Promoting the well-being of higher education: Re-engineering of transnational nursing education

Internationalization of nursing education has become a priority of academic institutions’ strategic plans and visions allowing for greater autonomy and inter-connectedness of the nursing profession.  South African universities have, in recent years, engaged in international partnerships, influencing the delivery and facilitation of transnational nursing education (TNE) or cross-border nursing education, involving the steady increase of international student enrolment, particularly from other African nations. Whilst, much has been written about international partnerships relevant to other forms of higher education, minimal research has been done and reported on for cross-border nursing education and partnerships. This provided the rationale for this study to examine and explore TNE challenges by using actual participant examples and experiences. Using a qualitative, multiple case-study approach to sample local, national and international nursing education institutions, academic leaders and nurse graduates, the study attempted to identify challenges and best operating practices in TNE implementation and facilitation. The study aimed to highlight regulatory, administrative and quality assurance factors that challenged TNE’s successful delivery and findings revealed that these programmes are still challenged alluding to it being a ‘for profit’ arrangement. The study, further concluded that, for international students to adapt academically and socially and be in a position to fulfil the requirements of their respective academic programmes, a culturally and socially inclusive teaching and learning environment needed to be provided. This will ensure that the standard of the programme remained consistently high and globally competitive increasing the credibility of the educational institution and the country’s higher education system

Modelling MgCO3 buffered succinic acid production by Actinobacillus succinogenes

Thie current study focused on using a previously published model known to accurately predict the cultivation of Actinobacillus succionogenes on glucose in a NaOH neutralised system, for the prediction of batch system behaviour when MgCO3 is used as a pH buffer in a batch reactor system. The use of MgCO3 as a neutralising agent resulted in a biomass growth lag of about 8 h, followed by a sharp increase untill 15 h at which point the biomass concentration remained constant throughout the fermentation run. The maximum biomass concentration was 3.62 g/L. The fermentation ceased at a final SA concentration of 38.12 g/L and the SA yield on glucose was 0.81 g/g from an initial glucose concentration of 60 g/L. At the end of the fermentation, 79 % of the glucose as consumed. A residual glucose concentration of 12.84 g/L at the maximum SA concentration indicated product-related inhibition. The biomass, acetic acid (AA), and formic acid (FA) concentrations were incorrectly predicted by the model which implies that the use of MgCO3 as a buffer agent changed the metabolic fluxes of the organism.http://www.aidic.it/cetam2023Chemical Engineerin

An assessment of the implementation of the provincial cervical screening programme in selected Primary Health Care Clinics in the Ilembe region, KwaZulu-Natal

Cervical cancer is almost completely preventable, yet it is the second most prevalent cancer amongst women in South Africa. KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) in particular has a high mortality rate of cervical cancer and 1:40 women die from cancer of the cervix. Therefore, in 1997 a cervical screening policy and programme was implemented in the province. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the implementation of selected aspects of the Provincial cervical screening programme in selected Primary Health Care (PHC) clinics in Ilembe Region, KZN

Experiences of undergraduate nursing students in an extended curriculum programme at a South African University of Technology

Extended Curriculum Programmes (ECP) were introduced by the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) to increase access and throughput of students entering universities. ECP allows a student to complete a tertiary qualification at least a year after the prescribed period. The Nursing Department at Durban University of Technology commenced the ECP in 2013. This study explored the experiences of students enrolled in the ECP since its inception. Audio-recorded indepth interviews were conducted with thirty-three purposively selected ECP students. The interview data were transcribed and analysed thematically. Findings indicated that the majority of the students felt unhappy with the prolonged period of training and the discrimination that they experienced from mainstream students and some lecturers. However, the majority of students agreed that the academic literacy modules addressed many challenges that they faced with their studies, which included computer and information literacy, English language communication, and critical thinking skills. The students enrolled in the ECP require support to mitigate the problems affecting their throughput rate. The ECP proves to be a successful programme in providing a smooth transition from high school to university and empowers students with the necessary academic literacy skills.Keywords: Academic success, extended curriculum programme, higher education institution, nursing, under-preparednes

