Spiritual leaders’ experiences of a comprehensive HIV stigma reduction intervention

HIV is a deadly reality in South African communities, where people living with HIV (PLWH) do not only face physical sickness but also severe stigmatisation. Literature shows that spiritual leaders (religious leaders/traditional healers) can have a very meaningful role in the reduction of HIV stigma. This article reports on part of a comprehensive community-based HIV stigma reduction intervention with PLWH and people living close to them, which included partners, children, family members, friends, community members and spiritual leaders. The focus of this article is on the experiences of spiritual leaders during and after the HIV stigma reduction intervention. The research took place in both an urban and rural setting in the North-West Province of South Africa and data collection was done by means of in-depth interviews with the spiritual leaders. The interaction with PLWH during the intervention activated new experiences for spiritual leaders: acceptance and empathy for PLWH, an awareness of their own ignorance, a stronger realisation of God’s presence and a realisation that they could inspire hope in PLWH. A greater awareness was created of HIV and of the associated realities regarding disclosure and stigma. The inclusion of spiritual leaders as well as PLWH brought about a positive shift in the attitudes of communities through the increase of knowledge and understanding of HIV stigma. They saw themselves playing a much greater part in facilitating such a shift and in reducing HIV stigma in their own congregations and their communities at large

EXPERIENCES OF STUDENTS, SERVICE DELIVERY ORGANISATIONS AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS OF SERVICE DELIVERY TO A DISADVANTAGED COMMUNITY BY SOCIAL WORK STUDENTS

This research is part of a more extensive research project in which the Departments of SocialWork, Nursing and Communication collaborated to investigate the experiences of seniorstudents’ health care service delivery to a disadvantaged community, and to makerecommendations to enhance quality multi-disciplinary health care service delivery to adisadvantaged community by the students of the University as part of their experientiallearning

Community Care Workers, Poor Referral Networks and Consumption of Personal Resources in Rural South Africa

Although home-based care (HBC) programs are widely implemented throughout Africa, their success depends on the existence of an enabling environment, including a referral system and supply of essential commodities. The objective of this study was to explore the current state of client referral patterns and practices by community care workers (CCWs), in an evolving environment of one rural South African sub-district. Using a participant triangulation approach, in-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with 17 CCWs, 32 HBC clients and 32 primary caregivers (PCGs). An open-ended interview guide was used for data collection. Participants were selected from comprehensive lists of CCWs and their clients, using a diversified criterion-based sampling method. Three independent researchers coded three sets of data – CCWs, Clients and PCGs, for referral patterns and practices of CCWs. Referrals from clinics and hospitals to HBC occurred infrequently, as only eight (25%) of the 32 clients interviewed were formally referred. Community care workers showed high levels of commitment and personal investment in supporting their clients to use the formal health care system. They went to the extent of using their own personal resources. Seven CCWs used their own money to ensure client access to clinics, and eight gave their own food to ensure treatment adherence. Community care workers are essential in linking clients to clinics and hospitals and to promote the appropriate use of medical services, although this effort frequently necessitated consumption of their own personal resources. Therefore, risk protection strategies are urgently needed so as to ensure sustainability of the current work performed by HBC organizations and the CCW volunteers

Community care workers, poor referral networks and consumption of personal resources in rural South Africa

Although home-based care (HBC) programs are widely implemented throughout Africa, their success depends on the existence of an enabling environment, including a referral system and supply of essential commodities. The objective of this study was to explore the current state of client referral patterns and practices by community care workers (CCWs), in an evolving environment of one rural South African sub-district. Using a participant triangulation approach, in-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with 17 CCWs, 32 HBC clients and 32 primary caregivers (PCGs). An open-ended interview guide was used for data collection. Participants were selected from comprehensive lists of CCWs and their clients, using a diversified criterion-based sampling method. Three independent researchers coded three sets of data – CCWs, Clients and PCGs, for referral patterns and practices of CCWs. Referrals from clinics and hospitals to HBC occurred infrequently, as only eight (25%) of the 32 clients interviewed were formally referred. Community care workers showed high levels of commitment and personal investment in supporting their clients to use the formal health care system. They went to the extent of using their own personal resources. Seven CCWs used their own money to ensure client access to clinics, and eight gave their own food to ensure treatment adherence. Community care workers are essential in linking clients to clinics and hospitals and to promote the appropriate use of medical services, although this effort frequently necessitated consumption of their own personal resources. Therefore, risk protection strategies are urgently needed so as to ensure sustainability of the current work performed by HBC organizations and the CCW volunteers.The South Africa Netherlands research Programme on Alternatives in Development (SANPAD) and AVERT, Averting HIV and AIDS (http://www.avert.org/).http://www.plosone.orgam201

'n Model vir psigiatriese verpleegkundige begeleiding van die pasient met geestesongemak

D.Cur. (Psychiatric Nursing)Please refer to full text to view abstrac

Begeleiding ter voorkoming van vermoeidheid by psigiatriese verpleegkundiges

M.Cur.Nursing is a stressful activity and therefore it is necessary for nurses to develope effective coping mechanisms, or to strengthen existing ones in a healthy manner, in order to be capable of dealing with stress, arising from their personal and professional lives. It is however, not soley stress itself which predisposes nurses to fatigue (physical, psychological and emotional exhaustion) but rather the chronic nature and excessive amount of stressors which place excessive demands on the energy resources and coping mechanisms of nurses resulting in the ineffective handling of stress which in turn leads to the eventual development of fatigue. The detrimental results of this experience are however not confined to the nurse herself, but extends further to the patient and the organization. Thus, if fatigue is not controlled or dealt with, all parties and organizations concerned could suffer. This research covers the accompaniment function of the psychiatric nurse specialist in the prevention of fatigue in psychiatric nurses by strengthening their mental preparedness. As a possible solution to the experience of fatigue, a structured, accompanied program of three days duration was offered to a group of psychiatric nurses. This group was identified as the experimental group. The control group was only provided with literature giving essential data concerning fatigue. This was done in order to limit the Hawthorne effect of this research. The Solomon four group design was followed in order to eliminate influences on the subjects resulting from the completion of the self-evaluation scale as pre-test. In order to determine the level of fatigue experienced by psychiatric nurses, half/Of / the experimental group were tested before and after the three day structured accompanied program was presented, by means of the self-evaluation scale. The second half of the group were tested once only after the structured accompanied program was held by means of the same scale. The control group was divided and dealt with in the same way except that no structured accompanied program was presented to this group..

Riglyne vir die kliniese begeleiding van studentverpleegkundiges deur die kliniese begeleidspan

In a previous article titled: “Die belewenis van die kliniese begeleidingspan van hul betrokkenheid by die kliniese begeleiding van studentverpleegkundiges” an overview was given of the problem statement, objectives, research design, research methodology, results and recommendations of this research. It was found that the involvement of the members of the clinical accompaniment team varied, with a disturbance in the partnership relationship, so that clinical accompaniment did not come fully into its own. *Please note: This is a reduced version of the abstract. Please refer to PDF for full text