Towards the development of a conceptual framework for hospital performance assessment of a South African public hospital in the Eastern Cape province
- Authors: Wagner, Rolene Margaret
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Public hospitals Hospital care Hospitals -- Administration
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MPH
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/12249 , vital:39223
- Description: An integrated conceptual framework for measuring and comparing the performance of a South African teaching hospital in the Eastern Cape Province with other hospitals, is not available. The aim of this study was therefore to contribute to the development of a conceptual framework for assessing the performance of a SA public hospital in the Eastern Cape Province. The systematic literature review included all black and grey literature that relate to one of the two main themes- the purpose of measuring hospital performance and the methodology of assessing hospital performance. Relevant studies were identified through a Google search using the following descriptors: “Hospital Performance”, and “Hospital Performance Assessment”. There were 369 scholarly articles with the exact descriptors anywhere in the article with 59 articles released during the period 2012 to 2016. Ultimately, 7 articles met all the inclusionary criteria and described enterprise wide assessments of hospital performance. Other relevant articles, inclusive of grey literature, are included. Two of the studies in Morocco and Costa Rica were systematic reviews of hospital performance and covered the period 2000-2011. The Botswana case study assessed the use of the WHO PATH tool to measure the performance of its public hospitals. The Iranian, United States and Malaysian studies reflected on single aspect measures of hospital performance such as efficiency; the effect of weighting hospital performance indicators for patient harm on hospital profiles and payment; and Bed Occupancy rates, respectively. The review of the challenges associated with developing a hospital performance assessment framework was not found to be as useful as the other articles. The WHO PATH tool provides a high level integrated conceptual framework for measuring and comparing the performance of a South African teaching hospital in the Eastern Cape Province with other hospitals. This, however, needs to be adapted to the South African context with specific indicators being selected by local stakeholders that will promote best possible patient outcomes and a positive experience of patient-centred care at effective and efficient public health facilities. Lessons can be drawn from other countries’ experiences that have implemented hospital performance assessments and tested specific performance indicators.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
- Authors: Wagner, Rolene Margaret
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Public hospitals Hospital care Hospitals -- Administration
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MPH
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/12249 , vital:39223
- Description: An integrated conceptual framework for measuring and comparing the performance of a South African teaching hospital in the Eastern Cape Province with other hospitals, is not available. The aim of this study was therefore to contribute to the development of a conceptual framework for assessing the performance of a SA public hospital in the Eastern Cape Province. The systematic literature review included all black and grey literature that relate to one of the two main themes- the purpose of measuring hospital performance and the methodology of assessing hospital performance. Relevant studies were identified through a Google search using the following descriptors: “Hospital Performance”, and “Hospital Performance Assessment”. There were 369 scholarly articles with the exact descriptors anywhere in the article with 59 articles released during the period 2012 to 2016. Ultimately, 7 articles met all the inclusionary criteria and described enterprise wide assessments of hospital performance. Other relevant articles, inclusive of grey literature, are included. Two of the studies in Morocco and Costa Rica were systematic reviews of hospital performance and covered the period 2000-2011. The Botswana case study assessed the use of the WHO PATH tool to measure the performance of its public hospitals. The Iranian, United States and Malaysian studies reflected on single aspect measures of hospital performance such as efficiency; the effect of weighting hospital performance indicators for patient harm on hospital profiles and payment; and Bed Occupancy rates, respectively. The review of the challenges associated with developing a hospital performance assessment framework was not found to be as useful as the other articles. The WHO PATH tool provides a high level integrated conceptual framework for measuring and comparing the performance of a South African teaching hospital in the Eastern Cape Province with other hospitals. This, however, needs to be adapted to the South African context with specific indicators being selected by local stakeholders that will promote best possible patient outcomes and a positive experience of patient-centred care at effective and efficient public health facilities. Lessons can be drawn from other countries’ experiences that have implemented hospital performance assessments and tested specific performance indicators.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
Tracking spoor of the wild woman archetype during a university merger
- Authors: Bodisch, Anja Maria
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: Wild women -- Folklore , Women -- Psychology , Archetype (Psychology) , Individuation (Philosophy)
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:9936 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/477 , Wild women -- Folklore , Women -- Psychology , Archetype (Psychology) , Individuation (Philosophy)
- Description: Universities in South Africa are currently undergoing mergers. Intended for commercial gain, mergers rarely accommodate the psychological milieu of staff. Similarly, the majority of studies conducted with respect to university mergers adopt a quantitative approach. This study adopts a qualitative approach and locates the researcher within the epicentre of the research, using a case study, with the researcher as unit of analysis. The lack of merger studies that focus on the experiences of minority groups, including women, prompted me, as researcher, to adopt a feminist approach to conduct this study in the context of the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University merger. A Jungian gendered view, which endorses the personal experiences of minority groups, explored the connection between organisational change and concomitant opportunities for psychic growth. The primary purpose of this study was to explore the presence of the Wild Woman archetype during a university merger. The data that made up this study were contained in my field notes, research journal and a wall montage. An analysis of the qualitative data and a comparison of Jung’s archetypal theory and Pinkola Estés’ theory of the Wild Woman archetype, enabled the researcher to find evidence of the presence of the Wild Woman archetype during the university merger. The secondary purpose of the study was to document the findings which could act as a spoor which other women could follow on their journey towards connecting with their own Wild Woman archetype. The limitations of this study, and recommendations for future research are also offered.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006
- Authors: Bodisch, Anja Maria
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: Wild women -- Folklore , Women -- Psychology , Archetype (Psychology) , Individuation (Philosophy)
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:9936 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/477 , Wild women -- Folklore , Women -- Psychology , Archetype (Psychology) , Individuation (Philosophy)
- Description: Universities in South Africa are currently undergoing mergers. Intended for commercial gain, mergers rarely accommodate the psychological milieu of staff. Similarly, the majority of studies conducted with respect to university mergers adopt a quantitative approach. This study adopts a qualitative approach and locates the researcher within the epicentre of the research, using a case study, with the researcher as unit of analysis. The lack of merger studies that focus on the experiences of minority groups, including women, prompted me, as researcher, to adopt a feminist approach to conduct this study in the context of the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University merger. A Jungian gendered view, which endorses the personal experiences of minority groups, explored the connection between organisational change and concomitant opportunities for psychic growth. The primary purpose of this study was to explore the presence of the Wild Woman archetype during a university merger. The data that made up this study were contained in my field notes, research journal and a wall montage. An analysis of the qualitative data and a comparison of Jung’s archetypal theory and Pinkola Estés’ theory of the Wild Woman archetype, enabled the researcher to find evidence of the presence of the Wild Woman archetype during the university merger. The secondary purpose of the study was to document the findings which could act as a spoor which other women could follow on their journey towards connecting with their own Wild Woman archetype. The limitations of this study, and recommendations for future research are also offered.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006
Traditional, complementary and alternative medicine use in HIV-positive patients
- Authors: Lunat, Imran
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: HIV infections -- Alternative treatment -- South Africa -- Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Municipality
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MPharm
- Identifier: vital:10137 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1388 , HIV infections -- Alternative treatment -- South Africa -- Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Municipality
- Description: The standard anti-retroviral drugs (ARVs) used for the treatment of HIV/AIDS have significant side effects resulting in a lack of adherence and the emergence of multidrug resistant viral strains. These drugs are also expensive, making it essential to investigate all alternatives to classical HIV/AIDS treatment. A wide variety of nonconventional medicines are used by patients for the treatment HIV and for symptoms associated with HIV. So long as they are safe and effective, traditional, complementary and alternative medicines (TCAMs) may be considered more advantageous for developing countries as they are relatively cheap, more accessible and widely accepted by local populations. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of TCAM use in HIV-positive patients, prior to, and during ARV therapy. The study was exploratory, cross sectional and observational in nature. Participants were selected via convenience sampling from the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality, and included 244 HIV-positive patients, 29 health care professionals (HCPs) and 30 traditional, complementary and alternative practitioners (TCAMPs). A wide variety of TCAMs were used by the sample population. These medicines were more commonly used by non-ARV patients (36 percent) compared with ARV patients (22 percent). A significant statistical difference in TCAM use between the ARV and non- ARV population was found in relation to education, employment, period of status awareness, patient opinion of personal health and the reasons for TCAM use. Amongst the HCPs, 24 percent recommended TCAM use prior to ARVs, and 55 percent were aware of patients self-prescribing before and during ARV treatment. Amongst the TCAMPs, 90 percent provided a wide range of TCAMs for HIV, with some giving consideration to conventional management. TCAMs are commonly used by HIV-positive patients on ARVs, as well as by those not on ARVs. These medicines are also the preferred form of treatment for those not seeking conventional treatment. TCAMs are widely available and recommended by TCAMPs as well as some HCPs. Due to public health concerns, clinical trials of the widely used TCAMs are crucial in order to establish the safety and efficacy of these medicines in HIV.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2011
- Authors: Lunat, Imran
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: HIV infections -- Alternative treatment -- South Africa -- Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Municipality
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MPharm
- Identifier: vital:10137 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1388 , HIV infections -- Alternative treatment -- South Africa -- Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Municipality
- Description: The standard anti-retroviral drugs (ARVs) used for the treatment of HIV/AIDS have significant side effects resulting in a lack of adherence and the emergence of multidrug resistant viral strains. These drugs are also expensive, making it essential to investigate all alternatives to classical HIV/AIDS treatment. A wide variety of nonconventional medicines are used by patients for the treatment HIV and for symptoms associated with HIV. So long as they are safe and effective, traditional, complementary and alternative medicines (TCAMs) may be considered more advantageous for developing countries as they are relatively cheap, more accessible and widely accepted by local populations. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of TCAM use in HIV-positive patients, prior to, and during ARV therapy. The study was exploratory, cross sectional and observational in nature. Participants were selected via convenience sampling from the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality, and included 244 HIV-positive patients, 29 health care professionals (HCPs) and 30 traditional, complementary and alternative practitioners (TCAMPs). A wide variety of TCAMs were used by the sample population. These medicines were more commonly used by non-ARV patients (36 percent) compared with ARV patients (22 percent). A significant statistical difference in TCAM use between the ARV and non- ARV population was found in relation to education, employment, period of status awareness, patient opinion of personal health and the reasons for TCAM use. Amongst the HCPs, 24 percent recommended TCAM use prior to ARVs, and 55 percent were aware of patients self-prescribing before and during ARV treatment. Amongst the TCAMPs, 90 percent provided a wide range of TCAMs for HIV, with some giving consideration to conventional management. TCAMs are commonly used by HIV-positive patients on ARVs, as well as by those not on ARVs. These medicines are also the preferred form of treatment for those not seeking conventional treatment. TCAMs are widely available and recommended by TCAMPs as well as some HCPs. Due to public health concerns, clinical trials of the widely used TCAMs are crucial in order to establish the safety and efficacy of these medicines in HIV.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2011
Treatment adherence among tuberculosis patients in Nelson Mandela District, Eastern Cape Province
- Authors: Sohuma, Ntombifikile
- Date: 2019-09
- Subjects: Patient compliance , Tuberculosis -- Patients , Tuberculosis -- Mortality
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/22957 , vital:53254
