WhatsApp as a support strategy for emergency nursing students during the COVID­19 pandemic

Students in emergency nursing had already commenced their postbasic training at universities when the Higher Education Institutions were compelled to discontinue face-to-face contact with students and switched to various online modes of delivering content and facilitating learning in response to the government's hard lockdown rules. Health services assumed students reverted to fulltime staff, while students envisaged completing the postbasic programme. In addition to the stressors all frontline workers encounter, these students had academic-related stressors. This short report aims to describe the use of WhatsApp™ as a support strategy for emergency nursing students during the COVID-19 pandemic. The lecturer initiated a WhatsApp™ group, including all students and the clinical facilitators from various healthcare facilities. The communication stream from 1 March to December 2020 was exported in a Portable Document Format, followed by thematic analysis to identify the support provided. Support for emergency nursing students during the COVID-19 was multifaceted and included system, academic and emotional support. WhatsApp™ as a strategy to provide support to students during the COVID-19 pandemic served its purpose but could add to additional workload for the lecturer at odd or inconvenient hours.

A description of the self-perceived educational needs of emergency nurses in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Introduction:Emergency nurses are usually the first to interact with critically ill patients and victims of violence and injuries, and require advanced skills and knowledge to manage such patients. Inadequate training prevents nurses from providing optimal emergency care, and it is important to investigate if there are any skills and competencies lacking in these emergency nurses. We sought to describe the self-perceived educational needs of emergency nurses in Durban, South Africa.Methods:A descriptive quantitative survey was conducted with nurses working in four emergency centres (two state, and two privately funded hospitals) in Durban, South Africa.Results:The survey questionnaire was distributed with a response rate of 79% (n = 128). Almost half the respondents (48%, n = 61) scored less than the mean score of 29, thus indicating lower competency levels. The majority of respondents (67%, n = 85) perceived themselves as highly competent in basic skills (e.g. assess breathing, administer oxygen, assess circulation). Less than half the respondents (45%, n = 57) perceived themselves as highly competent in the intermediate skills (e.g. control haemorrhage, assist with endotracheal intubation, manage shock). A large number of respondents (46%, n = 59) perceived themselves as least competent in advanced skills (e.g. defibrillation/cardioversion, interpreting an echocardiogram [ECG]). The mean score obtained for educational need was 100, thus reflecting a high educational need, and more than half the respondents (62%, n = 79) scored higher than the mean score of 100 for educational needs. The lowest score was 41. Thirty percent (n = 38) of the respondents scored 117, indicating educational needs for all the competencies listed. Overall, 72% (n = 92) agreed that emergency education was a need.Discussion:The study emphasises the need for support systems for educational development of emergency nurses. Further training in specific skills and competencies may enhance emergency care provided. There is a growing need for ongoing educational development of emergency nurses in South Africa

A description of the self-perceived educational needs of emergency nurses in Durban, Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa

Introduction:Emergency nurses are usually the first to interact with critically ill patients and victims of violence and injuries, and require advanced skills and knowledge to manage such patients. Inadequate training prevents nurses from providing optimal emergency care, and it is important to investigate if there are any skills and competencies lacking in these emergency nurses. We sought to describe the self-perceived educational needs of emergency nurses in Durban, South Africa.Methods:A descriptive quantitative survey was conducted with nurses working in four emergency centres (two state, and two privately funded hospitals) in Durban, South Africa.Results:The survey questionnaire was distributed with a response rate of 79% (n = 128). Almost half the respondents (48%, n = 61) scored less than the mean score of 29, thus indicating lower competency levels. The majority of respondents (67%, n = 85) perceived themselves as highly competent in basic skills (e.g. assess breathing, administer oxygen, assess circulation). Less than half the respondents (45%, n = 57) perceived themselves as highly competent in the intermediate skills (e.g. control haemorrhage, assist with endotracheal intubation, manage shock). A large number of respondents (46%, n = 59) perceived themselves as least competent in advanced skills (e.g. defibrillation/cardioversion, interpreting an echocardiogram [ECG]). The mean score obtained for educational need was 100, thus reflecting a high educational need, and more than half the respondents (62%, n = 79) scored higher than the mean score of 100 for educational needs. The lowest score was 41. Thirty percent (n = 38) of the respondents scored 117, indicating educational needs for all the competencies listed. Overall, 72% (n = 92) agreed that emergency education was a need. Discussion:The study emphasises the need for support systems for educational development of emergency nurses. Further training in specific skills and competencies may enhance emergency care provided. There is a growing need for ongoing educational development of emergency nurses in South Africa

The impact of an emergency hiring plan on the shortage and distribution of nurses in Kenya: the importance of information systems

Objective:To analyse the effect of Kenya's Emergency Hiring Plan for nurses on their inequitable distribution in rural and underserved areas.Methods We used data from the Kenya Health Workforce Informatics System on the nursing workforce to determine the effect of the Emergency Hiring Plan on nurse shortages and maldistribution. The total number of nurses; the number of nurses per 100 000 population and the opening of previously closed or new heath facilities were recorded. Findings Of the 18 181 nurses employed in Kenya's public sector in 2009; 1836 (10) had been recruited since 2005 through the Emergency Hiring Plan. Nursing staff increased by 7in hospitals; 13in health centres and 15in dispensaries. North Eastern province; which includes some of the most remote areas; benefited most: the number of nurses per 100 000 population increased by 37. The next greatest increase was in Nyanza province; which has the highest prevalence of HIV infection in Kenya. Emergency Hiring Plan nurses enabled the number of functioning public health facilities to increase by 29. By February 2010; 94 of the nurses hired under pre-recruitment absorption agreements had entered the civil service.Conclusion The Emergency Hiring Plan for nurses significantly increased health services in Kenya's rural and underserved areas over the short term. Preliminary indicators of sustainability are promising; as most nurses hired are now civil servants. However; continued monitoring will be necessary over the long term to evaluate future nurse retention. The accurate workforce data provided by the Kenya Health Workforce Informatics System were essential for evaluating the effect of the Emergency Hiring Plan