Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

“My Hands Are Tied”: Nurses’ Perception Of Organizational Culture In Kenyan Private Hospitals, Gladys Mbuthia, Sharon Brownie, Eleanor Holroyd

School of Nursing & Midwifery, East Africa

It is estimated that by 2030 the global shortage of nurses and midwives will be 7.6 million, with African countries among the most adversely affected. Within this context, it is important to understand the specific organizational factors that contribute to registered nurses (RNs)’ decisions to remain or leave their workplaces in East Africa. The aim of this study was to commence exploration of these factors by exploring nurses’ perceptions of organizational culture of selected private hospitals in Kenya. A small-scale exploratory qualitative approach was employed, with eight nurses undertaking semi-structured interviews. There were five female and three male nurses. All …

Moving Backwards, Moving Forward: The Experiences Of Older Filipino Migrants Adjusting To Life In New Zealand, Jed Montayre, Stephen Neville, Eleanor Holroyd

School of Nursing & Midwifery, East Africa

Purpose: To explore the experiences of older Filipino migrants adjusting to living perma- nently in New Zealand.

Method: The qualitative descriptive approach taken in this study involved 17 individual face- to-face interviews of older Filipino migrants in New Zealand.

Results: Three main themes emerged from the data. The first theme was “moving backwards and moving forward”, which described how these older Filipino migrants adjusted to chal- lenges they experienced with migration. The second theme was “engaging with health services” and presented challenges relating to the New Zealand healthcare system, including a lack of knowledge of the nature of health services, …

Safer Sex Practices Among Newly Diagnosed Hiv-Positive Men Who Have Sex With Men In China: Results From An Ethnographic Study, Haochu Li, Andrea Sankar, Eleanor Holroyd, Baofa Jiang

School of Nursing & Midwifery, East Africa

The study reported here sought to understand the rationales of safer sex practices adopted by newly diagnosed HIV-positive men who have sex with men (MSM). Guided by a socio-ecological framework, an ethnography was conducted among newly diagnosed HIV-positive MSM. In-depth interviews and participant observation were employed to produce an account of the social and cultural settings that was faithful to the perspectives of participants. A total of 31 participants with diverse backgrounds were recruited in a southern city of China. Participant observation was conducted in local healthcare settings, MSM venues, and NGO offices. Most participants (24/31) reported stopping unprotected anal …

Improved Postpartum Care After A Participatory Facilitation Intervention In Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania: A Mixed Method Evaluation, Eunice Pallangyo, Columba Mbekenga, Pia Olsson, Christine Rubertsson, Carina Källestål

School of Nursing & Midwifery, East Africa

Background: In order to improve the health and survival of mothers/newborns, the quality and attendance rates of postpartum care (PPC) must be increased, particularly in low-resource settings.

Objective: To describe outcomes of a collegial facilitation intervention to improve PPC in government-owned health institutions in a low-resource suburb in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

Methods: A before-and-after evaluation of an intervention and comparison group was conducted using mixed methods (focus group discussions, questionnaires, observations, interviews, and field-notes) at health institutions. Maternal and child health aiders, enrolled nurse midwives, registered nurse midwives, and medical and clinical officers participated. A collegial facilitation intervention was …

Development And Psychometric Testing Of An Instrument To Compare Career Choice Influences And Perceptions Of Nursing Among Healthcare Students, Sok Ying Liaw, Ling Ting Wu, Violeta Lopez, Yeow Leng Chow, Siriwan Lim, Eleanor Holroyd, Khoon Kiat Tan, Wenru Wang

School of Nursing & Midwifery, East Africa

Background: With the availability of more healthcare courses and an increased intake of nursing students, education institutions are facing challenges to attract school leavers to enter nursing courses. The comparison of career choice influences and perception of nursing among healthcare students can provide information for recruitment strategies. An instrument to compare the influences of healthcare career choice is lacking. The purpose of this study is to develop and evaluate the psychometric properties of an instrument to compare the influences of healthcare career choice with perceptions of nursing as a career choice.