- Description: Tuberculosis (TB) morbidity and mortality rates remain high globally and are even higher in Africa. The key factor that continues to drive the burden of disease is poor compliance / adherence to treatment regimens. This study aimed to identify determinants that continue to drive poor treatment adherence among low-income communities in South Africa. Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted, drawing on TB patients who were defaulting on treatment. An assessment tool with several socio-economic and disease-related determinants was administered to participants. Data was entered into MS Excel and analysed in SPSS version 24. Results Regarding health services factors generally, all participants agreed that health service delivery was conducted in a conducive environment and that facilities were reasonably close to their places of residence. Participants demonstrated that health workers do not provide adequate information regarding medications that patients receive. Of patients cited, 11percent indicated that they stopped medications owing to health services. When questioned, participants reported that health workers shouted at them for coming late (e.g. after lunch) and that waiting times were very long. Approximately 85percent of the study participants were more likely to adhere poorly to TB medication owing to various factors such as comorbidities and personal perceptions of wellbeing / health status. Comorbidities are high among patients, with 58percent taking other medication while on TB treatment. Self-prognosis on wellbeing is significantly high, and 44percent reported a tendency to stop medication when they were seemingly in recovery. The unemployment rate among respondents was 78percent, with limited education: 69percent had below matric. Of the respondents, 40percent showed an unsatisfactory perception of their social and economic life, 55percent were somewhat satisfied and only 5percent were very satisfied. These indicators constitute a highly vulnerable community that depends heavily on subsidised healthcare from the state. Adherence to TB treatment is mainly influenced by poverty, the health service provider–patient relationship and perceived stigma. Limited family support was noted towards the treatment of patients. , Thesis (MPH) -- Faculty of Health Sciences, 2019
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019-09
- Authors: Sohuma, Ntombifikile
- Date: 2019-09
- Subjects: Patient compliance , Tuberculosis -- Patients , Tuberculosis -- Mortality
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/22957 , vital:53254
- Description: Tuberculosis (TB) morbidity and mortality rates remain high globally and are even higher in Africa. The key factor that continues to drive the burden of disease is poor compliance / adherence to treatment regimens. This study aimed to identify determinants that continue to drive poor treatment adherence among low-income communities in South Africa. Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted, drawing on TB patients who were defaulting on treatment. An assessment tool with several socio-economic and disease-related determinants was administered to participants. Data was entered into MS Excel and analysed in SPSS version 24. Results Regarding health services factors generally, all participants agreed that health service delivery was conducted in a conducive environment and that facilities were reasonably close to their places of residence. Participants demonstrated that health workers do not provide adequate information regarding medications that patients receive. Of patients cited, 11percent indicated that they stopped medications owing to health services. When questioned, participants reported that health workers shouted at them for coming late (e.g. after lunch) and that waiting times were very long. Approximately 85percent of the study participants were more likely to adhere poorly to TB medication owing to various factors such as comorbidities and personal perceptions of wellbeing / health status. Comorbidities are high among patients, with 58percent taking other medication while on TB treatment. Self-prognosis on wellbeing is significantly high, and 44percent reported a tendency to stop medication when they were seemingly in recovery. The unemployment rate among respondents was 78percent, with limited education: 69percent had below matric. Of the respondents, 40percent showed an unsatisfactory perception of their social and economic life, 55percent were somewhat satisfied and only 5percent were very satisfied. These indicators constitute a highly vulnerable community that depends heavily on subsidised healthcare from the state. Adherence to TB treatment is mainly influenced by poverty, the health service provider–patient relationship and perceived stigma. Limited family support was noted towards the treatment of patients. , Thesis (MPH) -- Faculty of Health Sciences, 2019
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019-09
Treatment and care of children and adolescents diagnosed with Attention deficit/Hyperactivity disorder
- Authors: Snyman, Sanmari
- Date: 2008
- Subjects: Attention-deficit disorder in adolescence , Hyperactive children -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:10144 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/871 , Attention-deficit disorder in adolescence , Hyperactive children -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth
- Description: Background: In recent years the incidence of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) has increased. Objectives: The primary aim of the study was to determine the treatment of children and adolescents diagnosed with ADHD in South Africa and more specifically the Eastern Cape. Methods: The study consisted of two parts, a retrospective drug utilisation study and a questionnaire survey. The drug utilisation study was conducted on chronic medication records of a private sector medical scheme administrator and contained records from 1994 to 2006. A total of 42 250 records representing 8 274 patients and 4 001 families, were analysed. The questionnaire survey was conducted in the Eastern Cape. The questionnaires were distributed by responsible pharmacists to parents of children receiving medication for the treatment of ADHD from his/her pharmacy. Fifty one completed questionnaires were analysed. Results: The average age of patients in the drug utilisation study were 14.28 (SD = 5.50) years. Males represented 77.37 percent of patients. Ritalin® 10 mg was the most frequently prescribed methylphenidate-containing product, followed by Ritalin® LA 20 mg. The two most frequently prescribed active ingredients apart from methylphenidate were fluticasone and budesonide. The two most common comorbid conditions were allergic rhinitis and asthma. The average age of patients in the questionnaire survey was 10.26 (SD = 2.51) years. Males represented 73.58 percent of patients. A third of patients had relatives previously diagnosed with ADHD. Ritalin® 10 mg was the most frequently prescribed methylphenidate-containing product. Conclusion: ADHD is a complex life-long disorder. It does not only affect the child diagnosed with the disorder, but also has effects on the family, schooling system and peer relationship. Therefore, more studies regarding the incidence and treatment of ADHD need to be conducted in South Africa.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2008
- Authors: Snyman, Sanmari
- Date: 2008
- Subjects: Attention-deficit disorder in adolescence , Hyperactive children -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:10144 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/871 , Attention-deficit disorder in adolescence , Hyperactive children -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth
- Description: Background: In recent years the incidence of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) has increased. Objectives: The primary aim of the study was to determine the treatment of children and adolescents diagnosed with ADHD in South Africa and more specifically the Eastern Cape. Methods: The study consisted of two parts, a retrospective drug utilisation study and a questionnaire survey. The drug utilisation study was conducted on chronic medication records of a private sector medical scheme administrator and contained records from 1994 to 2006. A total of 42 250 records representing 8 274 patients and 4 001 families, were analysed. The questionnaire survey was conducted in the Eastern Cape. The questionnaires were distributed by responsible pharmacists to parents of children receiving medication for the treatment of ADHD from his/her pharmacy. Fifty one completed questionnaires were analysed. Results: The average age of patients in the drug utilisation study were 14.28 (SD = 5.50) years. Males represented 77.37 percent of patients. Ritalin® 10 mg was the most frequently prescribed methylphenidate-containing product, followed by Ritalin® LA 20 mg. The two most frequently prescribed active ingredients apart from methylphenidate were fluticasone and budesonide. The two most common comorbid conditions were allergic rhinitis and asthma. The average age of patients in the questionnaire survey was 10.26 (SD = 2.51) years. Males represented 73.58 percent of patients. A third of patients had relatives previously diagnosed with ADHD. Ritalin® 10 mg was the most frequently prescribed methylphenidate-containing product. Conclusion: ADHD is a complex life-long disorder. It does not only affect the child diagnosed with the disorder, but also has effects on the family, schooling system and peer relationship. Therefore, more studies regarding the incidence and treatment of ADHD need to be conducted in South Africa.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2008
Treatment of Parkinson's disease in South Africa and investigation of risk factors causing dyskinesias
- Authors: Gaida, Razia
- Date: 2012
- Subjects: Movement disorders , Parkinson's disease , Drugs
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MPharm
- Identifier: vital:10159 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1012466 , Movement disorders , Parkinson's disease , Drugs
- Description: Background: Levodopa is still thought of as the 'gold standard' symptomatic treatment for Parkinson’s disease. However, after four to five years of treatment, levodopa efficacy tends to decline even if there was a good initial therapeutic response. The ideal treatment of Parkinson’s disease is a much debated issue with a range of guidelines available. Objectives: This study was undertaken to analyse medication use and prescribing patterns as well as to determine the risk factors involved in causing dyskinesias in Parkinson’s sufferers. Methods: The study consisted of two parts, namely a drug utilisation review (DUR) and a questionnaire survey. There were 25 523 antiparkinsonian records consisting of 5 168 patients for the year 2010. The questionnaires were verbally administered to patients diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. A total of 43 patients were interviewed. Results: The average age of the population was 70.74±10.37 years, with the oldest patient being 100 years. Females constituted 59.17percent (5 168: n = 3 058) of the total number of patients. The most common antiparkinsonian products dispensed were combination drugs containing levodopa with a decarboxylase inhibitor and some with a COMT-inhibitor as well (46.5percent; n = 11 875). Males represented 53.49percent (43: n = 23) of the patients included in the questionnaire survey. A review of the medical records showed that patients with dyskinesias were diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease at a younger age and had experienced longer disease duration. Conclusion: Parkinson’s disease is an under-recognised condition in South Africa. Treatment needs to be individualised and based on evidence-based guidelines. Further studies in South Africa, as well as SSA (sub-Saharan Africa), need to be conducted on both the prevalence as well as the treatment of Parkinson’s disease.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2012
- Authors: Gaida, Razia
- Date: 2012
- Subjects: Movement disorders , Parkinson's disease , Drugs
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MPharm
- Identifier: vital:10159 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1012466 , Movement disorders , Parkinson's disease , Drugs
- Description: Background: Levodopa is still thought of as the 'gold standard' symptomatic treatment for Parkinson’s disease. However, after four to five years of treatment, levodopa efficacy tends to decline even if there was a good initial therapeutic response. The ideal treatment of Parkinson’s disease is a much debated issue with a range of guidelines available. Objectives: This study was undertaken to analyse medication use and prescribing patterns as well as to determine the risk factors involved in causing dyskinesias in Parkinson’s sufferers. Methods: The study consisted of two parts, namely a drug utilisation review (DUR) and a questionnaire survey. There were 25 523 antiparkinsonian records consisting of 5 168 patients for the year 2010. The questionnaires were verbally administered to patients diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. A total of 43 patients were interviewed. Results: The average age of the population was 70.74±10.37 years, with the oldest patient being 100 years. Females constituted 59.17percent (5 168: n = 3 058) of the total number of patients. The most common antiparkinsonian products dispensed were combination drugs containing levodopa with a decarboxylase inhibitor and some with a COMT-inhibitor as well (46.5percent; n = 11 875). Males represented 53.49percent (43: n = 23) of the patients included in the questionnaire survey. A review of the medical records showed that patients with dyskinesias were diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease at a younger age and had experienced longer disease duration. Conclusion: Parkinson’s disease is an under-recognised condition in South Africa. Treatment needs to be individualised and based on evidence-based guidelines. Further studies in South Africa, as well as SSA (sub-Saharan Africa), need to be conducted on both the prevalence as well as the treatment of Parkinson’s disease.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2012
Unaccompanied refugee children's experiences in migration to South Africa
- Nthako, Matsedeso Emily Delle
- Authors: Nthako, Matsedeso Emily Delle
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Refugee children -- South Africa -- Psychological aspects , Refugee children -- South Africa -- Social conditions Emigration and immigration -- Psychological aspects
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/42738 , vital:36686
- Description: An increasing number of children from countries as far as Zimbabwe, Somalia, Democratic of Congo are migrating across South African's borders in the absence of their parents, relatives or care givers. Such children face a myraid of life-threatening experiences that are different from those of adult refugees in migration. While a great deal of research covered the experiences of adult refugees, those unaccompanied refugee children generally understudied. Valuable lessons can be derived from conducting studies to gain insight into their subjective experiences. This study explores and describes psychological experiences of URC in migration to South Africa. This is a qualitative study that follows an exploratory-descriptive research design. Purposive non-probability selection of participants. Data collection is derived from individual, semi-structured interviews and is analysed using thematic analysis. The findings are an exploration of the URC's experiences include detaching from the environment, family separation and loss, psychological challenges and coping mechanisms dealing with the inner being and children's perceptions of migration.
