Women's utilisation of prevention of mother-to-child transmission of human immunodeficiency virus services in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Background: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) can be prevented when HIV-positive pregnant women use effective prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV services. Approximately 50% of HIV-positive pregnant women used free PMTCT services in Ethiopia.

Aim: This study attempted to identify factors influencing women's utilisation of PMTCT services.

Midwives' provision of antimalaria services to pregnant women in Uganda.

Objectives: malaria causes complications during 80% of all pregnancies in Uganda. However, only 48% of Ugandan pregnant women took one dose of intermittent preventive therapy while merely 27% took the second dose during 2011. This study investigated midwives' provision of anti-malaria services in the Buikwe District of Uganda.

Health-related quality of life of antiretroviral treatment defaulters in Botswana.

Background: Antiretroviral therapy (ART) improves patients' health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Defaulting from ART has detrimental consequences, including the development of viral resistance, treatment failure and increased risks of disease progression. Little is known about the quality of life of ART defaulters and reasons for discontinuing their ART.

Health-related quality of life of patients on antiretroviral treatment in Botswana: A cross-sectional study.

Objective: Antiretroviral therapy (ART) affords longevity to patients infected with the human immune deficiency virus (HIV). Since little is known about the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of persons who have been on ART for at least five years, the present study investigated the HRQoL of these patients in Botswana.

Method: Medical records, structured interviews, and the World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF (WHOQoL-HIV-BREF) instrument were employed to obtain information from 456 respondents.

An assessment of the outcomes of prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV services in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Background: This article assessed maternal and neonatal outcomes amongst users of prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV services in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Objectives: The study aimed to assess the health outcomes (antiretroviral prophylaxis versus antiretroviral treatment, CD4 counts, World Health Organization (WHO) stages of illness, other illnesses) of women who had used these services, as well as the HIV status of their babies and the infant feeding method adopted.

Methods: A quantitative, cross sectional, retrospective cohort design was used.

Adherence to antiretroviral treatment by adults in a rural area of Botswana.

Background: As antiretroviral therapy (ART) is becoming increasingly available to people in developing countries, ART adherence challenges assume ever greater significance. Often underlying treatment failure is the fact that suboptimal adherence to ART is the strongest predictor of failure to achieve viral suppression below the level of detection.

Objectives: The study's main objective was to identify factors affecting ART adherence levels, as well as the impact on immunologic and virologic responses in adult patients in one rural district in Botswana.

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation knowledge and skills of registered nurses in Botswana.

Background: In Botswana nurses provide most health care in the primary, secondary and tertiary level clinics and hospitals. Trauma and medical emergencies are on the increase, and nurses should have cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) knowledge and skills in order to be able to implement effective interventions in cardiac arrest situations.

Objective: The objective of this descriptive study was to assess registered nurses’ CPR knowledge and skills.

An audit of diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis in Ethiopia.

Background: Despite the existence of national tuberculosis guidelines (NTG) in Ethiopia, the incidence and prevalence of tuberculosis did not decline markedly. Audits could attempt to determine whether or not healthcare professionals actually implemented these guidelines, as non-implementation could contribute to suboptimal tuberculosis treatment outcomes.

Aim: To evaluate healthcare providers' implementation of Ethiopia's NTG during the diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis in order to enhance tuberculosis treatment outcomes.

Factors contributing to sleep deprivation in a multidisciplinary intensive care unit in South Africa.

Patients in intensive care units require rest and sleep to recuperate, but might suffer from sleep deprivation due to ongoing unit activities. The study aimed to identify and describe the factors contributing to sleep deprivation in one multi-disciplinary intensive care unit (MDICU) in a private hospital in South Africa. Quantitative, descriptive research was conducted to identify factors contributing to sleep deprivation in the research setting, and to make recommendations to enhance these patients' abilities to sleep.

Factors influencing the retention of registered nurses in the Gauteng Province of South Africa.

Background: South Africa is a source country for many destination countries that recruit registered nurses who emigrate for personal and/or professional reasons. A large number of South African nurses belong to the baby boomer generation (born between 1943 and 1964) who will retire within the foreseeable future. Statistics from the South African Nursing Council show a decline of 42.

Compliance amongst asthma patients registered for an asthma disease risk-management programme in South Africa.

The study attempted to identify the factors that influence compliance amongst 1039 members and their dependants of a particular medical aid scheme in South Africa who were registered for an asthma disease risk-management (DRM) programme. The sample consisted of 200 systematically selected individuals or their dependants. A quantitative, exploratory, and descriptive study was undertaken.

