Development of collaboration guidelines for nursing education and related healthcare services.

Background: A theory-practice gap in nursing education often occurs, and the staff from the nursing education institution and the associated healthcare services should find ways to improve their collaboration to reduce the gap during the training of nursing students. Aim: This study aimed to develop context-specific collaboration guidelines for a nursing education institution and associated healthcare services. Setting: Private hospital in the Gauteng province of South Africa. Methods: Guidelines were developed from the findings of an integrative literature review. Thereafter, it was contextualised in a qualitative study with focus group discussions (FGDs) involving 9 theoretical lecturers and 10 clinical facilitators. Results: In the partnership between the nursing education institution and the associated healthcare services, bilateral communication, cooperation between the theoretical lecturers and the clinical facilitators in delivering evidence-based patient care, intensified innovation in teaching and learning practices and an environment conducive to theory-practice integration should be emphasised. Conclusion: A set of context-specific guidelines was developed to enable the theoretical lecturers and the clinical facilitators to collaborate in supporting nursing students to apply their theoretical knowledge in the development of clinical competencies. Contribution: The guidelines can be adjusted to suit the context of other nursing education institutions and their associated healthcare services to improve collaboration between theoretical lecturers and clinical facilitators to the benefit students' skills development in theory-practice integration.

The use of the World Health Organization Surgical Safety Checklist in operating theatres.

Background: There is a global concern over intraoperative patient safety, as adverse events are on the rise. When the World Health Organization Surgical Safety Checklist (WHO SSC) is used correctly, it has the potential to prevent such events. Unfortunately, the intraoperative team in the designated hospital lacked the cooperation to successfully use the checklist. Aim: This study, therefore, aimed to explore and describe the factors that affect the use of the checklist in the operating theatres in a designated hospital. Methods: A qualitative research approach together with an implementation science strategy structured according to the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research was used. Individual interviews with nine surgeons and focus group interviews with six operating theatre professional nurses provided sufficient data for inductive and deductive analysis. Results: A deeper understanding of the contextual and interventional factors that affect the use of the WHO SSC is provided by the findings. A high demand for surgery, the hierarchy in the surgical team, their uncertainty about hospital policies and reluctance to adjust to change contributed to the poor use of the checklist. Conclusion: A sustainable implementation process is crucial and should be embraced and promoted by the intraoperative team. Contribution: The article contributes a description of the factors that address the use of a checklist for intraoperative patient safety. It recommends that the factors that hinder the use of the checklist be timeously addressed.

Preserving nurses' professional dignity: Six evidence-based strategies.

AIM: This study aimed to develop and refine strategies for preserving nurses' professional dignity. BACKGROUND: Professional dignity is a non-negotiable nursing professional value. It should at all times be respected because of the worthiness of nurses as professional human beings. They are at the centre of healthcare societies. Their worth and contributions to the health of others should be acknowledged and preserved. METHODS: Descriptive qualitative research was conducted during the development of the strategies while applying the principles of strategic navigation. The process was guided by the findings of the initial phase of the study and contextualised literature. Focus group discussions were held with healthcare professionals for the refinement of the strategies in two private hospitals in South Africa. FINDINGS: The strategies unfolded multiple possibilities to value nurses' professional dignity. These were pathways for respecting, appreciating and supporting nurses; honouring nurses' desire to hold the well-being of patients in the highest regard; supporting nurses in fulfilling their professional roles; enabling nurses to take pride in themselves and the nursing profession; supporting nurses in demanding and complex circumstances and supporting nurses in coping with humiliating workplace experiences. CONCLUSION: Strategies to ensure successful outcomes in preserving nurses' professional dignity were developed and refined. The professional dignity experiences that mattered most were presented. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING/HEALTH POLICY: Valuing nurses' professional dignity promotes respect and support for nurses and their desire to prioritise patient-centred care, contributing to improved nursing practice and nurses' confidence to assert their professional dignity. Preserving nurses' professional dignity is a necessity in healthcare. It should be affirmed in equal standing in nursing codes of conduct, nursing curriculums and healthcare policies.

Care for carers: A concept analysis of support for carers of ill relatives.

The aim of the study is to clarify the concept "care for carers," and enhance our understanding of caring for carers of ill relatives. Healthcare professionals often refer to "care for carers" when discussing methods to support the carers of ill family relatives. These carers do not always receive the support they need. A literature search of electronic databases and search engines, using the keywords carer, caregiver, caring for the carer, caring for the caregiver was done. Peer-reviewed research articles published between 2014 and 2019 and written in the English language were analyzed. Following retrieval, research articles were analyzed to describe the uses, attributes, antecedents, consequences, and empirical referents of the concept "care for carers." Research articles describing borderline, related, contrary, and illegitimate examples were included. "Care for carers" addresses the unique support needs of those taking care of ill family members. Carers may derive a sense of empowerment from receiving individualized and proactively rendered support. Carers should be supported to develop control over their circumstances, to find meaning in their caring, to become resilient when experiencing challenges, and to confirm their identity as carers of their ill relatives.