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2019
- Authors: Nthako, Matsedeso Emily Delle
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Refugee children -- South Africa -- Psychological aspects , Refugee children -- South Africa -- Social conditions Emigration and immigration -- Psychological aspects
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/42738 , vital:36686
- Description: An increasing number of children from countries as far as Zimbabwe, Somalia, Democratic of Congo are migrating across South African's borders in the absence of their parents, relatives or care givers. Such children face a myraid of life-threatening experiences that are different from those of adult refugees in migration. While a great deal of research covered the experiences of adult refugees, those unaccompanied refugee children generally understudied. Valuable lessons can be derived from conducting studies to gain insight into their subjective experiences. This study explores and describes psychological experiences of URC in migration to South Africa. This is a qualitative study that follows an exploratory-descriptive research design. Purposive non-probability selection of participants. Data collection is derived from individual, semi-structured interviews and is analysed using thematic analysis. The findings are an exploration of the URC's experiences include detaching from the environment, family separation and loss, psychological challenges and coping mechanisms dealing with the inner being and children's perceptions of migration.
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2019
Understanding rape perpetration: social origins and enactment
- Authors: Malahle, Bongani
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Rape -- Psychological aspects -- South Africa , Sex crimes -- Psychological aspects -- South Africa Women -- Crimes against -- South Africa Cognitive therapy
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/40834 , vital:36241
- Description: In South Africa rates of rape perpetration remain high despite efforts to prevent such violence. Globally, violence (including rape perpetration) has been declared a public health concern by governments and policy makers. This provided impetus for large epidemiological studies that has documented a number of risk factors for perpetration. However, despite these efforts, there are still large gaps in our understanding of rape perpetration, because studies often focus on risk factors rather than the dynamics of rape perpetration. Despite the significant quantitative descriptions of perpetration, there are still aspects which are not well understood, such as the interplay of social constructions and other factors during the actual act of perpetration. It has been suggested that rape can only be understood by engaging perpetrators and that such investigations can inform positive interventions in dealing with rape perpetration. The present study explored and described the origins of reasons for perpetration (subjective meanings and social constructs) and how these reasons interplay with other factors during the enactment of rape in South Africa. The data was purposively collected from seven incarcerated rape perpetrators from a correctional facility close to a major metropolitan area using semi-structured interviews. Data was analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Social Cognitive Learning Theory was used as the main theoretical framework to contextualise the results. Some of the findings in the present study include solipsism and sexual solipsism as reasons, patriarchy and hegemonic masculinity as influential in the social origins, and moral dysregulation as a one of the tools to effect enactment of rape perpetration. Some of the recommendations include employing more psychological workers in the primary health care sector. Furthermore, continued engagement of males by NGO’s, NPO’s, school-based programmes, and community activism to combat the narratives that lead to moral disengagement is recommended.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
- Authors: Malahle, Bongani
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Rape -- Psychological aspects -- South Africa , Sex crimes -- Psychological aspects -- South Africa Women -- Crimes against -- South Africa Cognitive therapy
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/40834 , vital:36241
- Description: In South Africa rates of rape perpetration remain high despite efforts to prevent such violence. Globally, violence (including rape perpetration) has been declared a public health concern by governments and policy makers. This provided impetus for large epidemiological studies that has documented a number of risk factors for perpetration. However, despite these efforts, there are still large gaps in our understanding of rape perpetration, because studies often focus on risk factors rather than the dynamics of rape perpetration. Despite the significant quantitative descriptions of perpetration, there are still aspects which are not well understood, such as the interplay of social constructions and other factors during the actual act of perpetration. It has been suggested that rape can only be understood by engaging perpetrators and that such investigations can inform positive interventions in dealing with rape perpetration. The present study explored and described the origins of reasons for perpetration (subjective meanings and social constructs) and how these reasons interplay with other factors during the enactment of rape in South Africa. The data was purposively collected from seven incarcerated rape perpetrators from a correctional facility close to a major metropolitan area using semi-structured interviews. Data was analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Social Cognitive Learning Theory was used as the main theoretical framework to contextualise the results. Some of the findings in the present study include solipsism and sexual solipsism as reasons, patriarchy and hegemonic masculinity as influential in the social origins, and moral dysregulation as a one of the tools to effect enactment of rape perpetration. Some of the recommendations include employing more psychological workers in the primary health care sector. Furthermore, continued engagement of males by NGO’s, NPO’s, school-based programmes, and community activism to combat the narratives that lead to moral disengagement is recommended.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
Understanding suicide: a psychobiographical study of Ian Kevin Curtis
- Authors: Kitching, Philip Herman
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Psychology -- Biographical methods Personality -- Research -- Methodology , Suicide Suicidal behavior
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , DPhil
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/18178 , vital:28583
- Description: Psychobiography can be viewed as the re-writing of an individual‟s life story previously undetected. In general, it consists of a combination of two central elements: biography and psychological theory, which aim to explain the particular individual‟s psychological development. This particular study serves to explore the extraordinary life of renowned singer and songwriter, Ian Kevin Curtis (1956-1980), who died by suicide at the early age of 23. The basis for this investigation will take the form of notable biographical accounts of the subject‟s life, together with the application of Thomas Joiner‟s (2005) interpersonal-psychological theory of suicide which identifies factors that lead to suicidal ideation - in an attempt to understand the psychological circumstances that contributed to Curtis‟s suicide. In doing so, Adler‟s (1929) theory of Individual Psychology was applied to the life of Curtis in an attempt to build on Joiner‟s theory. This led to the concept of control being introduced and contributed to the development of an intake form to identify those at risk for suicide. It is hoped that exploring the psychological circumstances that contributed to Curtis‟s suicide and their interpretation by the subject will bring about an understanding of the risk factors that may induce suicide and, by extension, will highlight the relevance of this psychobiographical study as a tool for investigating and promoting preventative measures concerning suicide. The psychobiographical data collection and analysis for this research thesis will be guided by Yin‟s (2003) theory of „analytic generalisation‟ which uses a theoretical framework in selecting relevant data which develops a matrix as a descriptive framework for organising and integrating that data, and Alexander‟s (1988) analytical model which focuses on lifting out themes through principal identifiers of salience.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Kitching, Philip Herman
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Psychology -- Biographical methods Personality -- Research -- Methodology , Suicide Suicidal behavior
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , DPhil
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/18178 , vital:28583
- Description: Psychobiography can be viewed as the re-writing of an individual‟s life story previously undetected. In general, it consists of a combination of two central elements: biography and psychological theory, which aim to explain the particular individual‟s psychological development. This particular study serves to explore the extraordinary life of renowned singer and songwriter, Ian Kevin Curtis (1956-1980), who died by suicide at the early age of 23. The basis for this investigation will take the form of notable biographical accounts of the subject‟s life, together with the application of Thomas Joiner‟s (2005) interpersonal-psychological theory of suicide which identifies factors that lead to suicidal ideation - in an attempt to understand the psychological circumstances that contributed to Curtis‟s suicide. In doing so, Adler‟s (1929) theory of Individual Psychology was applied to the life of Curtis in an attempt to build on Joiner‟s theory. This led to the concept of control being introduced and contributed to the development of an intake form to identify those at risk for suicide. It is hoped that exploring the psychological circumstances that contributed to Curtis‟s suicide and their interpretation by the subject will bring about an understanding of the risk factors that may induce suicide and, by extension, will highlight the relevance of this psychobiographical study as a tool for investigating and promoting preventative measures concerning suicide. The psychobiographical data collection and analysis for this research thesis will be guided by Yin‟s (2003) theory of „analytic generalisation‟ which uses a theoretical framework in selecting relevant data which develops a matrix as a descriptive framework for organising and integrating that data, and Alexander‟s (1988) analytical model which focuses on lifting out themes through principal identifiers of salience.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
University students’ perceptions of the influence of cannabis use on mental health
- Ramodumo, Itumeleng Adolphina
- Authors: Ramodumo, Itumeleng Adolphina
- Date: 2021-04
- Subjects: Mental health -- Education (Higher) , Marijuana -- Physiological effect , Cannabis -- Psychological aspects
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/51611 , vital:43322
- Description: This study explored university students’ perceptions of cannabis use on mental health at a higher education institution (HEI). Cannabis is described as the most commonly used drug by youth, especially, those who are in tertiary institutions (Allen & Holder, 2014; Arria, Caldeira, Bugbee, Vincent & O’Grady, 2015). The use of cannabis has both negative and positive effects; this is evident in different areas of human functioning. Cannabis usage has been debated upon in courts, regarding its legalisation and decriminalisation, and on the 18th of September 2018, the South African High Court legalised cannabis for personal use. A qualitative study with an explorative- descriptive design was used to give a broader exploration of university students’ perceptions of the influence of cannabis on mental health. The study was conducted at an HEI in the Nelson Mandela Bay and purposive sampling was used to select 15 participants for the study. Data was collected using focused group interviews, following the granting of permission by the Nelson Mandela University Research Ethics Committee. The collected data was analysed and interpreted using thematic analysis. The research findings indicated both positive and negative influences of cannabis use on mental health. Most participants who expressed positive effects are pervious cannabis users, whereas, most participants with negative perspectives of cannabis use on mental health are non- cannabis users. The findings revealed that participants perceived that the quantity of cannabis smoked determined whether there was a positive or negative effect on mental health, that is, large doses of cannabis had negative effects. The research findings also revealed that the legalisation of cannabis is very likely to increase its use, and the precautionary measures users take to avoid the substance’s negative effects on mental health. The Cognitive Behavioural Theory was used as the lens to better understand how students perceive cannabis use and its influence on mental health. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Health Sciences, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-04
