Assessment of knowledge, attitudes and utilisation of HIV post-exposure prophylaxis among adults, Roma, Lesotho

As the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) prevalence rises, uninfected Basotho face an increased risk of exposure. This necessitates strengthening of strategies that prevent exposure, and where exposure has occurred, measures that prevent infection. One such measure is Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP). Awareness and knowledge of HIV PEP is therefore of paramount importance. The purpose of this study was to assess knowledge, attitudes and utilisation of HIV PEP among adults in Roma, Lesotho. A quantitative cross-sectional study was conducted among 96 adult outpatients at St Joseph’s Hospital. Data were collected by means of structured questionnaire and analysed using SPSS version 23.0. Results were presented using charts and tables. Awareness of HIV PEP among the respondents was found to be very low and for most respondents’ knowledge of HIV PEP was either non-existent or very poor. Utilisation was also found to be very low. Attitudes towards HIV PEP were, however, found to be favourable. More studies should be conducted throughout the country to further explore Basotho’s knowledge, attitude and use of HIV PEP.Health StudiesM.A. (Nursing Science

Experiences of healthcare workers working in COVID-19 isolation wards in Lesotho: a qualitative study

© 2023 The Authors. Published by Science Publishing Group. This is an open access article available under a Creative Commons licence. The published version can be accessed at the following link on the publisher’s website: https://www.sciencepublishinggroup.com/article/10.11648/j.ajns.20231201.14Background: Health and wellbeing of Healthcare workers impacts the health of the nation. COVID-19 pandemic has brought to light a number of challenges faced by Healthcare workers all over the world, affecting their psychosocial, financial, spiritual and physical well-being. There has been an alarming number of healthcare workers being affected by COVID-19 across the globe, some even succumbed to death as a result of COVID-19. Some identified reasons for this tragedy have been lack of appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), insufficient knowledge about the disease, shortage of healthcare workers and the compromised welfare of the Healthcare workers. Few studies within Lesotho focused on the perceptions of healthcare workers on COVID-19 and there was none conducted on the experiences of healthcare workers working in the COVID-19 isolation wards therefore, the aim of this study is describe the experiences of Healthcare workers working in COVID-19 isolation wards in Lesotho. Material and Methods: A descriptive phenomenological research design was utilized and data was collected using unstructured interviews which were audio-recorded. The interviews were conducted amongst the nine Healthcare workers who were working in the COVID-19 isolation ward and they composed on one office assistant, two medical doctors and six registered nurses. Analysis: Colaizzi’s seven-step method of qualitative data analysis was followed in this study. Results: Findings revealed increased workload, significant amount of negative emotions in the early stages of the pandemic, positive emotions at the later stage as well as stigma and discrimination. Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic placed a huge burden on the health care system. Health care workers, being in the front line, were significantly affected; they had to endure continued psychological distress because of the unique type of care required.This study was funded by the National University of Lesotho.Published onlin

Caring of Covid-19 clients by nurses and midwives in Lesotho: feedback of a pre- and post-workshop questionnaire

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) emerged in 2019 and has altered, in varying ways, the practices of health care providers, hospitals, clinics, and patients. Aim: This survey aimed to evaluate the skills of nurses and midwives regarding prevention, control, care, and management of Covid-19 in the ten districts of Lesotho. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional survey of workshop pre-and post-test questionnaires that were completed by 173 nurses and midwives was conducted. The questionnaire elicited information on COVID-19 general knowledge, the nursing process during patient care, and legal and ethical aspects of patient care. Results: The response rate for the pre-and post-test was 100% and 98%, respectively. All the nurses and midwives who returned the post-test questionnaire had good knowledge of COVID-19, infection prevention practice, application of the nursing process, and the ethical principles that apply in the care of COVID-19 patients. Conclusion: We conclude that workshop training provided to nurses assist in improving their knowledge for the management of patients, especially during crisis management such as the COVID-19 pandemic