3 research outputs found
The role of nursing education in preventing medication errors in Botswana
Medication errors frequently feature in research world-wide. Although medication errors are also a concern in medicine and anesthesia, they have become a regular topic in nursing. In Botswana, a country challenged by shortage of both medications and professionals qualified to process and administer medications, as well as low levels of health literacy, the risk of medications errors should be even higher.
In Botswana nurses are deployed in both acute and primary care settings taking an active part in prescription, transcription, dispensing and administration of medications. Pre-service nursing education must therefore ensure that students are equipped with knowledge and skills on medication management and prevention of medication errors to prepare them for safe practice.
In this paper, the authors take stock of the extent to which nursing curricula address the prevention of medication errors, highlighting strengths and pinpointing weaknesses yet to be addressed. The exercise involved review of curricula at various levels of nursing education as well as nursing regulatory documents. Findings from the review were corroborated with published work on the subject. Recommendations for strengthening basic nursing curricula at both diploma and undergraduate levels’ coverage of medications errors are proposed. Also recommended are measures to improve the system in the practice arena as well as research to establish the magnitude of medication errors and their related risk factors in Botswana. The exercise is envisaged to improve patients’ safety and reduce the risk of litigation for nurses
Male Involvement in Child Care Activities: A Review of the Literature in Botswana
Engaging men as partners in childrearing is critical because of the
positive aspects on the child’s development and reduction of
childhood illnesses. The paper presents findings from a literature
review whose aim was to assess the extent to which males are involved
in child care activities. Findings revealed a limited number of studies
conducted in the area of male involvement. Socio-cultural factors have
a negative influence on men’s participation on child care
activities. In addition, some laws were prohibitive to male
involvement. It was difficult to assess the extent to which males were
involved due to inadequate data collection tools. Recommendations
include a study on male involvement, review of the existing Sexual and
Reproductive Health data collection tools, development of a policy on
paternity leave, strengthening training on male involvement; community
sensitization on cultural stereotypes and harmonization of customary
and common laws.L'engagement des hommes en tant que partenaires dans l'Ă©ducation
des enfants est essentiel en raison des aspects positifs sur le
développement et la réduction des maladies infantiles de
l'enfant. L’article montre les résultats d'une revue de la
documentation dont l'objectif Ă©tait d'Ă©valuer
jusqu’à quel point les hommes participent dans des
activités d’assistance à l'enfant. Les résultats
ont révélé un nombre limité d'études
menées dans le domaine de la participation des hommes. Les
facteurs socio- culturels ont une influence négative sur la
participation des hommes aux activitĂ©s d’assistance Ă
l'enfant. En outre, certaines lois avaient interdit la participation
des hommes. Il Ă©tait difficile d'Ă©valuer Ă quel point
les hommes ont été impliqués en raison de
l’insuffisance d'outils de collecte de données. Les
recommandations comprennent une Ă©tude sur la participation des
hommes, la révision des outils de collecte de données
existants sur la santé sexuelle et de reproduction, le
développement d'une politique sur le congé de paternité,
le renforcement de la formation sur la participation des hommes, la
sensibilisation de la communauté sur les stéréotypes
culturels et l'harmonisation des lois coutumières et communes
The prevalence of urogenital and intestinal schistosomiasis among school age children (6-13 years) in the Okavango Delta in Botswana.
This study sought to investigate prevalence of urogenital and intestinal schistosomiasis among school age children 6-13 years in selected communities in the Okavango Delta. The termination of the Botswana national schistosomiasis control program in 1993 contributed to its neglect. An outbreak of schistosomiasis in 2017 at one of the primary schools in the northeastern part of the country resulted in 42 positive cases, indicating that the disease exists. A total of 1,611 school age children 6-13 years were randomly selected from school registers in 10 primary schools; from which 1603 urine and 1404 stool samples were collected. Macroscopic examination of urine and stool for color, odor, blood; viscosity, consistency, and the presence of worms. Urine filtration and centrifugation methods were used to increase sensitivity of detecting parasite ova. Kato-Katz and Formalin-Ether were used for the examination of stool samples. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 25. Results were expressed as odds ratio (OR) with their 95% CI and statistical significance set at p < 0.05. A total of (n = 1611) school age children 6-13 years participated in the study, mean age 9.7years (SD 2.06), females (54%) and males (46%). Results indicated an overall prevalence of SS. hematobium and S.mansoni at 8.7% and 0.64% respectively. Intensity of SS. hematobium was generally light (97.6%) and heavy intensity (2.4%). Results also revealed a knowledge deficit, about 58% of children had never heard of bilharzia even though they lived in communities where the disease was previously endemic. Learners who had a family member who previously suffered from schistosomiasis had higher knowledge than those who did not. Interestingly, these learners were likely to engage in risky behaviors compared to those with lower knowledge of the disease. An integrated approach that emphasizes health education, mass drug administration, water, sanitation, and hygiene infrastructure should be prioritized for prevention and control of schistosomiasis