Operational nursing managers' experiences of clinical supervision at a Johannesburg Hospital

Background: Clinical supervision is pivotal in supporting nurses in rendering quality, safe patient care. Therefore, it is essential to understand clinical supervision from operational nursing managers' context to define existing challenges and propose suitable recommendations. Objectives: This study aimed to explore and describe operational nursing managers' experiences of clinical supervision within the context of an academic hospital in Gauteng province and propose evidence-based practice recommendations to improve patient safety and the quality of clinical supervision. Method: An exploratory, sequential, mixed-method design was used and implemented over two phases to take advantage of the strengths of both the qualitative and quantitative research designs. Unstructured individual interviews were conducted to collect data in phase one, and an adapted Manchester Clinical Supervision Scale (MCSS) questionnaire was used to collect data in phase two. Results: Operational nursing managers work in stressful conditions and environments with a gross shortage of staff and tools of the trade while being expected to deliver high-quality and safe nursing care. Of the sampled respondents, 36% (n = 17) were dissatisfied with the supervision they received, while 64% (n = 30) were indifferent in the sense that they did not think it was adequate or inadequate. Conclusion: Clinical supervisors should be trained and supported in clinical supervision, with regular workshops on interpersonal relations. Contribution: A clearer understanding of clinical supervision within the hospital context and evidence-based practice recommendations to improve patient safety and the quality of clinical supervision.

Experiences of grandmothers caring for female adolescents living with HIV in rural Manzini, Eswatini: a caregiver stress model perspective

The HIV pandemic has immense effects on the Eswatini population. The burden of caregiving rests on women, typically grandmothers who are elderly and dealing with chronic diseases themselves. The purpose of this study was to explore and describe the experiences of grandmothers in Eswatini caring for female adolescents living with HIV. The study draws on phenomenological fieldwork of six case studies of grandmother­granddaughter pairs who were purposively sampled. Data were collected through in-depth individual interviews that commenced with broad questions: "How is it for you to care for a female adolescent living with HIV?" for the grandmothers, and "How is it for you to live with HIV?" for female adolescents. Data were transcribed verbatim and analysed thematically following the elements of the caregiver stress theory. Drawing on the caregiver stress model, grandmothers and female adolescents experienced input stimuli of financial difficulties related to daily provisions for food and transport fare. Control processes experienced by grandmothers and female adolescents related to feelings of loss, grief, fear, hopelessness and isolation along with suicidal ideation for female adolescents. Regarding output stimuli, grandmothers and female adolescents developed psychological unrest related to difficulty accepting the HIV diagnosis and concerns about the future. Grandmothers experienced ill health due to the demands of the caregiving role. It is recommended that family, financial and psychological support be made available for grandmothers to lighten the duty of caregiving

Professional nurses' experiences of caring for patients in public health clinics in Ekurhuleni, South Africa

Background: Caring for patients is the core aspect of nursing and a cornerstone of all nursing duties. Although caring is seen as a critical component of nursing delivery and an essential characteristic of nursing, there seems to be a gap between theory and practice. Aim: The aim of this article was to explore and describe the experiences of caring for patients by professional nurses in public health clinics in Ekurhuleni. Setting: The study was conducted in Ekurhuleni, an area east of the Gauteng Province in two public health clinics. Methods: A qualitative, exploratory, descriptive phenomenological and contextual research design was used. In-depth, individual phenomenological interviews were conducted with eight purposefully sampled professional nurses to explore their experiences of caring for patients in public health clinics in Ekurhuleni. Data were analysed using Giorgi's coding method. Results: Two themes were revealed in the study findings. The first theme was the experienced empowering aspects of caring while the second theme was the experienced disempowering aspects of caring. The experienced empowering aspects of caring had two categories: empowering interpersonal experiences and the empowering experiences through client affirmation. These were identified by the participants as enabling effective caring for patients. The experienced disempowering aspects of caring also had two categories: disempowering interpersonal experiences and the disempowering experiences resulting from public health clinic system challenges. The disempowering aspects were identified by participants as disenabling effective caring for patients. Conclusion: The study findings reveal that the professional nurses had empowering and disempowering experiences while caring for patients in the public health clinics