- Authors: Ramodumo, Itumeleng Adolphina
- Date: 2021-04
- Subjects: Mental health -- Education (Higher) , Marijuana -- Physiological effect , Cannabis -- Psychological aspects
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/51611 , vital:43322
- Description: This study explored university students’ perceptions of cannabis use on mental health at a higher education institution (HEI). Cannabis is described as the most commonly used drug by youth, especially, those who are in tertiary institutions (Allen & Holder, 2014; Arria, Caldeira, Bugbee, Vincent & O’Grady, 2015). The use of cannabis has both negative and positive effects; this is evident in different areas of human functioning. Cannabis usage has been debated upon in courts, regarding its legalisation and decriminalisation, and on the 18th of September 2018, the South African High Court legalised cannabis for personal use. A qualitative study with an explorative- descriptive design was used to give a broader exploration of university students’ perceptions of the influence of cannabis on mental health. The study was conducted at an HEI in the Nelson Mandela Bay and purposive sampling was used to select 15 participants for the study. Data was collected using focused group interviews, following the granting of permission by the Nelson Mandela University Research Ethics Committee. The collected data was analysed and interpreted using thematic analysis. The research findings indicated both positive and negative influences of cannabis use on mental health. Most participants who expressed positive effects are pervious cannabis users, whereas, most participants with negative perspectives of cannabis use on mental health are non- cannabis users. The findings revealed that participants perceived that the quantity of cannabis smoked determined whether there was a positive or negative effect on mental health, that is, large doses of cannabis had negative effects. The research findings also revealed that the legalisation of cannabis is very likely to increase its use, and the precautionary measures users take to avoid the substance’s negative effects on mental health. The Cognitive Behavioural Theory was used as the lens to better understand how students perceive cannabis use and its influence on mental health. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Health Sciences, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-04
Uptake of liposomes into bacterial cells
- Authors: Oidu, Benjamin
- Date: 2013
- Subjects: Liposomes , Drug carriers (Pharmacy)
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:10165 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1021010
- Description: Liposomes are small phospholipid vesicles that have been widely investigated as drug carriers for the delivery of therapeutic agents. A variety of liposome formulations are presently under clinical trial exploration, while others have already been approved for clinical use. The aim of this study was to optimize liposome uptake into bacterial cells. Both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria were used in the study as well as Candida albicans.Response surface methodology (RSM) using a central composite design (CCD) model was used to optimize liposomal formulations of carboxyfluorescien (CF) for each of the three microbes, and also the three microbes in combination namely; Staphylococcus aureus (Sa), Escherichia coli (Ec) and Candida albicans (Ca). Percentage of CF encapsulated and CF increase in Uptake were investigated with respect to two independent variables that were, cholesterol (CHOL) and stearylamine (SA) content. Design Expert 8 was used for the purpose of finding the combination of independent variables that would yield an optimal formulation for each microbe and the three microbes in combination. The model selected by the software managed to reasonably correlate the predicted models to the experimental data. Encapsulation of carboxyfluorescien (CF) into a liposome formulation enhanced its uptake by Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli as well as Candida albicans. This was evident in the increase in CF uptake when the uptake rate of free CF was compared with that of liposomal CF.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2013
- Authors: Oidu, Benjamin
- Date: 2013
- Subjects: Liposomes , Drug carriers (Pharmacy)
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:10165 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1021010
- Description: Liposomes are small phospholipid vesicles that have been widely investigated as drug carriers for the delivery of therapeutic agents. A variety of liposome formulations are presently under clinical trial exploration, while others have already been approved for clinical use. The aim of this study was to optimize liposome uptake into bacterial cells. Both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria were used in the study as well as Candida albicans.Response surface methodology (RSM) using a central composite design (CCD) model was used to optimize liposomal formulations of carboxyfluorescien (CF) for each of the three microbes, and also the three microbes in combination namely; Staphylococcus aureus (Sa), Escherichia coli (Ec) and Candida albicans (Ca). Percentage of CF encapsulated and CF increase in Uptake were investigated with respect to two independent variables that were, cholesterol (CHOL) and stearylamine (SA) content. Design Expert 8 was used for the purpose of finding the combination of independent variables that would yield an optimal formulation for each microbe and the three microbes in combination. The model selected by the software managed to reasonably correlate the predicted models to the experimental data. Encapsulation of carboxyfluorescien (CF) into a liposome formulation enhanced its uptake by Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli as well as Candida albicans. This was evident in the increase in CF uptake when the uptake rate of free CF was compared with that of liposomal CF.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2013
Usage of traditional medicines and other indigenous practices by childbearing women during pregnancy in Makoni District, Zimbabwe
- Authors: Chituku, Sibongile
- Date: 2020-09
- Subjects: Traditional medicine -- Zimbabwe , Medicinal plants
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/20142 , vital:45347
- Description: Use of traditional medicinal plants (TMPs) during pregnancy, labour and delivery is common globally although evidence on their therapeutic effectiveness and safety is scarce. Research relating to indigenous practices and utilisation of traditional medicinal plants by childbearing women during pregnancy in Makoni District, Zimbabwe was carried out. The study included identification of culturally important indigenous knowledge (IK) practices and TMPs used by pregnant women in order to understand how such plants and practices may affect maternal, foetal, labour, and infant outcomes. Four hundred questionnaires were distributed to postnatal mothers in Makoni District, aimed at obtaining information on IK practices associated with utilisation of TMPs by childbearing women during pregnancy. In addition to this, five focused group discussions were carried out between September 2016 and December 2017 with 66 traditional healers from Makoni District. Documented information included names of utilised plants, plant parts used, dosage, methods of preparation and administration, and reasons for use. Voucher specimens of the utilised plant species were collected. Brine shrimp lethality test was used to evaluate potential toxicity of the documented plant species. The collected data were analysed used Epi info version 7.1 and SPSS version 16.5. Quantitative data revealed that 168 (42.0percent) of pregnant women in Makoni District use TMPs and 95 (23.8percent) used traditional practices (including elephant dung) for maternal and childcare. Among the women who used TMPs were those who experienced precipitated and prolonged labour. Correlation was found between demographic factors and utilisation of TMPs. For example, being a Christian was significantly associated with using TMPs with relative risk (RR) value of 8.9. Postnatal mothers who used TMPs during their pregnancy were 82.0percent less likely to have their membranes ruptured artificially, RR = 0.2 and more likely to experience late decelerations during active phase (RR = 2.8) than those who did not use TMPs. The differences between those who used TMPs and those who did not during pregnancy and labour, showed no significant differences in infant outcomes. The ethnobotanical survey revealed that a total of 47 plant species from 27 families and 13 non-plant products were used as herbal, complementary and alternative medicines (CAM) by pregnant women. More than half of all the documented plant species (59.8percent), belonged to the Fabaceae (19.1), Asteraceae, (8.5percent), Convolvulaceae (6.4percent), Asparagaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Malvaceae, Rubiaceae, Vitaceae and Xanthorrhoeaceae (4.3percent each) families. The most used plants were shrubs (40.4percent), trees (27.7percent), climbers (17.0percent), herbs (12.8percent) and a grasses (2.1percent). The most used plant parts were roots (61.7percent), leaves (25.5percent), fruits (12.8percent) and bark (10.6percent). A total of 26 medical conditions were treated with the majority of medicinal plants used to dilate or widen the birth canal (55.3percent) and to augment labour or speed up the delivery process (46.8percent). Interviews with traditional healers revealed that 14.9percent of the documented herbal medicines were used to guard against witchcraft and to prevent the infants’ illnesses. Other major uses of herbal medicines during pregnancy included their use to lower blood pressure or hypertension during pregnancy (12.8percent), to prevent caesarean section (10.6percent) and to loosen or relax muscles during pregnancy (8.5percent). Widely used non-plant products included soil of a burrowing mole (relative frequency citation (RFC) value of 0.61), elephant dung (RFC = 0.59), wasp nest (RFC = 0.32) and soap (RFC = 25). The majority of these non-plant products (22.8percent) were used to dilate birth canal (7.6percent) and augment labour (15.2percent). None of the twenty-five species with (RFC) > 0.05 evaluated for potential toxicity were categorised as toxic, but Albizia amara, Datura stramonium and Ricinus communis were categorised as having medium toxicity levels, nine species as having low toxicity levels while 13 species were categorised as non-toxic. This study provides valuable insights into the use of medicinal plants used by women during pregnancy, labour, delivery and post-delivery in Makoni District, Zimbabwe. Medicinal plants play an integral role in the provision of basic health care in Zimbabwe. However, the brine shrimp lethality test results categorised some of the prescribed species such as Albizia amara, Datura stramonium and Ricinus communis as having medium levels of toxicity and this is a cause of concern regarding utilization of TMPs during pregnancy. Therefore, TMPs used during pregnancy should be subjected to detailed phytochemical, pharmacological and toxicological experiments aimed at identifying some of the potential toxic compounds and side effects associated with intake of TMPs and associated herbal products. , Thesis (PhD(Nursing)) -- Faculty of Health Sciences, 2020
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020-09
- Authors: Chituku, Sibongile
- Date: 2020-09
- Subjects: Traditional medicine -- Zimbabwe , Medicinal plants
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/20142 , vital:45347
