Biomedical subjects

P Brysiewicz

Publications and source records attributed to P Brysiewicz.

9 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2005

The lived experiences of health professionals confronting the sudden death of clients in level I emergency departments in KwaZulu-Natal.

AIM: The aim of this study was to describe the lived experiences of the health professionals confronting the sudden death of clients in three Level I Emergency Departments (ED's) in KwaZulu-Natal. METHOD: A qualitative phenomenological approach was used to explore the experiences of nurses and doctors confronting the sudden death of their clients. Two private institutions and one state institution in the Durban area were involved in the study. FINDINGS: A total of 13 health professionals were individually interviewed over a period of approximately seven months. With the aid of a computer package a number of themes emerged from the data namely; "it's a personal matter, what is caring, where is the time, what is coping and which group are you in?" These findings suggested that staff in these departments have a unique way of defining their situation and that collaboration between the doctors and nurses working in the ED is limited. In order to improve the working experience for these health professionals, the ED organisational culture needs to be addressed.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed2004

A pilot study of death competency amongst health workers in the Uthukela District in Kwazulu-Natal.

AIM: The aim of this study was to investigate the registered nurses abilities to cope with the death of their clients and to determine if there was any improvement after attending a workshop designed to address this issue. NULL HYPOTHESIS: Using the Coping with Death Scale by Bugen (1980--1981) cited in Neimeyer (1994), respondents' pre-test scores are equal to their post-test scores. METHODOLOGY: An exploratory survey was used to investigate the registered nurses' death competencies before and after the scheduled workshops. Although these workshops were initially planned for registered nurses, a great variety of health workers (nurses, pharmacists, oral hygienists, physiotherapists and HIV community workers) expressed interest and were thus accommodated in the workshops. Data were collected from the Death Education Workshops held at three sites, and fifty-one respondents completed the questionnaire before the workshop and fifty-six on completion of the workshop. The tool that was used in this research was Bugen's (1980--1981) Coping with Death Scale, cited in Neimeyer (1994). This scale consists of 30 items assessing the participant's sense of competence in handling death and their concrete knowledge concerning preparation for death. FINDINGS: Analysis of the pre and post tests revealed a move from a neutral stance to one where the respondents tended to have a more definite opinion about the statement. This was usually towards agreeing with the statement. Applying the two sampled T-Test to compare the scores of the two related groups (that is the pre-workshop and post-workshop variables), the results yielded were t =0.00, 95% confidence level. Thus there was a significant difference between the two groups, and the null hypothesis is therefore rejected.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed2003

Witnessed resuscitation--exploring the attitudes and practices of the emergency staff working in level I emergency departments in the province of KwaZulu-Natal.

AIM: The aim of this study was to explore the attitudes and practices of witnessed resuscitation by the staff working in Level I Emergency Departments in the province of KwaZulu-Natal. Witnessed resuscitation involves the 'medical' resuscitation of the patient with their relatives or loved ones present in the resuscitation room (Boyd, 2000:171). METHODOLOGY: A qualitative approach was used to explore the participants' attitudes and practices of witnessed resuscitation using individual semi--structured interviews. The principle of theoretical saturation was applied and a total of six participants from two Level I Emergency Departments (one provincial and one private institution) were included in this study. FINDINGS: The emergency staff disliked the idea of witnessed resuscitation. They believed it to be a harmful experience for the witnesses, a threat to the resuscitation process and the emergency staff, and impossible to implement in their Emergency Departments. There were however, subtle references made during the interviews that revealed some aspects of witnessed resuscitation that the staff favoured once they had considered the practice. There were no written policies to dictate how the relatives were handled, but all the staff agreed that the relatives were asked to wait outside the resuscitation area, were kept informed and then brought in when the patient was stable or had died. A number of recommendations are suggested in an attempt to introduce witnessed resuscitation as an option in KwaZulu-Natal's Emergency Departments.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗

PubMed2002

An exploratory survey of undergraduate nursing students' experiences of group work within a problem-based curriculum.

