Acts of xenophobia among nurse educators: A qualitative study.

Background: Xenophobia has been in existence for centuries, though subtle and not too pronounced as of recent years. It has now pervaded all spheres including businesses, academia and industries. Previous studies have found it to be disruptive both to organizations and employees. Purpose: To explore acts of xenophobia among nurse educators, underpinned by the frustration and aggression theory. Method: A qualitative study involving twenty-five nurse educators in Botswana was carried out between July 2019 and August 2020. Open-ended semi-structured questions were used to collect face to face in-depth interviews from participants. Findings: Dehumanizing comments, labelling and discrimination were the three themes that emerged from interpretative analysis. Affected persons were mostly foreign nationals and people of different ethnic groupings. Conclusion: The study concluded that there is need for a policy that addresses acts of xenophobia and an intervention to mitigate acts of xenophobia.

The prevalence of urogenital and intestinal schistosomiasis among school age children (6-13 years) in the Okavango Delta in Botswana.

This study sought to investigate prevalence of urogenital and intestinal schistosomiasis among school age children 6-13 years in selected communities in the Okavango Delta. The termination of the Botswana national schistosomiasis control program in 1993 contributed to its neglect. An outbreak of schistosomiasis in 2017 at one of the primary schools in the northeastern part of the country resulted in 42 positive cases, indicating that the disease exists. A total of 1,611 school age children 6-13 years were randomly selected from school registers in 10 primary schools; from which 1603 urine and 1404 stool samples were collected. Macroscopic examination of urine and stool for color, odor, blood; viscosity, consistency, and the presence of worms. Urine filtration and centrifugation methods were used to increase sensitivity of detecting parasite ova. Kato-Katz and Formalin-Ether were used for the examination of stool samples. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 25. Results were expressed as odds ratio (OR) with their 95% CI and statistical significance set at p < 0.05. A total of (n = 1611) school age children 6-13 years participated in the study, mean age 9.7years (SD 2.06), females (54%) and males (46%). Results indicated an overall prevalence of SS. hematobium and S.mansoni at 8.7% and 0.64% respectively. Intensity of SS. hematobium was generally light (97.6%) and heavy intensity (2.4%). Results also revealed a knowledge deficit, about 58% of children had never heard of bilharzia even though they lived in communities where the disease was previously endemic. Learners who had a family member who previously suffered from schistosomiasis had higher knowledge than those who did not. Interestingly, these learners were likely to engage in risky behaviors compared to those with lower knowledge of the disease. An integrated approach that emphasizes health education, mass drug administration, water, sanitation, and hygiene infrastructure should be prioritized for prevention and control of schistosomiasis.

Psychological impact of COVID-19 on nurses caring for patients during COVID-19 pandemic in Gaborone.

AIM: Nurses as front liners have direct contact with COVID-19 patients during the pandemic. Carrying the heavy burden during the pandemic has a mental health toll on healthcare professionals. The study explored nurses' experiences of psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic in Botswana's two COVID-19 special care centres. DESIGN: The study used qualitative case study research to solicit nurses' experiences caring for patients with COVID-19 in selected COVID-19 centres in Gaborone. METHOD: Researchers purposively recruited nurses from two COVID-19 centres in Botswana. Data were collected using semi-structured telephone interviews and analysed through inductive thematic analysis. Various institutional review boards ethically cleared the study. RESULTS: Six themes emerged from the thematic analysis: feelings of fear and anxiety, hopelessness and helplessness, loneliness, physical distress, support mechanism and commitment to care. PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: The results offer important insights into the nurses' experiences during the COVI-19 pandemic.