Patient aggression experienced by professional nurses in acute psychiatric ward: South Africa.

Background: Aggression of patients in hospital wards has become an endemic problem and professional nurses are particularly at high risk. Aim: This article presents the types of patient aggression experienced by professional nurses working in an acute psychiatric ward in Vhembe District, South Africa. Setting: Vhembe District, South Africa. Methods: A qualitative approach using exploratory, descriptive and contextual research design was used. Four hospitals were purposively selected and 10 professional nurses were conveniently sampled to participate in the study. Individual interviews were used to collect data, which were then analysed through Tesch Open Coding Method. Measures to ensure trustworthiness and ethical considerations were adhered to throughout the study. Results: This study shed some light on the professional nurses' lived experiences regarding the types of aggression from patients in an acute psychiatric ward in Vhembe District. The types of aggression are physical aggression, destructive behaviour and verbal aggression. Conclusion: The findings show that the types of aggression to which professional nurses are exposed are overwhelming and the consequences are shocking. As a result, the health of professional nurses is compromised. Therefore, this study recommends further studies to determine the kind of support needed by professional nurses working in an acute psychiatric ward and to investigate the impact of aggression from patients in acute psychiatric ward with regard to the quality of care. Contribution: This article contributes to the body of knowledge regarding patients' aggression in acute wards in Vhembe District, South Africa.

The psychosomatic experiences of women who had intrauterine foetal death in rural South Africa.

BACKGROUND:  Intrauterine foetal death (IUFD) is a traumatic event leading to substantial grief reactions with a variety of experiences in an expectant woman. After delivery, these experiences have shown to impact the mother's psychological well-being, where she experiences post-traumatic stress, sadness, anxiety and depression. The psychosomatic experiences before labour commenced are not known. OBJECTIVES:  This study explored the psychosomatic (mind-body connection) experiences of women who had an IUFD before labour commenced in rural areas of Limpopo province, South Africa. METHOD:  A qualitative approach with an explorative descriptive design was carried out among all 10 consented participants who were selected using a purposive sampling technique. The sample consisted of women who delivered an IUFD as reflected by the hospital register from the selected hospitals. Data were collected at the participants' homes through in-depth individual interviews guided by one open-ended central question as follows, 'Please share with me your experiences of IUFD before you went into labour', and analysed using Tesch's open coding method. RESULTS:  Two themes reflecting the psychosomatic (mind-body connection) experiences of women who had an IUFD emerged from the analysis. The themes are danger alerts and emotional responses. CONCLUSION:  This qualitative study revealed that women could relate a lack of or decreased foetal movement as the danger alert or warning sign that the baby was in danger before labour commenced. Upon noticing that something was wrong with the baby, a message was sent to the women's minds, which equally affected and activated their emotional dimensions. An investigation regarding the kind of support needed by women after being informed of an IUFD is recommended.