Is the Triage System Welcomed in the Tertiary Hospital of the Limpopo Province? A Qualitative Study on Patient’s Perceptions

A triage system in the emergency department is necessary to prioritize and allocate scarce health resources to the medical needs of the patients to facilitate quality health service delivery. This paper aimed to ascertain if the triage system is welcomed in the tertiary hospital of Limpopo Province by exploring patients’ perceptions in the emergency department in South Africa. A qualitative research approach was used in this study with descriptive, explorative, and contextual research design to reach the research objective. Purposive sampling was used to select the patients who participated in semi-structured one-on-one interviews, which lasted between 30 and 45 min. The sample size was determined by data saturation after 14 participants were interviewed. A narrative qualitative analysis method was used to interpret and categorize the patients’ perceptions into seven domains of Benner’s theory. The six relevant domains illustrated mixed patients‘ perceptions regarding the triage system in the emergency departments. The domain-helping role of the triage system was overweighed by the dissatisfaction of the needy patients who waited for an extended period to receive emergency services. We conclude that the triage system at the selected tertiary hospital is not welcomed due to its disorganization and patient-related factors in the emergency departments. The findings of this paper are a point of reference for reinforcing the triage practice and improved quality service delivery by the emergency department healthcare professionals and the department of health policymakers. Furthermore, the authors propose that the seven domains of Benner’s theory can serve as a foundation for research and improving triage practice within emergency departments

Strategies to Enhance Knowledge and Practical Skills of Triage amongst Nurses Working in the Emergency Departments of Rural Hospitals in South Africa

Purpose: Lack of knowledge and practical skills on triage remains a global problem, especially within rural hospitals, and very little is known about enhancing the knowledge and skills of emergency nursing staff in rural hospitals of South Africa. The objective was to describe the perceived strategies for enhancing knowledge and practices of triage among nurses working in the emergency departments (EDs) of rural hospitals in South Africa. Research methods: A descriptive qualitative research design was applied to achieve the research objective. A non-probability sampling method was applied to select 17 professional nurses from rural hospitals. An unstructured face-to-face interview method was used to collect data. Data collected were analyzed using Tesch’s method of data analysis. Results: The study findings highlighted the academic needs of nurses working in the ED of rural hospitals. Two themes emerged from this study; (1) The consistent description of the importance of triage training for emergency unit staff, and (2) The description of measures to enhance triage practices amongst emergency unit staff. Findings indicated that triage knowledge and practice remains a challenge, but with formulated strategies like continuous training by workshops, refresher courses, and offering a training module on triage, evaluation of developed guidelines and benchmarks is often enhanced. Conclusions: The study describes the strategies to enhance the conversion of knowledge and practice of triage amongst nurses working in the ED of rural hospitals. The paper argues that the knowledge and practical skills of nurses working in ED are enhanced through the provision of continuous training as workshops, triage module, evaluating the developed guidelines to implement triage, and benchmarking with other hospitals

Clinical Equipment as a Potential Impediment to Optimal Intrapartum Monitoring and Delivery for Pregnant Women in South Africa

Clinical equipment is essential in a labour unit to assess, monitor, diagnose, and prevent complications during labour. The availability of good working equipment in the labour unit is needed to enhance optimal intrapartum monitoring and delivery for pregnant women. Thus, this paper employed a cross-sectional descriptive design using a quantitative research approach to ascertain how equipment impedes optimal intrapartum monitoring and delivery for pregnant women. A total of 59 midwives were recruited to participate in the study. Data collected using an electronic structured questionnaire were analysed with descriptive statistics using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25.0. The study reported that most midwives (68%) in labour units experienced barriers to using equipment when administering care to pregnant women. The barriers were perpetuated by various factors, such as bed capacity, in meeting patient demands, including examination lights, overhead radiant warmers, and examination weighing scales for newborns. Incorporating mandatory computerized maintenance management software is recommended to improve the quality of maternity equipment. In addition, there is a need for regular equipment inspections and maintenance by skilled technicians in selected hospitals of Limpopo Province, South Africa

A Qualitative Study on Voices of South African Learner Nurses on Occupational Health and Safety during Clinical Learning: Pre-COVID-19 Pandemic

The demanding and complex training of learner nurses in clinical practices requires various occupational health and safety measures to curb occupational health hazards among learner nurses. This paper aimed to explore learner nurses’ experiences concerning occupational health and safety during clinical learning. A qualitative descriptive, contextual and exploratory design study was conducted. A total of 31 learner nurses were selected using purposive sampling. Data were collected by semi-structured interviews and analysed using Tesch’s open coding method. Two themes emerged from this study: “The experiences of learner nurses concerning their health and safety during clinical learning” and “The measures to be taken to promote occupational health and safety during clinical learning.” Highlighting challenges and measures to mitigate occupational health hazards among learner nurses in the South African context, Limpopo province, would be beneficial. The findings can assist stakeholders in developing specific precautionary guidelines for learner nurses. Effective and innovative occupational health and safety training programmes for learner nurses can be developed despite constrained environmental resources