Challenges faced by grandparents caring for AIDS orphans in Koster, North West Province of South Africa

Caring for orphans who have lost their parents due to AIDS, and some of whom are infected, is an enormous challenge. This immense responsibility often resides with the grandparents, who are in most cases sickly and not financially capable to undertake the task. The objectives of this study were to explore and describe challenges faced by such grandparents and their needs while caring for AIDS orphans in Koster, North West province, South Africa. Maslow’s theory of human needs was used as a theoretical framework to guide the study. A qualitative approach with an explorative and descriptive design was used. Grandparents who cared for AIDS orphans and were assisted by non-governmental organisations were purposively selected. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 participants and thematic analysis was done to interpret the data. The findings revealed that the grandparents faced biophysical, socio-economic and psychosocial challenges and these impacted on their emotions; however, they indicated different coping strategies which were available to them. The participants highlighted that their main priority, as a need, was assistance with food supply for themselves and the orphans. The study concluded that the focus in attempting to meet the grandparents’ needs should not only be the basic order needs in Maslow’s hierarchy but all the other orders, as they have a great impact on both the grandparent and the AIDS orphan.Department of HE and Training approved lis

Perceived Motivating Factors towards a Positive Working Environment in Rural Hospital at Vhembe District in the Limpopo Province

One of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) is to improve maternal health with the target of reducing maternal mortality by three-quarters between 1990–2015. The rendering of quality patient care requires the whole healthcare system to be functional with well-trained, motivated staff, adequate services, equipment and skilled competent leadership. However, work environment in rural hospitals is poorly resourced, thus leading to many nurses becoming de-motivated. This paper describes the factors that the nurses would like to see in their working environment which could improve quality patient care in rural hospitals. An appreciative inquiry qualitative, exploratory, descriptive research design was used. Data were collected through focus group interviews whereby thirty six participants were interviewed. The researcher used the open coding technique to analyse data. The findings revealed that nurses are motivated by both extrinsic and intrinsic factors in their working environment.Department of HE and Training approved lis

Significance of literature when constructing a theory: a selective literature review

The issues around use of literature in theory construction are often a source of confusion, especially for novice researchers. The very nature of the process of theory construction remains blurred due to lack of consensus among researchers. Novice researchers are often confronted with questions of whether or not a literature review should be conducted when constructing a theory. These questions seeking to justify what a credible methodology is when constructing a theory not only challenge novice researchers but also experienced researchers. This article explores different perspectives regarding the significance of literature review in theory construction. A selective literature review was used to access and interrogate selected arguments from published peer-reviewed work. Narrative analysis was used to analyse selected text. It is concluded that literature plays a pivotal role in theory construction, whether by active review in the case of novice researchers or being sensitised by virtue of discipline interest and prolonged exposure in experienced researchers. However, it is important not to disregard the view that it is not necessary to incorporate literature review in certain specific designs due to assumed influence on the outcome of the new theory.Department of HE and Training approved lis

Fears associated with maternal death: Selected midwives’ lived experiences in the Ashanti Region of Ghana

Like the fear associated with the demise of loved ones, maternal deaths at any health facility equally illicit fear among midwives. This jeopardises their ability to achieve the quality of work expected of them. There is a depth of literature on midwives and fear associated with maternal death. Therefore, this paper seeks to explore the lived experiences of midwives who, in the discharge of their professional duties, have come face-to-face with maternal death in selected hospitals of Ashanti region in Ghana. The study applies a qualitative research paradigm and exploratory descriptive design in the overall collection and analysis of data. Purposive sampling was used to select 57 participants (18 supervisors and 39 ward midwives). The data was collected through semistructured interviews and focus group discussions, and managed by computer data analysis package (Atlas ti version 7.1.7). Content analysis was employed to analyse the data. Six themes emerged from the analysed data, namely fear of death, recurrence of death, fear of the Maternal Death Review (MDR) Process, fear of deceased family members’ reactions, fear of stigma from community members and fear of lawsuit/withdrawal of license. The study established that fear experienced by midwives as a result of maternal death may affect their quality of work life and the quality of services provided to patients under their care. It is therefore recommended that, all health facilities in the Ashanti Region should institute support programmes to assist midwives cope with challenges associated with death of patients.DHE

Perceptions of nurses on TB with HIV adherence counselling skills in a health sub-district, Cape Town: A qualitative study

People living with HIV (PLHIV) co-infected with Tuberculosis (TB) account for one in three HIV-related deaths. Retention in care and adherence to medication remain key behaviours that PLHIV co-infected with TB must adopt to achieve better health outcomes. Nevertheless, TB with HIV adherence-counselling services provided by nurses designed to enhance these behaviours remain inadequate. Additionally, limited information is found in the literature on the perceptions of nurses regarding their TB with HIV adherence counselling skills pertaining to PLHIV co-infected with TB

Women and Continuous Labour Support in Public Health Facilities in Nigeria

Childbirth is a multifaceted process that is influenced by several factors resulting in an unsatisfactory or satisfactory childbirth experience. Continuous labour support (CLS) has been identified as a positive contributor to a satisfactory birthing experience, and consequently positive maternal health outcomes. The World Health Organization recommended the right of a pregnant woman to have a companion of her choice during labour, but CLS practice remains a mirage in Nigerian hospitals. This descriptive cross-sectional study explores the perceptions, attitudes and preferences of 368 randomly selected women regarding CLS in public hospitals in South West Nigeria. Data were collected using a pretested questionnaire developed from the literature review and analysed with descriptive and inferential statistics using SPSS Version 20. The findings revealed that the participants perceived support from midwives during labour as inadequate but that they were satisfied with professional care at birth. The participants perceived the inclusion of a familiar person for support as beneficial and expressed positive disposition to the introduction of persons from their social network for labour support in public health facilities. The preference for husbands and mothers as labour support persons was higher among the study participants