Problem-based Learning is a learner-centered approach to education which encourages student participation and group work in the learning process. This method of self-directed learning is facilitated by the use of small-group discussions. This being the case, it is important for groups to function effectively in order for this learning to occur. These small groups are guided by a facilitator and utilize real-life problems from the clinical settings. An exploratory survey using open-ended questionnaires was conducted amongst senior nursing students at the University of Natal, and this focussed on their experiences of group work. The students described their best and worst experiences as a member of a group, as well as what they found most irritating and most appreciated about the group work. The students also highlighted what they expected from the group and in turn what they were willing to do for the group.

Adult↗

PubMed2001

Pedestrian road traffic collisions in South Africa.

Pedestrian road traffic collisions continue to account for a large number of the clients attending the accident & emergency units in South Africa. These victims include both adults and children, and can lead to serious lifelong consequences for the victims and their families. A pilot study was carried out in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal in order to investigate the injuries sustained by pedestrian paediatric clients who were involved in road traffic collisions in South Africa. The findings of the study reflecting the age, gender distribution and the injuries and their severity are discussed.

Accidents, Traffic↗

PubMed2000

Exploring the trauma care nurse's lived experiences of dealing with the violent death of their clients.

A phenomenological approach was used to explore the phenomenon, violent death, from the perspective of trauma care nurses working in Kwa-Zulu Natal. Three relatively unstructured interviews were undertaken on an individual basis with each lasting thirty to forty-five minutes long. The researchers applied the principle of theoretical saturation and a total of seven participants from three level-one trauma units were included in the study. All the interviews were tape recorded and transcribed, and manual analysis, as well as a qualitative software package--NUD*IST--was used to identify experiential themes within the data. The trauma care nurses conceptualized violent death as being sudden, unpredictable, senseless and not as dignified or peaceful as a non-violent death. A number of issues that made confronting violent death difficult were raised and the trauma care nurses described a number of emotional and physical reactions that they experienced due to exposure to these situations. A number of recommendations were suggested for the trauma care nurses, nursing management, nurse educators and for future research in an attempt to prevent the loss of these valuable nurses from the nursing profession.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Trauma in South Africa.

Trauma care in South Africa has a number of unique challenges. South Africa is a large country with an uneven distribution of services; a restrictive infrastructure; severe financial restraints on the entire health system; and an overwhelming incidence of patients with human immunodeficiency virus, acquired immunodeficiency disease syndrome, and tuberculosis. Substance abuse and violence are common cofactors in trauma. A profile of injuries encountered in South Africa is discussed.

Accidents, Traffic↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Ebola fever: the African emergency.

The Ebola virus produces one of Africa's most lethal viral hemorrhagic fever (VHF) infections. Statistically, Ebola fever is at the bottom of Africa's list of infectious diseases, but the speed with which it induces agonizing death puts Ebola fever at the top of Africa's emergencies. Many aspects of the virus are unknown and have eluded medical scientists for 3 decades. Hence enormous difficulties may be encountered in treating, preventing, and controlling Ebola fever. In this article, the origin of the disease is traced, followed by a description of the Ebola fever triad, with some insights into the perspectives that may complicate treatment and control of the disease. The clinical manifestations are described in relation to the progression of the disease. Patients with the Ebola virus are admitted to the hospital as an emergency with the activation of a disaster-type plan of action.

Africa↗

PubMedDate not supplied

A model for dealing with sudden death.

The purpose of this study was to attempt to provide health professionals working in emergency departments with guidelines to use in order to ensure the therapeutic management of the dead or dying client, the suddenly bereaved families, and fellow colleagues (health professionals). A 4-year action research study was undertaken involving semistructured interviews with health professionals (doctors and nurses) working in selected Level I emergency departments, suddenly bereaved families belonging to a local bereavement support group, and mortuary staff in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Further analysis of the categories and themes that emerged from the interviews informed the development of the Dealing with Sudden Death Model, a family information pamphlet, a preparation checklist, and an incident evaluation checklist.

Bereavement↗