Methods: The study was conducted in two phases. In …

Assessing Women Caregiving Role To People Living With Hiv/Aids In Nigeria, West Africa, Ekaete Asuquo, Josephine B. Etowa, Margaret I. Akpan

School of Nursing & Midwifery, East Africa

HIV/AIDS scourge remains high in most countries of sub-Saharan Africa such as Nigeria, which is home to about 3.3 million HIV positive individuals and represents the second largest burden of HIV/AIDS care, treatment and demand worldwide after South Africa. Anti-retroviral treatment options though a welcome development, has increased the number of people living with this chronic illness, and most of them depend on family members for physical and emotional support. Traditional gender norms in Nigeria ensure that legitimately, women and girls are the first options for caregiving roles. This mandatory role has in turn imposed psychosocial disruption in the lives …

Mental Disorders And Associated Factors Among Adolescents In Juvenile Detention, Stewart Mbelwa

School of Nursing & Midwifery, East Africa

Introduction: The number of children and adolescents admitted in Dar es Salaam juvenile centers due to misbehavior and criminal offences has risen from 20 to 30 per month. Increasing aberrant behaviors in children have been linked to mental disorders. Assessment of presence mental health disorders as the main cause of these behaviors would be important to restore mental health of children and assist the system to impose a fair trial.

Objective: This study aimed to determine the presence of mental disorders and associated factors among children and adolescents within Dar es Salaam juvenile systems and explore factors that may affect …

Perceptions Of The Impact Of An Advanced Training Programme On The Management Skills Of Health Professionals In Gauteng, South Africa, Judith Mutyabule, F. Senkubuge, D. Cameron, V. Pillay, P. Petrucka

School of Nursing & Midwifery, East Africa

Background: South Africa’s health sector spans the private and the public sectors. Within the sectors, health managers take on strategic leadership roles without formal training in management or leadership – a trend more common in the public sector than the private sector. Health managers are selected based on their clinical skills rather than their leadership or management skills.

Objective: To compare self-rated competencies in management and leadership before and after training of the participants; to assess participants’ experience of the training programme; and to evaluate the management and leadership skills of the participants after training.

Methods: A cross-sectional, descriptive analytical …

Improving Response Rates To An Alumni Survey In East Africa, Joseph Mwizerwa, Walter Robb, Carolyne Namukwaya, Mary Namuguzi, Sharon Brownie

School of Nursing & Midwifery, East Africa

Feedback from students and graduates is essential to inform ongoing quality improvement in higher education. However, African universities often face implementation issues in alumni surveys, including technological barriers and difficulties in tracking graduates, particularly those from earlier cohorts and rural alumni. Innovative strategies are needed to locate alumni and obtain a good response rate across widely dispersed, rural and remote areas. This paper reports on strategies used to increase response rates in an East African online alumni survey in a context of limited computer/Internet access. The survey aimed to assess the impact of nursing graduates over a 15 year period …

Family Planning Practices Of Rural Community Dwellers In Cross River State, Nigeria., A. J. Etokidem, W. Ndifon, Ekaete Asuquo, J. Etowa

School of Nursing & Midwifery, East Africa

Background: Nigeria is the most populous nation in Africa and the seventh most populous in the world. Despite a high fertility rate of 5.5 per woman and a high population growth rate of 3.2%, Nigeria’s contraceptive prevalence is 15%, which is one of the lowest in the world. The objective of this study was to determine the knowledge of family planning and family planning preferences and practices of rural community women in Cross River State of Nigeria.

Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study involving 291 rural women. Convenience sampling method was used. The women were assembled in a …

Self- Assessed Level Of Competence Of Experienced Expatriate Nurses In Rural And Remote Settings, Salah Aqtash, Walter Frederick Robb, Lyndal Heather Hunter, Majdi Almuhtasib, Abeer Hamad, Sharon Brownie

School of Nursing & Midwifery, East Africa

We aimed to measure the self-assessed level of competence among nurses working in the public hospitals of Al-Gharbia Region, a remote rural region of United Arab Emirates, and to explore the factors associated with the nurses’ self-perceived competency. The Nurse Competency Scale, which measures the self-assessed level of competency of nurses, has been validated in a variety of clinical settings, in facilities of various sizes, and in small and large cohorts. However, its application among an expatriate nursing workforce working in small hospitals and health facilities in remote and rural areas has not been examined. We used the Nurse Competency …

Barriers And Facilitators Of Linkage To Hiv Care Among Hiv-Infected Young Chinese Men Who Have Sex With Men: A Qualitative Study, Haochu Li, Chongyi Wei, Joseph Tucker, Dianmin Kang, Meizhen Liao, Eleanor Holroyd, Jietao Zheng, Qian Qi, Wei Ma

School of Nursing & Midwifery, East Africa

Background: The Four Free and One Care Policy (HIV/AIDS-related free services) has been in place in China since 2004. However, linkage to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) care is not yet achieved very well among people living with HIV. We conducted a qualitative study to explore individual and contextual factors that may influence a linkage to HIV care from the perspective of young HIV-infected men who have sex with men (MSM) in a highly centralized HIV care context of China.

Methods: Purposive sampling was used to recruit 21 HIV-infected MSM in Shandong Province, with in-depth interviews conducted between March and July …

The Role And Value Of Nurses In Care Provision: Views And Expectations Of Emirati Nationals In The Western Region Of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Sharon Brownie, Rachel C. Rossiter, Abeer Omar Hamad, Salah Aqtash

School of Nursing & Midwifery, East Africa

Background: Reliable health user information is needed to effectively organize nursing services and deliver quality patientcentered care. Nurse leaders of Al Gharbia Health Services (AGHS) noted that although budget data and general workforce information were readily available, detailed information about patient experiences, views, and expectations was lacking.

Objective: This study aimed to obtain preliminary data regarding health and nursing service expectations of Emirati nationals in the remote western region of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Methods: This study used qualitative descriptive methodology. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a sample of Emirati families who had recently accessed AGHS. Interviews focused …

Emotional And Relationship Dynamics Between Hiv Serodiscordance And Concordance Couples: A Narrative Literature Review And Theoretical Framework, Amani Mwakalapuka, Ipyana Mwampagatwa, Theodora Bali, Masumbuko Mwashambwa, Stephen Kibusi, Tumbwene Mwansisya

School of Nursing & Midwifery, East Africa

Tanzania is among the countries with high prevalence of HIV prevalence in the World. Despite the fact that the epidemic has been, and still is a threat to persons of all ages, recent studies have suggested that most new infections occur among couples in stable relationships. Infected couples are categorised into two: the positive concordant, where both the partners are HIV positive; and sero-discordant couples, where one partner is HIV positive while the other is negative. Recently, researchers and many other stake-holders working on the HIV/AIDS epidemic have given a remarkable attention to this astonishing reality. For instance one study …

‘I Stayed With My Illness’: A Grounded Theory Study Of Health Seeking Behaviour And Treatment Pathways Of Patients With Obstetric Fistula In Kenya, Anne Khisa, Grace M. Omoni, Isaac K. Nyamongo, Rachel F. Spitzer

School of Nursing & Midwifery, East Africa

Background: Obstetric fistula classic symptoms of faecal and urinary incontinence cause women to live with social stigma, isolation, psychological trauma and lose their source of livelihoods. There is a paucity of studies on the health seeking behaviour trajectories of women with fistula illness although women live with the illness for decades before surgery. We set out to establish the complete picture of women’s health seeking behaviour using qualitative research. We sought to answer the question: what patterns of health seeking do women with obstetric fistula display in their quest for healing?

Methods: We used grounded theory methodology to analyse data …