- Description: Use of traditional medicinal plants (TMPs) during pregnancy, labour and delivery is common globally although evidence on their therapeutic effectiveness and safety is scarce. Research relating to indigenous practices and utilisation of traditional medicinal plants by childbearing women during pregnancy in Makoni District, Zimbabwe was carried out. The study included identification of culturally important indigenous knowledge (IK) practices and TMPs used by pregnant women in order to understand how such plants and practices may affect maternal, foetal, labour, and infant outcomes. Four hundred questionnaires were distributed to postnatal mothers in Makoni District, aimed at obtaining information on IK practices associated with utilisation of TMPs by childbearing women during pregnancy. In addition to this, five focused group discussions were carried out between September 2016 and December 2017 with 66 traditional healers from Makoni District. Documented information included names of utilised plants, plant parts used, dosage, methods of preparation and administration, and reasons for use. Voucher specimens of the utilised plant species were collected. Brine shrimp lethality test was used to evaluate potential toxicity of the documented plant species. The collected data were analysed used Epi info version 7.1 and SPSS version 16.5. Quantitative data revealed that 168 (42.0percent) of pregnant women in Makoni District use TMPs and 95 (23.8percent) used traditional practices (including elephant dung) for maternal and childcare. Among the women who used TMPs were those who experienced precipitated and prolonged labour. Correlation was found between demographic factors and utilisation of TMPs. For example, being a Christian was significantly associated with using TMPs with relative risk (RR) value of 8.9. Postnatal mothers who used TMPs during their pregnancy were 82.0percent less likely to have their membranes ruptured artificially, RR = 0.2 and more likely to experience late decelerations during active phase (RR = 2.8) than those who did not use TMPs. The differences between those who used TMPs and those who did not during pregnancy and labour, showed no significant differences in infant outcomes. The ethnobotanical survey revealed that a total of 47 plant species from 27 families and 13 non-plant products were used as herbal, complementary and alternative medicines (CAM) by pregnant women. More than half of all the documented plant species (59.8percent), belonged to the Fabaceae (19.1), Asteraceae, (8.5percent), Convolvulaceae (6.4percent), Asparagaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Malvaceae, Rubiaceae, Vitaceae and Xanthorrhoeaceae (4.3percent each) families. The most used plants were shrubs (40.4percent), trees (27.7percent), climbers (17.0percent), herbs (12.8percent) and a grasses (2.1percent). The most used plant parts were roots (61.7percent), leaves (25.5percent), fruits (12.8percent) and bark (10.6percent). A total of 26 medical conditions were treated with the majority of medicinal plants used to dilate or widen the birth canal (55.3percent) and to augment labour or speed up the delivery process (46.8percent). Interviews with traditional healers revealed that 14.9percent of the documented herbal medicines were used to guard against witchcraft and to prevent the infants’ illnesses. Other major uses of herbal medicines during pregnancy included their use to lower blood pressure or hypertension during pregnancy (12.8percent), to prevent caesarean section (10.6percent) and to loosen or relax muscles during pregnancy (8.5percent). Widely used non-plant products included soil of a burrowing mole (relative frequency citation (RFC) value of 0.61), elephant dung (RFC = 0.59), wasp nest (RFC = 0.32) and soap (RFC = 25). The majority of these non-plant products (22.8percent) were used to dilate birth canal (7.6percent) and augment labour (15.2percent). None of the twenty-five species with (RFC) > 0.05 evaluated for potential toxicity were categorised as toxic, but Albizia amara, Datura stramonium and Ricinus communis were categorised as having medium toxicity levels, nine species as having low toxicity levels while 13 species were categorised as non-toxic. This study provides valuable insights into the use of medicinal plants used by women during pregnancy, labour, delivery and post-delivery in Makoni District, Zimbabwe. Medicinal plants play an integral role in the provision of basic health care in Zimbabwe. However, the brine shrimp lethality test results categorised some of the prescribed species such as Albizia amara, Datura stramonium and Ricinus communis as having medium levels of toxicity and this is a cause of concern regarding utilization of TMPs during pregnancy. Therefore, TMPs used during pregnancy should be subjected to detailed phytochemical, pharmacological and toxicological experiments aimed at identifying some of the potential toxic compounds and side effects associated with intake of TMPs and associated herbal products. , Thesis (PhD(Nursing)) -- Faculty of Health Sciences, 2020
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020-09
Usefulness of the neo PI-R personality profiles in the selection of psychology master's applicants
- Authors: Hurter, Kim
- Date: 2009
- Subjects: NEO Personality Inventory , Dregrees, Academic -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:9907 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1009640 , NEO Personality Inventory , Dregrees, Academic -- South Africa
- Description: Each year, psychology departments across South Africa are faced with the arduous task of selecting the most suitable candidates to fill their Clinical, Counselling, Educational, and Industrial Psychology master’s coursework programmes. Although various criteria are considered in this process, personality has long been considered an important variable in the screening and selection of master’s psychology applicants, and some sort of personality assessment is commonly utilized by selection committees as part of the screening and selection procedures. While there are many different theoretical perspectives on personality and various personality assessment measures available, the Five-Factor Model (FFM) of personality has gained considerable attention over the last decade as a comprehensive and universal conceptualization of a broad trait structure for human personality. Currently, the Revised NEO Personality Inventory (NEO PI-R) is considered to be one of the best commercially available measures of the personality traits proposed by this model. The NEO PI-R provides a comprehensive measure of adult personality, has been extensively researched, and has demonstrated its utility across many different cultures, languages, and contexts. The aim of this study was to explore and describe the personality profiles of short-listed master’s psychology applicants at a higher education institution in South Africa, using the NEO PI-R, in an effort to explore the use of NEO PI-R profiles in the selection of master’s psychology applicants. The study was exploratory descriptive in nature and employed a quantitative research method. The sample of 247 participants was selected according to non-probability convenience sampling and was sourced from an archival research database. As part of the application process at the higher education institution, applicants were required to complete various tests, tasks, and questionnaires. The questionnaires selected for this study included a biographical questionnaire, used to describe the biographical variables of the sample, and the NEO PI-R (Costa & McCrae, 1992), used as a measure of personality. The NEO PI-R has been found to have good validity and reliability, with reliability in particular having being established in the South African context. Descriptive and inferential statistics, including correlations, cluster xiv analysis, and multivariate analysis of variance (ANOVA), were utilized to analyze the data. Key findings revealed that overall, the group of short-listed master’s psychology applicants could be described as being emotionally well-adjusted and sociable, which is in line with previous national and international research. In addition, a cluster analysis revealed three significantly different personality subgroups within the total sample, thus highlighting the heterogeneous nature of this sample of applicants. Each of the three personality subgroups exhibited significantly different personality traits which were judged to be more or less suitable for potential psychologists-in-training. Clusters 1 and 2 exhibited the most desirable personality characteristics in relation to selection into a master’s psychology programme, while Cluster 3 exhibited the least desirable traits. Various classification functions were derived which classified applicants into “selected” and “not selected” groups as well as the three personality subgroups, which could aid selection committees in the future to screen out potentially unsuitable candidates earlier in the selection process. It was concluded that the use of NEO PI-R personality profiles could aid the screening and selection of short-listed master’s psychology applicants.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2009
- Authors: Hurter, Kim
- Date: 2009
- Subjects: NEO Personality Inventory , Dregrees, Academic -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:9907 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1009640 , NEO Personality Inventory , Dregrees, Academic -- South Africa
- Description: Each year, psychology departments across South Africa are faced with the arduous task of selecting the most suitable candidates to fill their Clinical, Counselling, Educational, and Industrial Psychology master’s coursework programmes. Although various criteria are considered in this process, personality has long been considered an important variable in the screening and selection of master’s psychology applicants, and some sort of personality assessment is commonly utilized by selection committees as part of the screening and selection procedures. While there are many different theoretical perspectives on personality and various personality assessment measures available, the Five-Factor Model (FFM) of personality has gained considerable attention over the last decade as a comprehensive and universal conceptualization of a broad trait structure for human personality. Currently, the Revised NEO Personality Inventory (NEO PI-R) is considered to be one of the best commercially available measures of the personality traits proposed by this model. The NEO PI-R provides a comprehensive measure of adult personality, has been extensively researched, and has demonstrated its utility across many different cultures, languages, and contexts. The aim of this study was to explore and describe the personality profiles of short-listed master’s psychology applicants at a higher education institution in South Africa, using the NEO PI-R, in an effort to explore the use of NEO PI-R profiles in the selection of master’s psychology applicants. The study was exploratory descriptive in nature and employed a quantitative research method. The sample of 247 participants was selected according to non-probability convenience sampling and was sourced from an archival research database. As part of the application process at the higher education institution, applicants were required to complete various tests, tasks, and questionnaires. The questionnaires selected for this study included a biographical questionnaire, used to describe the biographical variables of the sample, and the NEO PI-R (Costa & McCrae, 1992), used as a measure of personality. The NEO PI-R has been found to have good validity and reliability, with reliability in particular having being established in the South African context. Descriptive and inferential statistics, including correlations, cluster xiv analysis, and multivariate analysis of variance (ANOVA), were utilized to analyze the data. Key findings revealed that overall, the group of short-listed master’s psychology applicants could be described as being emotionally well-adjusted and sociable, which is in line with previous national and international research. In addition, a cluster analysis revealed three significantly different personality subgroups within the total sample, thus highlighting the heterogeneous nature of this sample of applicants. Each of the three personality subgroups exhibited significantly different personality traits which were judged to be more or less suitable for potential psychologists-in-training. Clusters 1 and 2 exhibited the most desirable personality characteristics in relation to selection into a master’s psychology programme, while Cluster 3 exhibited the least desirable traits. Various classification functions were derived which classified applicants into “selected” and “not selected” groups as well as the three personality subgroups, which could aid selection committees in the future to screen out potentially unsuitable candidates earlier in the selection process. It was concluded that the use of NEO PI-R personality profiles could aid the screening and selection of short-listed master’s psychology applicants.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2009
User experience requirements for the integration of blended learning technologies into anatomy and physiology
- Authors: Buckle, Maria Magdalena
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Web-based instruction , Educational technology Internet in education Computer-assisted instruction -- Curricula -- Planning Anatomy Physiology
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MHSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/37874 , vital:34257
- Description: Blended learning is currently the recommended mode of teaching at Nelson Mandela University and typically refers to a mix of traditional methods of teaching and learning integrated with technology, in particular, online delivery methods. In this blended learning study, a web-based learning programme, WileyPLUSLS, in combination with the assessment functions of the learning management system, Moodle, introduced the technology component into the teaching and learning of Anatomy and Physiology. User experience (UX) studies investigate the experiences of a user when using a product or system. Because very little is currently known about the UX when WileyPLUSLS and Moodle are integrated into the teaching and learning of Anatomy and Physiology, this study aims to determine the participants’ UX to compile a set of UX requirements. The purpose of these UX requirements is to inform designers if the programmes WileyPLUS and Moodle function as they should and to modify them, if needed, to improve their usability. These UX requirements also aim to support and guide the integration of blended learning technologies into the curriculum of Anatomy and Physiology and other disciplines alike. The research design selected for this study was in the form of a case study conducted on the 2016 first-year BHSc: MLS (Bachelor of Health Sciences in Medical Laboratory Science) class at Nelson Mandela University. Pre-study investigations on infrastructure, connectivity and e-readiness were conducted to lay the groundwork for the case study and to inform its rationale. Data was collected from literature studies, online UX questionnaires, semi-structured interviews and researcher observations. A mixed methods approach to data analysis was adopted. Quantitative data from the UX questionnaire were analysed by means of descriptive statistics, whereas qualitative data from semi-structured interviews, open-ended questions from UX questionnaire and researcher observations were analysed via content analysis. Subsequently the analysis and triangulation of the data culminated into UX requirements, which were categorised into the following classifications, namely infrastructure, human resources, educational content and online learning systems. This case study illuminated many major issues regarding connectivity, e-readiness, unequal access to online learning, the importance of security features for online summative assessments, the usefulness of commercial web-based learning programmes and the confounding effect of the #FeesMustFall (FMF) protest movement. Finally, the influence of artificial intelligence (AI) on online learning and the workplace was addressed. This research was successful in compiling the UX requirements to inform designers regarding the usability of their systems and to guide the integration of online programmes into the curriculum, especially in the South African context of limited and slow connectivity.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
