Advancing Forensic Nursing in South Africa: A matter of Stamina and Resilience

2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeanette Mmabosa Sebaeng ◽  
Sinegugu E Duma
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Nursing Practice ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Forensic Nursing ◽  
Conference Paper ◽  
Clinical Competencies ◽  
Nursing Science ◽  
Clinical Nursing ◽  
Victims Of Crime

Advancing a non-existing specialisation in nursing care requires strong leadership, resilience and total commitment to patient care and to the nursing profession. These were the hard lessons that we learned over almost three decades in our endeavours for the advancement of forensic nursing as a formally recognised clinical nursing specialisation in South Africa. This article is a conference paper presented at the International Conference on Forensic Nursing Science, October 2016 in Denver – Colorado and it provides the professional and personal battles experienced by the forensic nurses in advancing forensic nursing practice in South Africa. The presentation conclude by highlighting the current status and achievements of forensic nurses’ resilience and perseverance in advancing forensic nursing which include the establishment of the Association for Forensic Nurses in South Africa, the development and recognition of clinical competencies for clinical forensic nursing by the South African Nursing Council, books authored by forensic nurses and continuous professional development activities conducted in different provinces of South Africa to benefit South African Forensic Nursing Association (SAFNA) members and improve forensic nursing practice and healthcare of the victims of crime and violence. These hard lessons were shared as encouragement to other forensic nurses from countries where forensic nursing is not yet recognised.

Victim Participation in Parole Proceedings in South Africa

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jamil Mujuzi
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Criminal Justice ◽  
Criminal Justice System ◽  
South African ◽  
Justice System ◽  
Criminal Procedure ◽  
Prison Inmate ◽  
Parole Board ◽  
Victims Of Crime ◽  
The Right

South African law provides for circumstances in which victims of crime may participate in the criminal justice system at the investigation, prosecution (trial), sentencing and parole stages. In South Africa, a prison inmate has no right to parole although the courts have held that they have a right to be considered for parole. In some cases, the victims of crime have a right to make submissions to the Parole Board about whether the offender should be released on parole. Section 299A of the Criminal Procedure Act 51 of 1977 provides for the right of victims of crime to participate in parole proceedings. The purpose of this article is to discuss section 299A and illustrate ways in which victims of crime participate in the parole process. The author also recommends ways in which victims’ rights in section 299A of the Criminal Procedure Act could be strengthened.

scholarly journals Is It Time For a Coherent Political Question Doctrine in South Africa? Lessons from the United States

2014 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 457-493 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mtendeweka Mhango
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
The United States ◽  
Current Status ◽  
The Political ◽  
Early Application ◽  
Comparative Examination ◽  
Political Question ◽  
Insight Into

This article describes the development and current status of the political question doctrine theme in South African jurisprudence. It does this through a comparative discussion of the application of this doctrine in the United States. The purpose of this comparative examination is twofold: the first is to gain insight into the origins, trends and early application of the political question doctrine. The second is to gain insight into the challenges and best practices in relation to the application of the political question doctrine elsewhere. The paper argues that while the political question doctrine theme exists in South African jurisprudence, this has not matured into a clear and transparent doctrine. It calls for the development of a clear doctrine for South Africa and offers some recommendations.

scholarly journals Terminological Usage Related to Dyspnea by Nursing Staff: A Cross-Sectional Questionnaire Survey

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 144-150
Author(s):  
Yuko Nemoto ◽  
Sayuri Suzuki ◽  
Shinichiro Okauchi ◽  
Katsunori Kagohashi ◽  
Hiroaki Satoh
Keyword(s):  
Nursing Care ◽  
Nursing Staff ◽  
Questionnaire Survey ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Nursing Practice ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Nursing Experience ◽  
Clinical Nursing ◽  
The Subject

In recent years, additional expressions such as ‘sensation of breathing discomfort’ and ‘discomfort of dyspnea’ are being used in daily nursing care in Japan. To better understand the current status of the use of these terms by nurses, and to ascertain what the term ‘dyspnea’ may not express, we designed an original questionnaire and conducted a study with all nurses at our hospital. The questionnaire included questions to determine if nurses used these terms, and in what context. Of the 279 nurses in our hospital, 225 (80.6%) responded. Three-quarters of nurses indicated that they use these terms in clinical nursing practice. There was no difference in the usage of these terms between nurses who had or had not worked in a respiratory outpatients/ward. However, the percentage of nurses using these terms was higher amongst those with 10 years or less nursing experience compared with those with more than 10 years’ experience. Open-ended questions revealed that these terms were used to communicate information between nurses and between nurses and patients’ families. Our observations need to be verified in large-scale studies to determine if these terms are meaningful for nursing practice in that they describe something not expressed with ‘dyspnea’. There is the possibility of confusion due to the use of inappropriate terms and a lack of education on the subject. Many nurses used these terms, and there may be things that the term ‘dyspnea’ could not express. The results of this study can be used to identify something that is lacking in communication about dyspnea between nurses, nurses and patients, and nurses and patients’ families.

scholarly journals Ototoxicity: A review of South African studies

2021 ◽  
Vol 63 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Selvarani Moodley ◽  
Claudine Storbeck ◽  
Nomthandazo Gama
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Hearing Loss ◽  
South African ◽  
Curriculum Planning ◽  
African Studies ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Human Immuno Deficiency Virus ◽  
Training Programmes ◽  
Monitoring Protocols ◽  
Audiology Training