Healthcare needs of displaced women: Osire refugee camp, Namibia.

AIM: The aim of this study was to explore and describe the experiences of healthcare needs of displaced women in the Osire refugee camp in Namibia. BACKGROUND: Namibia is a country where displaced people from other African countries seek refuge as a result of their own country's political instability. All displaced people are hosted in the Osire camp, which is a highly protected area. There are more women than men in the camp and their health is often compromised. METHODS: In this descriptive phenomenological study, the natural dimension of the experiences of the participants of their healthcare needs were explored through in-depth interviews and reflected upon through transcendental processes to formulate the phenomenological dimension thereof. FINDINGS: The essence of displaced women's healthcare needs was "the need for the restoration of hope and human dignity". Their needs refer to measures to enhance their autonomy and freedom; skills training; certainty about their future; security with aid distribution; protection against stigmatization due to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection; protection against abuse; and participation in reproductive health care. DISCUSSION: When displaced women are admitted in a camp they lose their freedom to make decisions about everyday functioning and future. They thus develop feelings of insecurity and vulnerability. CONCLUSION: The participants referred to several factors that were detrimental for their well-being. The essence of their needs was "the need for the restoration of hope and human dignity" that could only be achieved when their needs are addressed. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING: As nurses are in close contact with displaced women in refugee camps they should negotiate opportunities for the women to discuss their concerns with the camp officials. IMPLICATIONS FOR HEALTH AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT POLICY: Policies should make provision for the involvement of displaced people in all aspects that relate to their everyday and future living arrangements.

South Africans' experiences of being old and of care and caring in a transitional period.

This focused ethnographic study aimed to illuminate a group of South Africans' experiences of being old and of care and caring in a transitional period. With a growing number of older people in Africa, studies on the individual experiences may help to develop care which is more sensitively based on the needs for older people in a changing Southern Africa context. Data were collected through group and individual in-depth interviews and participant observations which involved 16 individuals, aged 52-76. Data were analysed using a qualitative content analysis. The study showed two interrelated themes reflections on life and ubuntu - an orientation towards others. Findings were discussed from the viewpoint of the theory of gerotranscendence, showing similarities as well as differences, possibly due to societal and cultural differences. Shortage of formal care for older people living in poor conditions in Southern Africa, gave rise to the discussion for the need of a contextualized development of gerontological care. To enhance knowledge on the theory of gerotranscendence and develop guidelines for nursing in home-based care/community-based care in a South African context may be a first step to support older people in their process towards gerotranscendence.

Tradition in transition--intergenerational relations with focus on the aged and their family members in a South African context.

This study describes the intergenerational relations influence on the care of the aged in a transitional period expressed by a group of aged South Africans and their family members. Focused ethnographic research was carried out from 2001 to 2006 in a semi-rural area in central South Africa. Twenty-nine participants representing 16 families took part in multiple group interviews. The data was supplemented through individual interviews with 10 of the participants as well as home visits, participation in community activities, notes and video recording. The transcribed interview texts were analysed using qualitative content analysis. The study shows aspects of tradition in transition as reciprocal care between generations, the significance of traditional values and the impact of modernization on care. The findings reveal the on going transition in Africa influencing the role of the aged as well as the reciprocal care within the extended family. The study also discloses that in reciprocal relationships, family members do not necessarily have a biological bond and that revaluing of traditions can be seen as a response to social and economic change and as a tool to maintain influence. This ethnographic study contributes knowledge in the field of gerontological care, by illuminating the impact of transition on the role of aged as well as the caring of the aged in the extended family an important issue for health professionals caring for a growing number of older persons in Southern Africa and in countries with a large representation of minority groups from developing countries.

Factors associated with adherence to antiretroviral therapy for the treatment of HIV-infected women attending an urban care facility.

Adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) is often jeopardized by factors misapprehended by health-care providers. As South Africa is severely affected by HIV and AIDS, identifying factors that influence adherence in this specific context becomes essential. An exploratory and descriptive case study design was used to further explore this subject and to identify factors that could influence adherence to ART. A significant correlation with international data was found. Most participants indicated that their traditional beliefs and customs did not interfere with their adherence to ART, although the lack of HIV education might facilitate reversion to traditional customs. Adequate treatment preparation, comprehensive HIV education and a supportive patient-provider relationship seemed to impact adherence significantly.

"We clean our houses, prepare for weddings and go to funerals": daily lives of elderly Africans in Majaneng, South Africa.

This ethnographic study aims to identify and describe how a group of elderly African people in South Africa experience their daily life and related concerns and interests. Data were collected through group interviews involving 16 elderly persons and complementary field observations. The data were analysed using a qualitative content analysis. From the analysis following sub-themes emerged: 1. Lack of basic resources; 2. Routines in daily life; 3. Experience of unsafe conditions; 4. "The disease"-HIV/AIDS. The results have been discussed according to the following themes: keeping normality and changing society. The study illuminates the varied experiences in daily life, including lack of basic resources, experience of unsafe conditions, and the HIV/AIDS pandemic and its consequences for the elderly as contributors to the extended family.