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Biomedical subjects

K Meursing

Publications and source records attributed to K Meursing.

6 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2000

HIV counselling--a luxury or necessity?

WHO and UNAIDS have consistently promoted HIV counselling as a routine part of HIV testing in developing countries. Nevertheless, in many countries counselling is not considered a crucial accompaniment of testing services, and patients are tested without access to counselling during and after testing. Thus, information on the need for and results of counselling is needed to convince policy-makers and service managers to give greater priority to the development of counselling services. This qualitative study describes informational, social and emotional needs and problems of newly diagnosed seropositive patients attending public health services in Zimbabwe. Their basic factual information on HIV/AIDS was reasonable, but many patients equalled HIV to AIDS and conceptualized their infection as 'social and physical death'. This seriously impeded their capacity to use knowledge of their test results in a constructive way, and stimulated coping by denial and/or secrecy about their HIV status. These avoidant coping strategies discouraged clients from using condoms, seeking social support and taking measures to protect their vulnerable health. The complex and changing nature of clients' needs indicates that common short-cuts in counselling (e.g. giving brief information before and after the HIV test) are seriously flawed as a strategy to prepare clients for effective coping. Comprehensive pre- and post-test counselling are an essential preparation for coping effectively during and immediately after testing. Availability of supportive counselling beyond this first phase is essential to assist clients with needs and problems which will appear over time. Development of counselling interventions should be guided by research into their effectiveness and by national policy guidelines. Replacing fear-inducing HIV campaigns with interactive, constructive information about HIV prevention and care will increase the preparedness of the community as a whole for effective living with HIV.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1995

Child sexual abuse in Matabeleland, Zimbabwe.

The extent, nature, causes and consequences of child sexual abuse in Matabeleland. Zimbabwe, are explored by an intersectoral working group consisting of health, legal and AIDS prevention workers who were struck in the course of their work by the regularity with which they saw sexually abused children infected with HIV and STDs. Methods used in this study are record review, focus group discussions, structured and in-depth interviews. Child sexual abuse cases form between 40-60% of the rape cases brought to the attention of hospitals, police and court and many more are believed to remain unreported. Half of the sexual abuse in children is detected through STDs and some have HIV. The majority of offenders are mature men known to the child. Factors influencing child sexual abuse are male dominance in society, men's professed inability to control sexual desire, and magic beliefs. Victims are traumatized by the abuse itself as well as by subsequent problems in family, health and in court. Since child sexual abuse may endanger the life and well-being of the child, it is a serious problem that requires urgent action.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1989

Use of alcohol among high school students in Lesotho.

Data on alcohol consumption, attitudes to and knowledge of alcohol were collected by means of questionnaires from 1133 high school students aged 11-22 years in Lesotho. Additional data were obtained by means of classroom discussion and 13 in depth interviews. About half of the students (54% of the boys and 42% of the girls) had drunk alcohol at some point in their lives. Drinking was found to be related to age, sex, drinking of friends, family income, and drinking in the family. No indication of widespread alcohol abuse was found, but about half of the students (drinkers and non-drinkers) believed that moderate drinking is impossible and that the fun of drinking is to get drunk, indicating the possibility of alcohol abuse in the future. The results have implications for future research and for preventive work among youth and adults in Lesotho.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

Use of flow-charts by nurses dealing with mental patients: an evaluation in Lesotho.

General nurses without previous training in psychiatry were instructed, over a period of thirteen hours, in the use of eight flow-charts for the identification and management of mental health conditions. They then prepared management plans, with the aid of the flowcharts, for 105 patients with suspected mental health problems who were seen in three outpatient clinics. The same patients were also seen by trained mental health workers who made a diagnosis and wrote up a management plan, which subsequently was compared with the management plans devised by the nurses.Seventy-eight of the 105 patients (74%) were identified and treated correctly by the nurses. A total of 32 mistakes were made, 17 of which were due to the nurses and 15 to defects in the flow-charts. On the basis of these findings, suggestions are made for improvements in the flow-charts and in the way the nurses are instructed in their use.

Algorithms↗