Nurse

NIMART rollout to primary healthcare facilities increases access to antiretrovirals in Johannesburg: An interrupted time series analysis

Volume: 
103(4):232-236
Series Name: 
SAMJ
Published by: 
SAMJ

Introduction. South Africa has made remarkable progress in rolling out antiretroviral therapy (ART), with the largest number of people (more than 1.4 million) enrolled on antiretrovirals in the world. Decentralisation of services to primary health centres (PHCs) has strengthened retention of patients on ART and reduced the burden of managing uncomplicated cases at referral hospitals.

Career Choices in Relation to Nursing: A Cross-Sectional Descriptive Study Investigating the Career Choices of School Leavers in Relation to Nursing, and What Influences These Choices

Published by: 
Health Systems Trust

The nurse is the single most important frontline health worker (Ntshona, 2000:2). Without nurses the clinics, community health centres and hospitals cannot function. It is therefore critical that nurse education and the supply of nurses form an integral part of transformation of health services in South Africa (Ntshona, 2000:2). According to the Department of Health (2006) there is a need to significantly increase the production of all categories of nurses in order to fulfil the requirements of South Africa.

The Role of the Visiting Doctor in Primary Care Clinics

Published by: 
Health Systems Trust
The concept of doctors visiting clinics to support primary health care is well established but the role that these doctors should play is not clear, and varies from area to area.

The provision of professional nurses for South Africa: 1997 An analysis of student nurses in the comprehensive four-year professional programme during 1997

Published by: 
Health Systems Trust
The education, training and provision of professional nurses in South Africa have evolved in an ad hoc manner predominantly due to historical and socio-political forces. The training and educational components were not linked to personnel provision plans in the health system, recommended by WHO (1996).

Nurse Training

Series Name: 
HST Update
Published by: 
Health Systems Trust
As the wheels of health care reform move, so should the training curricula for health workers. Various authors have a number of times stated that the nurse is the single most important frontline health worker in a clinic setting. Without the nurses intervention the health care centre/clinic cannot function adequately. It is therefore critical that nurse education and the supply of nurses form an integral part of teh transformation of health services in South Africa. This months issue is dedicated to nurse training with particular focus on the district health system (DHS). In a nutshell the DHS is the best vehicle for delivering primary health care (PHC) since it promotes collaboration between all sectors and reduces fragmentation and duplication of services. Questions such as, are nurses adequately prepared for current health care reforms? are considered in this Update. The current gaps in training, suggestions and recommendations to address these are revisited. Selected key participants in nurse education from the level of the South African Nursing Council (SANC) to nurses themselves, share their views and experiences in this Update.

Improving growth monitoring and promotion in PHC clinics: Lessons from the Mount Frere Health District

Volume: 
1
Series Name: 
Kwik Skwiz
Published by: 
Health Systems Trust
Undernutrition underlies more than one in three childhood deaths in Sub-Saharan Africa. In South Africa one in four children are stunted and one in three have Vitamin A deficiency. Growth monitoring and promotion (GMP) has the potential to prevent much undernutrition and to integrate the care of a child. It is central to the Governments Integrated Nutrition Programme (INP), and other childhood programmes such as the Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI). At a community level, GMP can also be a powerful tool for increasing community awareness of undernutrition and mobilising their action.

Training for rational drug use

Volume: 
1
Series Name: 
Kwik Skwiz
Published by: 
Health Systems Trust

Lessons for the implementation of the Essential Drugs Programme within districts.Nurses are the frontline health providers for most people in South Africa today. Many nurses feel ill-equipped for their new role as clinical nursing practitioners. At the same time, clinics often experience shortages of medicines. A process of training and support is needed to ensure that medicines are prescribed and dispensed in a rational and cost-efficient manner.

Short courses for nurses: A half-baked response to complex training needs?

Volume: 
1
Series Name: 
Kwik Skwiz
Published by: 
Health Systems Trust

Letter of concern expressed by Steven Donohue regarding training methods - valuable for wider audience.Recently, facilitators of the Initiative for Sub-District Support in Bothaville (David McCoy and Martha Chao) organised a two-week clinical training programme for nurses, in response to a strongly felt need amongst nurses that they lacked both skills and knowledge for the clinical responsibilities expected of them. Given the urgency, it was decided to fast track a clinical training component. But other ISDS facilitators, notably Steven Donohue, disagreed with this strategy - arguing that short course training in isolation is too simplistic a response to a complex problem. Stevens objections were spelt out quite articulately in an open letter to all ISDS facilitators.

ISDS Position paper: Prescribing and dispensing by nurses in district level health facilities

Published by: 
Health Systems Trust
This position paper outlines the current legal and educational constraints, which exist with regard to nurse prescribing and dispensing. This is a pressing issue in the development of the district health system on which we welcome your comments.

Measuring the move towards equity - from the site of service delivery

Series Name: 
Facilities Survey
Published by: 
Health Systems Trust
It is important that policies and strategies towards equity in service provision are measured in terms of their impact on health service delivery. This would begin to demonstrate the practical impact of health reform.

In an attempt to measure in part the progress (or lack of progress) towards equity one step would be to measure the quality of service provision at the community (primary care) level. This would give an overview of the disparities between as well as in provinces, and between rural, urban and peri-urban parts of the country.