- Authors: Buckle, Maria Magdalena
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Web-based instruction , Educational technology Internet in education Computer-assisted instruction -- Curricula -- Planning Anatomy Physiology
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MHSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/37874 , vital:34257
- Description: Blended learning is currently the recommended mode of teaching at Nelson Mandela University and typically refers to a mix of traditional methods of teaching and learning integrated with technology, in particular, online delivery methods. In this blended learning study, a web-based learning programme, WileyPLUSLS, in combination with the assessment functions of the learning management system, Moodle, introduced the technology component into the teaching and learning of Anatomy and Physiology. User experience (UX) studies investigate the experiences of a user when using a product or system. Because very little is currently known about the UX when WileyPLUSLS and Moodle are integrated into the teaching and learning of Anatomy and Physiology, this study aims to determine the participants’ UX to compile a set of UX requirements. The purpose of these UX requirements is to inform designers if the programmes WileyPLUS and Moodle function as they should and to modify them, if needed, to improve their usability. These UX requirements also aim to support and guide the integration of blended learning technologies into the curriculum of Anatomy and Physiology and other disciplines alike. The research design selected for this study was in the form of a case study conducted on the 2016 first-year BHSc: MLS (Bachelor of Health Sciences in Medical Laboratory Science) class at Nelson Mandela University. Pre-study investigations on infrastructure, connectivity and e-readiness were conducted to lay the groundwork for the case study and to inform its rationale. Data was collected from literature studies, online UX questionnaires, semi-structured interviews and researcher observations. A mixed methods approach to data analysis was adopted. Quantitative data from the UX questionnaire were analysed by means of descriptive statistics, whereas qualitative data from semi-structured interviews, open-ended questions from UX questionnaire and researcher observations were analysed via content analysis. Subsequently the analysis and triangulation of the data culminated into UX requirements, which were categorised into the following classifications, namely infrastructure, human resources, educational content and online learning systems. This case study illuminated many major issues regarding connectivity, e-readiness, unequal access to online learning, the importance of security features for online summative assessments, the usefulness of commercial web-based learning programmes and the confounding effect of the #FeesMustFall (FMF) protest movement. Finally, the influence of artificial intelligence (AI) on online learning and the workplace was addressed. This research was successful in compiling the UX requirements to inform designers regarding the usability of their systems and to guide the integration of online programmes into the curriculum, especially in the South African context of limited and slow connectivity.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
Utility of the cognitive assessment system (CAS) to predict reading proficiency in grade 1
- Authors: Hüttenrauch, Maria Eleonore
- Date: 2008
- Subjects: Das-Naglieri Cognitive Assessment System , Intelligence tests for preliterates , Cognition in children , Reading disability
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , DPhil
- Identifier: vital:9839 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/965 , Das-Naglieri Cognitive Assessment System , Intelligence tests for preliterates , Cognition in children , Reading disability
- Description: Reading disability, as the most commonly diagnosed learning disability, continues to pose a tenacious problem to teachers, practitioners and researchers. In an effort to understand the causes of reading disability, voluminous research has been undertaken over the past decades to pinpoint its causes or developmental stumbling blocks. One approach, the Planning, Attention, Simultaneous, and Successive processing (PASS) model, combines neuropsychological theory with elements from cognitive psychology. Based on this model, the Cognitive Assessment System (CAS), as well as methods of intervention for reading disability were developed. Although many studies have been conducted that investigated reading disability in terms of PASS cognitive processes, the final version of the CAS and its predictive utility with respect to reading disability has not been explored to date. The present study aimed to investigate the utility of the CAS, administered at the beginning of grade 1, to predict reading proficiency at the end of grade 1. The sample was comprised of 119 “average” (i.e., belonging to the general population) grade 1 students from schools of the Calgary Board of Education (CBE). The Basic Battery of the CAS was administered to the children in the sample at the beginning of grade 1, as well as four reading subtests of the Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Achievement – Third Edition (WJ-III ACH) at the end of grade 1. The WJ-III ACH yielded a cluster score for basic reading and one for reading comprehension. Correlational and regression analyses were used to address the first aim of this study, namely to explore the relationship between students’ scores on the CAS and their later reading proficiency. To this end, the children’s CAS Full Scale scores and WJ-III ACH cluster scores were subjected to a hierarchical regression analysis, whereby age, gender, and - xviii - SES were kept constant by entering them first in the equation. Next, the relationship between students’ PASS scale scores and the CAS subtest scores respectively and scores on the WJ-III ACH Basic Reading and Reading Comprehension Cluster scores was explored by means of stepwise regression analysis. To improve on the generalizability of results, the regression analyses were conducted on a randomly drawn analysis sample consisting of 80% of the sample, and cross-validated on the remaining 20% of the sample. The second aim of the present study was to ascertain whether clusters could be identified on the basis of CAS performance as well as levels of reading proficiency. To this end, the children’s CAS FS scores, PASS scale scores, and CAS subtest scores were subjected to cluster analyses. The investigation of aim 1 yielded some encouraging results, in that it was found that, together with the covariates: • The CAS FS emerged as a moderately strong predictor of both basic reading and reading comprehension; • Successive processing, in particular the Word Series subtest, significantly predicted basic reading skills; • Successive and simultaneous processing, particularly the Nonverbal Matrices and Sentence Repetition subtests, were significant predictors of reading comprehension; The second aim, which explored the relationship between patterns of CAS cognitive processes and their relationship with reading proficiency, yielded: • Two clusters with distinctly different PASS scale scores and with significant differences between their levels of reading proficiency. Higher PASS scales scores, particularly on the Attention and Planning scales, were associated with higher reading proficiency scores. • Four clusters with distinctly different CAS subtest scores that were also associated with distinctly different levels of reading performance. Good - xix - reading proficiency was associated with good CAS performance, whereas weaker reading proficiency was linked to weaker CAS performance. Biographical variables, such as age and SES were found to be related to performance on the CAS and reading proficiency, while gender did not emerge as an important predictor variable. The present study demonstrated the usefulness of the CAS, particularly its Successive and Simultaneous scales, as potential early predictor of reading disability. An exploration of the relationship between patterns of CAS cognitive processes and later reading proficiency also yielded encouraging and interesting results.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2008
- Authors: Hüttenrauch, Maria Eleonore
- Date: 2008
- Subjects: Das-Naglieri Cognitive Assessment System , Intelligence tests for preliterates , Cognition in children , Reading disability
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , DPhil
- Identifier: vital:9839 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/965 , Das-Naglieri Cognitive Assessment System , Intelligence tests for preliterates , Cognition in children , Reading disability
- Description: Reading disability, as the most commonly diagnosed learning disability, continues to pose a tenacious problem to teachers, practitioners and researchers. In an effort to understand the causes of reading disability, voluminous research has been undertaken over the past decades to pinpoint its causes or developmental stumbling blocks. One approach, the Planning, Attention, Simultaneous, and Successive processing (PASS) model, combines neuropsychological theory with elements from cognitive psychology. Based on this model, the Cognitive Assessment System (CAS), as well as methods of intervention for reading disability were developed. Although many studies have been conducted that investigated reading disability in terms of PASS cognitive processes, the final version of the CAS and its predictive utility with respect to reading disability has not been explored to date. The present study aimed to investigate the utility of the CAS, administered at the beginning of grade 1, to predict reading proficiency at the end of grade 1. The sample was comprised of 119 “average” (i.e., belonging to the general population) grade 1 students from schools of the Calgary Board of Education (CBE). The Basic Battery of the CAS was administered to the children in the sample at the beginning of grade 1, as well as four reading subtests of the Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Achievement – Third Edition (WJ-III ACH) at the end of grade 1. The WJ-III ACH yielded a cluster score for basic reading and one for reading comprehension. Correlational and regression analyses were used to address the first aim of this study, namely to explore the relationship between students’ scores on the CAS and their later reading proficiency. To this end, the children’s CAS Full Scale scores and WJ-III ACH cluster scores were subjected to a hierarchical regression analysis, whereby age, gender, and - xviii - SES were kept constant by entering them first in the equation. Next, the relationship between students’ PASS scale scores and the CAS subtest scores respectively and scores on the WJ-III ACH Basic Reading and Reading Comprehension Cluster scores was explored by means of stepwise regression analysis. To improve on the generalizability of results, the regression analyses were conducted on a randomly drawn analysis sample consisting of 80% of the sample, and cross-validated on the remaining 20% of the sample. The second aim of the present study was to ascertain whether clusters could be identified on the basis of CAS performance as well as levels of reading proficiency. To this end, the children’s CAS FS scores, PASS scale scores, and CAS subtest scores were subjected to cluster analyses. The investigation of aim 1 yielded some encouraging results, in that it was found that, together with the covariates: • The CAS FS emerged as a moderately strong predictor of both basic reading and reading comprehension; • Successive processing, in particular the Word Series subtest, significantly predicted basic reading skills; • Successive and simultaneous processing, particularly the Nonverbal Matrices and Sentence Repetition subtests, were significant predictors of reading comprehension; The second aim, which explored the relationship between patterns of CAS cognitive processes and their relationship with reading proficiency, yielded: • Two clusters with distinctly different PASS scale scores and with significant differences between their levels of reading proficiency. Higher PASS scales scores, particularly on the Attention and Planning scales, were associated with higher reading proficiency scores. • Four clusters with distinctly different CAS subtest scores that were also associated with distinctly different levels of reading performance. Good - xix - reading proficiency was associated with good CAS performance, whereas weaker reading proficiency was linked to weaker CAS performance. Biographical variables, such as age and SES were found to be related to performance on the CAS and reading proficiency, while gender did not emerge as an important predictor variable. The present study demonstrated the usefulness of the CAS, particularly its Successive and Simultaneous scales, as potential early predictor of reading disability. An exploration of the relationship between patterns of CAS cognitive processes and later reading proficiency also yielded encouraging and interesting results.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2008