Adult patients' adherence to anti-retroviral treatment: a survey correlating pharmacy refill records and pill counts with immunological and virological indices.

Background: Providing anti-retroviral therapy (ART) to patients free of charge enhances their wellbeing, reduces the number of opportunistic infections and enables them to live productive lives, but only if these drugs are taken regularly every day for the rest of their lives. Patients' ART adherence levels are difficult and expensive to estimate. If simple available measures, such as pharmacy refill records, could be correlated with laboratory test results for improved CD4 counts (indicating immunological recovery) and decreased viral loads (VLs--indicating virological recovery), these could be used as preliminary measures of adherence.

Audits of adolescent prenatal care rendered in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.

Objective: To evaluate the adequacy of recorded prenatal care provided to adolescents in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.

Design: A quantitative descriptive design, using checklists to audit 80 prenatal records, based on the assumption that care recorded reflects care rendered.

Setting: Four clinics and two hospitals providing public prenatal and birth services in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.

Patients' adherence to anti-retroviral therapy in Botswana.

Purpose: To identify factors influencing patients' anti-retroviral therapy (ART) adherence at four clinics in Botswana.

Design: Quantitative descriptive. Structured interviews were conducted with a random sample of 400 patients out of the population of all patients attending the four randomly selected ART clinics in Botswana during April and May 2007.

Midwives' perceptions about adolescents' utilisation of public prenatal services in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.

Objectives: to identify midwives' perceptions about adolescents' failure to utilise prenatal services or to initiate such utilisation late during their pregnancies.

Design: a quantitative descriptive and exploratory design, using questionnaires to collect data, to describe midwives' perceptions about factors influencing pregnant adolescents' non-utilisation or late utilisation of prenatal services.

Setting: 20 public health centres (comprising two hospitals and 18 primary health-care clinics) rendering prenatal services, distributed throughout the city of Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.

Experiences of a community-based tuberculosis treatment programme in Namibia: a comparative cohort study.

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) remains a widespread healthcare problem in Africa, although it can be cured within 6-8 months' effective treatment. However, many patients fail to adhere to TB treatment, resulting in failure to get cured and the possible development of multi-drug resistant TB (MDR TB). A community-based TB treatment programme, was started in the Omaheke region of Namibia during 2002.

Mothers' attitudes towards using services preventing mother-to-child HIV/AIDS transmission in Zimbabwe: an interview survey.

Background: In developing countries vertical (mother-to-child) transmission of HIV/AIDS is responsible for 5-10% of all new HIV infections. HIV positive mothers can transmit HIV to their babies during pregnancy, childbirth and breast-feeding. Anti-retroviral drugs are effective in reducing the risk of vertical transmission of HIV/AIDS.

Swazi men's contraceptive knowledge, attitudes, and practices.

This study investigated Swazi men's contraceptive knowledge, attitudes, and practices. Thirty adolescent men, aged from 16 to 18, and 86 adult men from urban and rural areas participated in focus group interviews. Adult Swazi men indicated that men were the sole decision makers about sexual and reproductive issues.

Methodological challenges encountered in conducting a comparative study of psychiatric nursing education approaches in two African countries: Botswana and Nigeria.

This article discusses some methodological challenges encountered when conducting a comparative study of psychiatric nursing education approaches adopted in two sub-Saharan African countries - Botswana and Nigeria. The article identifies the methodological problems encountered and ways in which these challenges were addressed, including the triangulation of data collection strategies guided by Lewin's force field analysis and utilizing curriculum evaluation checklists. Data collection sources included a self-reporting questionnaire completed by psychiatric nurse educators, focus group discussions with practicing psychiatric nurses, interviews with representatives of the nursing regulatory bodies, and analyses of documents and records related to psychiatric nursing education in the two selected countries.

Problems experienced by pregnant student nurses in the Republic of South Africa.

The purpose of this quantitative exploratory descriptive survey was to determine which problems pregnant student nurses experienced in the Northern Province (NP) of the Republic of South Africa (RSA). Questionnaires were completed by 93 pregnant student nurses in this province, indicating that the majority of them became pregnant because they lacked knowledge about contraceptives, emergency contraceptives, and termination of pregnancy (TOP) services (legalized in the RSA since 1996). They delayed seeking prenatal care and experienced tiredness, dizziness, and vaginal bleeding during the first trimester.