Termination of pregnancy (TOP) is requested by some women for a variety of reasons and it is plausible that profiling their characteristics might help to target selected groups for counselling. This study aimed to determine the... more
Termination of pregnancy (TOP) is requested by some women for a variety of reasons and it is plausible that profiling their characteristics might help to target selected groups for counselling. This study aimed to determine the characteristics of women having a legal first-trimester TOP at a regional hospital in KwaZulu-Natal. The medical records of 254 women were retrospectively sampled and analysed from a total of 758 women who had a first-trimester TOP between January and December 2008. The women were aged 14-45 years (the most common age group was 20-29 years, a mean age of 25.3 years and a standard deviation of 5.9). The majority (75.6%) reported that they had at least one child who was alive, 1.6% had previously had a TOP, 93.3% were single and 28.4% resided outside the health district in which the hospital was situated. Eighty-nine per cent had not used contraception before the index pregnancy. Fifty-eight per cent requested a TOP between 9 and 12 weeks of gestation (a mean of 8 weeks). Ninety-six per cent had a TOP because of socio-economic reasons. All of the women received counselling prior to undergoing TOP. In our patient population, women who had a legal TOP in the first trimester were in their twenties, single, parous, sexually active, not on a contraceptive and of poor socio-economic status. Women with these characteristics should be targeted for appropriate counselling on reproductive health matters.
Given that the staffing of rural facilities represents an international challenge, the support, training and development of students of rural origin at institutions of higher learning (IHLs) should be an integral dimension of health care... more
Given that the staffing of rural facilities represents an international challenge, the support, training and development of students of rural origin at institutions of higher learning (IHLs) should be an integral dimension of health care provisioning. International studies have shown these students to be more likely than students of urban origin to return to work in rural areas. However, the crisis in formal school education in some countries, such as South Africa, means that rural students with the capacity to pursue careers in health care are least likely to access the necessary training at an IHL. In addition to challenges of access, throughput is relatively low at IHLs and is determined by a range of learning experiences. Insight into the storied educational experiences of health care professionals (HCPs) of rural origin has the potential to inform the training and development of rural-origin students. Six HCPs of rural origin were purposively selected. Using a narrative inquiry...
Insulin-dependent diabetic patients are not educated on safe sharps disposal methods, so leading to unsafe disposal of needles. Appropriate education on the correct disposal of sharps should be an integral part of their diabetic... more
Insulin-dependent diabetic patients are not educated on safe sharps disposal methods, so leading to unsafe disposal of needles. Appropriate education on the correct disposal of sharps should be an integral part of their diabetic counseling. Doctors, nurses and pharmacists should all take responsibility for educating and reinforcing information about correct sharps disposal methods. Patients should be advised to either discard sharps into puncture resistant containers placed into their household refuse, or return them in secure containers for disposal by the dispensing institutions. Patients should also be educated regarding health risks associated with used needles. The South African Metabolic and Endocrine (SEMDSA) Guidelines and the South African Standard Treatment Guidelines (STG) should also give clear guidance on the safe disposal of needles.
Introduction: Staffing of rural and remote facilities is a challenge throughout the world. Umthombo Youth Development Foundation (UYDF) has been running a rurally based scholarship scheme since 1999.The aim of this review is to present... more
Introduction: Staffing of rural and remote facilities is a challenge throughout the world. Umthombo Youth Development Foundation (UYDF) has been running a rurally based scholarship scheme since 1999.The aim of this review is to present data on the number of students selected, their progress, graduation and work placement from inception of the scheme until 2013.Methods: Data were extracted from the UYDF data base using a data collection template to ensure all important information was captured.Results: Since 1999, 430 rural students across 15 health disciplines have been supported by UYDF. The annual pass rate has been greater than 89%, and less than 10% of students have been excluded from university. All graduates have spent time working in rural areas (excluding the 32 currently doing internships) and 72% (52/73) of those with no work-back obligation continue to work in rural areas.Discussion and conclusion: The UYDF model is built around local selection, compulsory academic and pe...
Background The massification of higher education is often associated with poor student engagement, poor development of their critical thinking, inadequate feedback and poor student throughput. Novel and innovative methods of teaching,... more
Background The massification of higher education is often associated with poor student engagement, poor development of their critical thinking, inadequate feedback and poor student throughput. Novel and innovative methods of teaching, assessing and giving feedback to large groups of learners therefore need to be developed to counter the challenges posed by the large class learning environment. The aim of this study was to obtain the perceptions of 1st year medical students and staff at the Nelson Mandela School of Medicine regarding the value of the posters as a teaching, assessment and feedback strategy. Methods This observational, descriptive cross sectional study explored student and staff perceptions of using posters to manage the assessment and feedback of 1st year students’ work. A student and staff questionnaire using a five point Likert scale was used from which the data were extracted into Excel spreadsheet and analysed. Results 230 questionnaires were completed giving a 92...
Background: The importance of dedicated adherence to antiretroviral treatment (ART) in the management of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is well documented. Multiple factors may affect adherence and this study explores patients’ and... more
Background: The importance of dedicated adherence to antiretroviral treatment (ART) in the management of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is well documented. Multiple factors may affect adherence and this study explores patients’ and their caregivers’ perceptions of factors which may positively influence adherence to ART.Method: This study was a descriptive, qualitative study that used both free attitude interviews and focus-group discussions. Nineteen patients attending a busy ART-clinic at a district hospital in KwaZulu-Natal and eight caregivers were purposefully selected. Selection criteria included good adherence to ARTs as evidenced by excellent clinic attendance for more than one year with evidence of clinical, immunological and viral improvement. Interviews were tape recorded, transcribed and thematically analysed.Results: Ten female participants, nine male participants and eight caregivers took part in the study. Participants highlighted three main categories that positiv...
The World Health Organization has described deliberate self-harm (DSH) as a major global health challenge. Little is known about the profile of patients admitted following DSH at district and regional combo hospitals in KwaZulu-Natal,... more
The World Health Organization has described deliberate self-harm (DSH) as a major global health challenge. Little is known about the profile of patients admitted following DSH at district and regional combo hospitals in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The aim of this study was to assess the profiles of patients and reasons for admission following DSH. The study was conducted on data from a busy Accident and Emergency (A&E) department in a combination district and regional hospital situated in Empangeni in northern KwaZulu-Natal. This was a retrospective descriptive study. Data were collected from charts of all patients admitted to the A&E department from April 2012 to March 2013 following DSH. Variables assessed included age, gender, race, occupation, religion, education level, coexisting medical and mental health conditions, and reasons for DSH. Data were entered into SPSS and analysed descriptively. A total of 262 charts were identified and 215 (82%) were selected for inclusion. Most...
Staffing of rural healthcare facilities is a challenge, with literature supporting the selection and training of rural-origin students. The Umthombo Youth Development Foundation (UYDF) scholarship scheme supports rural students to train... more
Staffing of rural healthcare facilities is a challenge, with literature supporting the selection and training of rural-origin students. The Umthombo Youth Development Foundation (UYDF) scholarship scheme supports rural students to train as healthcare professionals and offers a unique support programme. This programme has not been evaluated, and this study sought UYDF-supported students' perceptions of the programme. The aim of the study was to assess students' perceptions of the UYDF support programme. This was an observational descriptive study. Participants were students supported by UYDF and data were collected by a questionnaire with a Likert scale to assess perceptions of various aspects of the support programme. Students' perceptions about the UYDF support programme were generally positive, with initial orientation and information sharing perceived as useful. Some respondents did not perceive value in holding discussions around English proficiency. The support requ...