Validity and accuracy of self-reported drug allergies
- Authors: Grant, Elzaan
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Drug allergy , Medical history taking
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MPharm
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/3295 , vital:20421
- Description: Purpose: Pharmacists must ensure the safe and effective use of medication, but often have only the documented patient history to guide assessment of therapy. There is a lack of information on the incidence of claimed drug allergies or the validity of these self-reported drug allergies in the South African population. Mislabelling of patients as being allergic to medication often deprives them of important therapeutic drugs and alternative agents may be more dangerous, less effective and more costly (Hung et al., 1994). The aim of the research was therefore to determine the incidence of drug allergies in patients admitted to a private hospital and to assess the validity of these self-reported drug allergies. Methods: A descriptive, non-experimental study design was used. Data was collected using a concurrent, cross-sectional approach and collected from patients admitted to hospital using Medical Chart Reviews and researcher-led, questionnaire based interviews. During the seven month sampling period, 693 patients were identified with one or more self-reported drug allergies. A subset of 99 patients (14.2%) consented to a researcher-led interview. The allergies were assigned to one of three groups based on the history: (i) High probability: signs and symptoms typical of an immunological reaction. (ii) Low probability: signs and symptoms of the reaction were predictable reactions or side effects of the drug. (iii) Unknown status: no information concerning the reaction history was available. Results: A total of 953 allergies were identified in the 693 patients, with a ratio of drug allergy to patient of 1.4:1. The majority of claimed allergies were to penicillin (39.2%), opioid analgesics (17.6%), other antimicrobials, including co-trimoxazole (13.5%), NSAIDs (9.9%) and unspecified “sulphur” allergy (8.7%). Descriptions of the “allergic” reactions were only recorded on 8.9% (62, n=693) of the reviewed charts. Only 56.5% (35, n=62) of the symptoms recorded as “allergy” were indicative of the event being allergic or immunological in nature. In total, 1.3% (9, n=693) of the patients with a self-reported allergy received the allergen while in hospital. In three cases this was the result of a pharmacist overlooking the recorded allergy, and dispensing the allergen to the patient. A total of 118 allergies were identified in the 99 interviewed patients, with a ratio of drug allergy to patient of 1.2:1. Inaccurate allergy history was found in 9.1% (9, n=99) of the interviewed patients. Overall, the majority of self-reported drug allergies (67.8%) had a “high probability” of being a true drug allergy. Allergies that were assigned into the high probability group were: penicillin (74.1%), co-trimoxazole (91.7%), NSAID‟s (55.6%) and 75.0% of opioids. Conclusion: In summary, the validity of self-reported drug allergies need to be determined before excluding medication from a patient‟s treatment options. Detailed descriptions can assist in the evaluation of self-reported allergies which would be advantageous to both prescribers and patients. Pharmacists need to play a bigger role in ensuring accurate documentation of drug allergy history, with detailed descriptions, in order to ensure safe and effective drug use within the hospital environment.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
- Authors: Grant, Elzaan
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Drug allergy , Medical history taking
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MPharm
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/3295 , vital:20421
- Description: Purpose: Pharmacists must ensure the safe and effective use of medication, but often have only the documented patient history to guide assessment of therapy. There is a lack of information on the incidence of claimed drug allergies or the validity of these self-reported drug allergies in the South African population. Mislabelling of patients as being allergic to medication often deprives them of important therapeutic drugs and alternative agents may be more dangerous, less effective and more costly (Hung et al., 1994). The aim of the research was therefore to determine the incidence of drug allergies in patients admitted to a private hospital and to assess the validity of these self-reported drug allergies. Methods: A descriptive, non-experimental study design was used. Data was collected using a concurrent, cross-sectional approach and collected from patients admitted to hospital using Medical Chart Reviews and researcher-led, questionnaire based interviews. During the seven month sampling period, 693 patients were identified with one or more self-reported drug allergies. A subset of 99 patients (14.2%) consented to a researcher-led interview. The allergies were assigned to one of three groups based on the history: (i) High probability: signs and symptoms typical of an immunological reaction. (ii) Low probability: signs and symptoms of the reaction were predictable reactions or side effects of the drug. (iii) Unknown status: no information concerning the reaction history was available. Results: A total of 953 allergies were identified in the 693 patients, with a ratio of drug allergy to patient of 1.4:1. The majority of claimed allergies were to penicillin (39.2%), opioid analgesics (17.6%), other antimicrobials, including co-trimoxazole (13.5%), NSAIDs (9.9%) and unspecified “sulphur” allergy (8.7%). Descriptions of the “allergic” reactions were only recorded on 8.9% (62, n=693) of the reviewed charts. Only 56.5% (35, n=62) of the symptoms recorded as “allergy” were indicative of the event being allergic or immunological in nature. In total, 1.3% (9, n=693) of the patients with a self-reported allergy received the allergen while in hospital. In three cases this was the result of a pharmacist overlooking the recorded allergy, and dispensing the allergen to the patient. A total of 118 allergies were identified in the 99 interviewed patients, with a ratio of drug allergy to patient of 1.2:1. Inaccurate allergy history was found in 9.1% (9, n=99) of the interviewed patients. Overall, the majority of self-reported drug allergies (67.8%) had a “high probability” of being a true drug allergy. Allergies that were assigned into the high probability group were: penicillin (74.1%), co-trimoxazole (91.7%), NSAID‟s (55.6%) and 75.0% of opioids. Conclusion: In summary, the validity of self-reported drug allergies need to be determined before excluding medication from a patient‟s treatment options. Detailed descriptions can assist in the evaluation of self-reported allergies which would be advantageous to both prescribers and patients. Pharmacists need to play a bigger role in ensuring accurate documentation of drug allergy history, with detailed descriptions, in order to ensure safe and effective drug use within the hospital environment.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
Views of grade nine learners regarding the marketing of nursing as a career to attract school-leavers to the profession in the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality
- Stevens, Annette Kay, Williams, Maggie
- Authors: Stevens, Annette Kay , Williams, Maggie
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: Nursing -- Vocational guidance -- South Africa -- Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality Nursing -- Practice -- South Africa -- Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality Career development -- Nursing -- South Africa -- Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCur
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/12834 , vital:27125
- Description: Globally, the nursing profession is faced with a decline in school-leavers’ interest in nursing as a career. The decline in school leavers entering the nursing profession poses a threat to the future of nursing because, globally, the average age of nurses in many countries exceeds 40 years (International Council of Nurses, 2008). The role of marketing in attracting school leavers to careers of choice is well documented; however, there is a lack of documented marketing attempts by Nursing Education Institutions to market nursing as a career at secondary schools in the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality. The purpose of the study was to determine the views that grade nine learners have regarding the marketing of nursing as a career to attract school-leavers to the profession. The researcher also explored and described how grade nine learners are being informed or wish to be informed of nursing as a career. Based on the findings of the study, broad guidelines were developed for nurse educators at Nursing Education Institutions so as to facilitate the marketing of nursing as a career for school leavers. To achieve the purpose of this study, a quantitative, explorative, descriptive and contextual study design was used. The study was conducted at selected senior secondary schools in the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality. The research population in this study comprised of all grade nine learners at secondary schools in the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality. A simple random sampling method was used to select participants. A structured self-administered questionnaire was used as the data collection tool. The data collected were analysed with the help of the statistician, using descriptive and inferential statistics. The study findings revealed that grade nine learners in the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality had a positive response to choosing nursing as a career and that schools situated in the lower socio-economic areas had the highest percentage of grade nine learners indicating an interest in nursing as a career. The study concludes with recommendations for nursing practice, education and research. Ethical principles have been maintained throughout the study.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
- Authors: Stevens, Annette Kay , Williams, Maggie
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: Nursing -- Vocational guidance -- South Africa -- Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality Nursing -- Practice -- South Africa -- Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality Career development -- Nursing -- South Africa -- Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCur
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/12834 , vital:27125
- Description: Globally, the nursing profession is faced with a decline in school-leavers’ interest in nursing as a career. The decline in school leavers entering the nursing profession poses a threat to the future of nursing because, globally, the average age of nurses in many countries exceeds 40 years (International Council of Nurses, 2008). The role of marketing in attracting school leavers to careers of choice is well documented; however, there is a lack of documented marketing attempts by Nursing Education Institutions to market nursing as a career at secondary schools in the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality. The purpose of the study was to determine the views that grade nine learners have regarding the marketing of nursing as a career to attract school-leavers to the profession. The researcher also explored and described how grade nine learners are being informed or wish to be informed of nursing as a career. Based on the findings of the study, broad guidelines were developed for nurse educators at Nursing Education Institutions so as to facilitate the marketing of nursing as a career for school leavers. To achieve the purpose of this study, a quantitative, explorative, descriptive and contextual study design was used. The study was conducted at selected senior secondary schools in the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality. The research population in this study comprised of all grade nine learners at secondary schools in the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality. A simple random sampling method was used to select participants. A structured self-administered questionnaire was used as the data collection tool. The data collected were analysed with the help of the statistician, using descriptive and inferential statistics. The study findings revealed that grade nine learners in the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality had a positive response to choosing nursing as a career and that schools situated in the lower socio-economic areas had the highest percentage of grade nine learners indicating an interest in nursing as a career. The study concludes with recommendations for nursing practice, education and research. Ethical principles have been maintained throughout the study.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
