Experiences of nursing students in the management of HIV /AIDS patients in a selected public hospital in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Abstract
Background and Introduction: General nursing students are expected to learn how to care for patients suffering from different conditions, including communicable diseases such as HIV/AIDS. Wide ranging empirical work has been done focussing on the experiences of registered nurses caring for HIV/AIDS patients, however there is limited published research looking at the experiences of student nurses caring for HIV/AIDS patients. Aim of the study: The aim of the study was to explore and describe the experiences of nursing students in the management of HIV/AIDS patients at an identified public hospital in KwaZulu Natal, South Africa. Methodology: Using a qualitative research design, individual in-depth interviews (n=20) were conducted with purposively selected participants. Manual data analysis was conducted using Brink’s steps of analysis. Results: - Nursing students offered wide ranging insights into their experiences of providing care to HIV/AIDS patients. Participants described a number of concerning situations that included discriminatory attitudes, overwhelming workloads, a shortage of staff, inadequate supervision by expert clinicians and stress related to fear, as challenges that compromised the care offered to HIV/AIDS patients. Importantly, they alluded to serious knowledge deficits that posed noteworthy challenges. Similarly, the description of policies related to the care of HIV/AIDS suggested that many were overly restrictive and were not responsive to the change needs of students and the patient group. Recommendations: The following were recommended in the study: infection control improvements, a need for managerial support, improving educational curriculum and a need for further research opportunities.
Description
A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Science and Agriculture in fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master Of Nursing in the Department of Nursing Science at the University Of Zululand, 2017
Keywords
communicable diseases --HIV --AIDS --patients care
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