pulses in only one out of 66 epochs of observations spanning almost three years. The bright pulses have allowed the source to be localised to a precision of 0.5" through radio imaging. We observed the source location with the Swift X-ray telescope but did not detect any significant X-ray emission. We did not identify any high-energy bursts or multi-frequency counterparts for this object. The solitary epoch of detection hinders the calculation of the surface magnetic field strength, but the long period and the microstructure in the single-pulses resembles the emission of radio-loud magnetars. If this is indeed a magnetar, it is located at a relatively high Galactic latitude (2.9 degree), making it potentially one of the oldest and the most intermittent magnetars known in the Galaxy. The very short activity window of this object is unique and may point towards a yet undetected population of long period, highly transient radio emitting neutron stars