Vincent van Gogh : a psychobiographical study
- Authors: Muller, Heather Ruby
- Date: 2009
- Subjects: Psychology -- Biographical methods
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:9880 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1293 , Psychology -- Biographical methods
- Description: The aim of this study is to create a psychobiography of Vincent Van Gogh who was born in 1853 and died 1890. To Van Gogh art was not merely a means for an income, he converted all his aspirations and anguish into his art works. In doing so his art became the first example of a truly personal art, to him art was a deeply lived means of spiritual salvation, which he used as a means to transform himself. It was well known that Van Gogh was unstable and felt misunderstood in life, often asking “What is the use?” . He had a method of fusing what he saw in the world, and what he personally felt, into works of art that were revelations of himself. Van Gogh lived a lonely life, although for the last seventeen years of his life he wrote to his brother, Theo, almost daily. These letters give much insight to the thoughts and inner world of a much misunderstood individual. Most of these letters have been preserved and much else has been written about Van Gogh’s life and art. In our modern day he is deemed one of the most famous artists, yet in his lifetime he only sold one painting. This psychobiography employs a qualitative psychobiographical research method, which aims to describe Van Gogh’s psychological development in terms of Erik Erikson’s psychosocial developmental stages. Van Gogh was chosen as the research subject because of personal interest, his value as a famous artist, and because of the unique way in which he saw and related to the world.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2009
- Authors: Muller, Heather Ruby
- Date: 2009
- Subjects: Psychology -- Biographical methods
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:9880 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1293 , Psychology -- Biographical methods
- Description: The aim of this study is to create a psychobiography of Vincent Van Gogh who was born in 1853 and died 1890. To Van Gogh art was not merely a means for an income, he converted all his aspirations and anguish into his art works. In doing so his art became the first example of a truly personal art, to him art was a deeply lived means of spiritual salvation, which he used as a means to transform himself. It was well known that Van Gogh was unstable and felt misunderstood in life, often asking “What is the use?” . He had a method of fusing what he saw in the world, and what he personally felt, into works of art that were revelations of himself. Van Gogh lived a lonely life, although for the last seventeen years of his life he wrote to his brother, Theo, almost daily. These letters give much insight to the thoughts and inner world of a much misunderstood individual. Most of these letters have been preserved and much else has been written about Van Gogh’s life and art. In our modern day he is deemed one of the most famous artists, yet in his lifetime he only sold one painting. This psychobiography employs a qualitative psychobiographical research method, which aims to describe Van Gogh’s psychological development in terms of Erik Erikson’s psychosocial developmental stages. Van Gogh was chosen as the research subject because of personal interest, his value as a famous artist, and because of the unique way in which he saw and related to the world.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2009
Violence: an exploratory study of the lived experiences of violent re-offending youth
- Authors: O'Connell, Tracy
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Criminal psychology -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Violent crimes -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Ecological Systems Theory -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Violent offenders -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/5236 , vital:20823
- Description: Although much research has been conducted on violence, its effects, and which circumstances put an individual at risk of becoming a potential victim, there is a paucity of studies that focus on the perpetrators of violence. Much of the literature available on this subject is dated, providing information which is already dated and, frequently no longer relevant. This research has sought to explore and understand violent crimes from the psychological and emotional standpoint of the individual who perpetrated them. One objective of the study was to facilitate the development of a profile of youths who chronically commit crime, and more specifically crimes of violence. This study utilised the qualitative research design of Phenomenology, which allows for the exploration of the phenomena from the perspective of the participants. The sample for this study consisted of five male individuals who are currently incarcerated in a correctional institution situated in the Eastern Cape. The sample was chosen according to the non-probability purposive-sampling technique, based on their relevance to the study. The selected male offenders from the correctional institution ages ranged between 18 and 31. Specific criteria were identified against which participants were measured in order to be selected to participate in the research. Data was obtained from the participants via a questionnaire, a journal, and semi-structured interviews conducted by the researcher. Other data for the study was obtained from official documents. The study was embedded in the ecological theory of Bronfenbrenner, which provided the psychological framework in which to explain and understand the results of the study and the development of violence. The major findings of this study include; growing up violently, the reasons for violence, justificationa and perseptions of violence, society and the culture of 10 violence, and the environmental impact. These findings will contribute to the development of treatment programmes, which better facilitate the reformation and rehabilitation of criminals.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
- Authors: O'Connell, Tracy
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Criminal psychology -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Violent crimes -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Ecological Systems Theory -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Violent offenders -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/5236 , vital:20823
- Description: Although much research has been conducted on violence, its effects, and which circumstances put an individual at risk of becoming a potential victim, there is a paucity of studies that focus on the perpetrators of violence. Much of the literature available on this subject is dated, providing information which is already dated and, frequently no longer relevant. This research has sought to explore and understand violent crimes from the psychological and emotional standpoint of the individual who perpetrated them. One objective of the study was to facilitate the development of a profile of youths who chronically commit crime, and more specifically crimes of violence. This study utilised the qualitative research design of Phenomenology, which allows for the exploration of the phenomena from the perspective of the participants. The sample for this study consisted of five male individuals who are currently incarcerated in a correctional institution situated in the Eastern Cape. The sample was chosen according to the non-probability purposive-sampling technique, based on their relevance to the study. The selected male offenders from the correctional institution ages ranged between 18 and 31. Specific criteria were identified against which participants were measured in order to be selected to participate in the research. Data was obtained from the participants via a questionnaire, a journal, and semi-structured interviews conducted by the researcher. Other data for the study was obtained from official documents. The study was embedded in the ecological theory of Bronfenbrenner, which provided the psychological framework in which to explain and understand the results of the study and the development of violence. The major findings of this study include; growing up violently, the reasons for violence, justificationa and perseptions of violence, society and the culture of 10 violence, and the environmental impact. These findings will contribute to the development of treatment programmes, which better facilitate the reformation and rehabilitation of criminals.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
Visual gaze behaviour of sub-elite cricket batsmen when facing fast in-swing and out-swing bowling
- Authors: Douglas, Wayde Percival
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Cricket -- Batting -- Psychological aspects Gaze -- Psychological aspects , Visual perception
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/16098 , vital:28320
- Description: The primary aim of this study was to determine the visual gaze behaviour of sub-elite cricket batsmen when facing fast in-swing and out-swing bowling. To achieve the aim of this study, two main objectives were set: (1) to describe and compare the visual gaze behaviour of sub-elite cricket batsmen for both successful and unsuccessful trials irrespective of the ball faced; and (2) to describe and compare the visual gaze behaviour of sub-elite cricket batsmen for both in-swing and out-swing bowling trials irrespective of the outcome. The gaze behaviour characteristics were described and compared in terms areas of interest (AOI), number of fixations, duration of each fixation, starting and last fixation, and order of fixations. The study was pre-experimental in nature and utilised a quantitative approach. A One group post-test only design was followed in this study. A total of 13 batsmen were tested that met the inclusion criteria and were included in the study by means of purposive sampling. Four different variables were assessed: eye dominance, visual gaze behaviour, the speed of delivery and ambient light. No significant differences were found for the mean number and duration of fixations irrespective of the stroke outcome and the ball type faced. However, significant differences were obtained when specifically looking at the stroke outcome and the ball type faced. Results suggest that the AOI, upper body, arm/ ball release and pitch are considered as task relevant cues. Information appears to be acquired from the aforementioned AOI in a sequential manner to contribute to successful batting performance. In addition, batsmen should attempt to diminish the number of blinks at the end of trials to contribute towards more successful batting performance.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Douglas, Wayde Percival
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Cricket -- Batting -- Psychological aspects Gaze -- Psychological aspects , Visual perception
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/16098 , vital:28320
- Description: The primary aim of this study was to determine the visual gaze behaviour of sub-elite cricket batsmen when facing fast in-swing and out-swing bowling. To achieve the aim of this study, two main objectives were set: (1) to describe and compare the visual gaze behaviour of sub-elite cricket batsmen for both successful and unsuccessful trials irrespective of the ball faced; and (2) to describe and compare the visual gaze behaviour of sub-elite cricket batsmen for both in-swing and out-swing bowling trials irrespective of the outcome. The gaze behaviour characteristics were described and compared in terms areas of interest (AOI), number of fixations, duration of each fixation, starting and last fixation, and order of fixations. The study was pre-experimental in nature and utilised a quantitative approach. A One group post-test only design was followed in this study. A total of 13 batsmen were tested that met the inclusion criteria and were included in the study by means of purposive sampling. Four different variables were assessed: eye dominance, visual gaze behaviour, the speed of delivery and ambient light. No significant differences were found for the mean number and duration of fixations irrespective of the stroke outcome and the ball type faced. However, significant differences were obtained when specifically looking at the stroke outcome and the ball type faced. Results suggest that the AOI, upper body, arm/ ball release and pitch are considered as task relevant cues. Information appears to be acquired from the aforementioned AOI in a sequential manner to contribute to successful batting performance. In addition, batsmen should attempt to diminish the number of blinks at the end of trials to contribute towards more successful batting performance.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017