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Primary care nurses' preparedness for COVID-19 in the Western Cape province, South Africa.
Crowley, Talitha; Kitshoff, Danine; De Lange-Cloete, Frances; Baron, Justine; De Lange, Santel; Young, Cornelle; Esterhuizen, Tonya; Couper, Ian.
  • Crowley T; Department of Nursing and Midwifery, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town. tcrowley@sun.ac.za.
Afr J Prim Health Care Fam Med ; 13(1): e1-e8, 2021 May 28.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1262642
ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION:

The novel coronavirus 2019 or COVID-19 pandemic has brought about a global public health crisis. Primary care (PC) nurses render first line care, or refer for more specialised services.

AIM:

To investigate the preparedness of PC nurses for COVID-19 in the Western Cape.

SETTING:

The Western Cape province of South Africa.

METHODS:

We administered an online survey, with closed and open-ended questions, to 83 Stellenbosch University postgraduate PC nursing students and alumni working in the Western Cape, between 03 July and 01 September 2020.

RESULTS:

The results indicated that 43.3% of participants were confident about the infection, prevention, and control (IPC) training they received and 56.7% felt prepared to provide direct care to suspected cases of COVID-19. Primary care nurses were more comfortable to triage (78.3%) than to manage persons with COVID-19 (42.2%), indicating that they may not be functioning to the full capacity of their education and training. Adequate infrastructure was reported by less than a third of the participants (30.1%) and 59.1% reported that personal protective equipment (PPE) was always available. Primary care nurses needed support in coping with stress (57.8%) although few (14.5%) reported access to mental health services.

CONCLUSION:

Primary care nurses were not prepared optimally for the COVID-19 pandemic. Challenges included adequate training, infrastructure, the availability of personal protective equipment, COVID-19 testing of health care workers and management support. Primary care nurses need comprehensive support to manage stress and anxiety.
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Full text: Available Collection: International databases Database: MEDLINE Main subject: Attitude of Health Personnel / Clinical Competence / Primary Care Nursing / COVID-19 Type of study: Diagnostic study / Observational study / Prognostic study / Randomized controlled trials Limits: Adult / Female / Humans / Male Language: English Journal: Afr J Prim Health Care Fam Med Year: 2021 Document Type: Article

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Full text: Available Collection: International databases Database: MEDLINE Main subject: Attitude of Health Personnel / Clinical Competence / Primary Care Nursing / COVID-19 Type of study: Diagnostic study / Observational study / Prognostic study / Randomized controlled trials Limits: Adult / Female / Humans / Male Language: English Journal: Afr J Prim Health Care Fam Med Year: 2021 Document Type: Article