An analysis of the meaning of integrated Primary Health Care from the KwaZulu- Natal Primary Health Care context

In South Africa, integration o f services policy was enacted in 1996 with the aim of increasing health service utilization by increasing accessibility and availability of all health care services at Primary Health Care (PHC) level. Integration of PHC services continues to be seen as a pivotal strategy towards the achievement of the national goals of transformation of health services, and the attainment of a comprehensive and seamless public health system. Although the drive behind the integration of PHC services was to improve accessibility of services to the community, the problem however, arises in the implementation of integrated PHC (IPHC) as there is no agreed upon understanding of what this phenomenon means in the South African context. To date no research studies have been reported on the meaning of the integration of PHC services. Hence, there is a need for shared views on this phenomenon in order to facilitate an effective implementation of this approach. A cross-sectional study, using a qualitative approach was employed in this study in order to analyze the phenomenon, IPHC in KwaZulu-Natal and the meaning attached to it in different levels of the health system. A grounded theory was selected as it is a method known for its ability to make greatest contribution in areas where little research has been done and when new viewpoints are needed to describe the familiar phenomenon that is not clearly understood. Policy makers and co-ordinators of PHC at national, provincial and district levels as well as PHC nurses at functional level participated in the study. The data was collected by means of observations, interviews and document analysis. The sample size for interviews was comprised of 38 participants. Strauss and Corbin’s process of data analysis was used. It emerged that there were three core categories that were used by the participants as discriminatory dimensions of IPHC in South Africa. These core categories were (a) comprehensive health care, (b) supermarket approach and (c) one stop shop

Preparation of Nurse Managers for financial management role: An exploration of the South African nursing education programme

The aim of the study was to explore the preparation of Nurse Managers (NMs) for financial management roles. The South African Nursing Council (SANC) approved nursing management programmes which include the Diploma in Nursing Administration and the Diploma in Unit Management for registered nurses. A qualitative, exploratory design was used to explore the preparation of NMs for financial management roles in KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa. The sample size for the semi-structured interviews conducted was guided by data saturation and comprised thirteen participants. Tesch’s open coding method was used to analyse the data. The results revealed that NMs are involved in financial management activities within the hospitals. However, they do not necessarily have the requisite management skills and competencies to function effectively in their financial management roles. It was concluded that NMs do indeed practice financial management, and therefore require the relevant knowledge, skills and competencies.Keywords: Competency, financial management, challenges, Nurse Manager

Timing of first antenatal care attendance and associated factors among pregnant women in an obstetric health facility in eThekwini district, KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa

The purpose of the study was to determine timing of first antenatal care attendance and associated factors among pregnant women in an obstetric health facility in eThekwini district, KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa. A Midwives’ Obstetric Unit forms a section of the Cato Manor Primary Health Care clinic that is responsible for providing maternal and childcare services, which include antenatal, intrapartum and postnatal care to women from socioeconomically disadvantaged community living in informal settlements. In South Africa, despite the widespread availability of free antenatal care (ANC) services, most women in underprivilleged settings present late for their first antenatal care and fail to return for ANC follow-up, potentially leading to perinatal and maternal complications. Using a crosssectional survey design, data was collected from 329 pregnant women attending ANC in a Midwives’ obstetric unit at Cato Manor Primary Health Care Clinic in eThekwini District, KwaZulu-Natal. Late booking was a challenge in the primary health care clinic. There was no evidence of association between late ANC booking and most demographic variables except one (planning of pregnancy). This highlights the importance of assisting all women to have their pregnancies planned. The number of pregnant women that initiate ANC before 12 weeks (40-50%) and the few women that still initiate ANC after 24 weeks (less than 10%) suggest an improvement in the trends of timing of ANC bookings for the rural women. There is a need to intensify community awareness programmes and social mobilisation in order to educate pregnant women about the importance of early booking at the ANC (10-12 visits) as stipulated in the guidelines of the Basic Antenatal Care approach (BANC).Keywords: Antenatal care, timing of first attendence, accessibility, primary health car