Background: Ototoxicity is damage to cells in the inner ear after administering a toxic drug, with a resultant hearing loss. Drugs used to treat illnesses such as cancer, tuberculosis, human immuno-deficiency virus (HIV) and infections are potentially ototoxic. South Africa has one of the highest rates of HIV and tuberculosis, and thus a potentially greater degree of the population is being affected by hearing loss from the medications used to treat these illnesses.Methods: To determine the current status of research in ototoxicity, a systematic literature review was carried out to determine the focus areas of South African studies for the period 1989–2019. From the database search engines used (Science Direct, Ebscohost and Proquest), a total of 33 relevant articles were identified, including the themes of pharmacology, audiology and knowledge.Results: Studies were conducted in the three most resourced provinces in South Africa. Findings indicate that there is a need for educating doctors regarding ototoxicity and a delineation of the role of the audiologist in monitoring and management of ototoxic hearing loss. There is a resultant need for audiology training on the pharmacology of ototoxic medication, otoprotective strategies and adherence to recommended guidelines. This has implications for university audiology training programmes and curriculum planning. The need for development of South Africa-specific audiology guidelines was highlighted.Conclusion: Whilst it is noted that there is a lack of resources for effective implementation of ototoxicity-monitoring protocols, it is also noted that there are measures and otoprotective strategies that can be put in place without additional resources.

scholarly journals The Mollusc collections at South African institutions: Development and current status

2021 ◽  
Vol 117 (7/8) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary Cole
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Southern Africa ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Temporal Data ◽  
Eastern Cape ◽  
Marine Molluscs ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Kwazulu Natal ◽  
Southwestern Indian Ocean

There are three major mollusc collections in South Africa and seven smaller, thematic collections. The KwaZulu-Natal Museum holds one of the largest collections in the southern hemisphere. Its strengths are marine molluscs of southern Africa and the southwestern Indian Ocean, and terrestrial molluscs of South Africa. Research on marine molluscs has led to revisionary papers across a wide range of gastropod families. The Iziko South African Museum contains the most comprehensive collections of Cephalopoda (octopus, squid and relatives) and Polyplacophora (chitons) for southern Africa. The East London Museum is a provincial museum of the Eastern Cape. Recent research focuses on terrestrial molluscs and the collection is growing to address the gap in knowledge of this element of biodiversity. Mollusc collections in South Africa date to about 1900 and are an invaluable resource of morphological and genetic diversity, with associated spatial and temporal data. The South African National Biodiversity Institute is encouraging discovery and documentation to address gaps in knowledge, particularly of invertebrates. Museums are supported with grants for surveys, systematic studies and data mobilisation. The Department of Science and Innovation is investing in collections as irreplaceable research infrastructure through the Natural Science Collections Facility, whereby 16 institutions, including those holding mollusc collections, are assisted to achieve common targets and coordinated outputs.

scholarly journals Initiatives in Astronomy Education in South Africa

2001 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 117-130
Author(s):  
Case L. Rijsdijk
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Science Education ◽  
South African ◽  
Present Situation ◽  
School Level ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Large Telescope ◽  
Astronomy Education ◽  
Future Developments ◽  
Education Initiative

AbstractA brief review of the issues affecting the current status of science education in general, and astronomy education in particular, is given. The paper looks at the present situation at primary, secondary and tertiary levels. South Africa has unique educational problems and the initiatives by local observatories and universities at school level are described. The problems encountered by the South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO) Science Education Initiative (SEI) are typical, as is the SEI approach to addressing some of these. The experience of the SEI is described, as are some of the resources developed by them for primary and secondary schools. Finally a brief look is taken at future developments, in particular, ways in which the Southern African Large Telescope (SALT) can contribute to astronomy and science education.

Historical Perspectives on South African Childhood

1991 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine Liddell ◽  
Jane Kvalsvig ◽  
Agnes Shababala ◽  
Pauline Masilela
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Developmental Psychology ◽  
Black Children ◽  
Current Status ◽  
African Society ◽  
South African Society ◽  
Historical Perspectives

Historical perspectives are discussed in terms of their relevance to contemporary developmental psychology in South Africa. It is argued that historical viewpoints shed new light on the image of black children in South African society, and on the current status of developmental psychology as it is practised and researched in South Africa.

scholarly journals Classroom acoustics as a consideration for inclusive education in South Africa

2017 ◽  
Vol 64 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Coralie Van Reenen ◽  
Catherine Karusseit
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Inclusive Education ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Reverberation Time ◽  
Classroom Acoustics ◽  
Learning Impairments ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Ideal ◽  
Barrier Free

Background: It can hardly be disputed that a school environment should be conducive or, at the very least, not prohibitive to effective learning. The provision of fair, equal and barrier-free access to education is referred to as inclusive education. South Africa supports a policy of inclusive schooling, striving to accommodate all children, including those with disabilities, in mainstream schools. This article sets out to prove that noise control in classrooms is a relevant, yet neglected, aspect of inclusive classroom design in South Africa and requires specific attention.Objectives: The objectives of this study are to: (1) establish the impact that noise has on learners with sensory, language or learning impairments; (2) establish the preferred listening conditions for these learners by examining prior research and guidelines available in other countries; and (3) outline the current South African regulations pertaining to classroom acoustics and assess them against the preferred listening environment.Method: This research was conducted as a systematic review with reference to the South African context. Local and international research and guidelines were used as references, providing an overview and evaluation of data concerning noise and learning.Results: Noise is disadvantageous for learners, particularly those with sensory, language or learning impairments. Research and international guidelines show that the ideal ambient level is 30 dBA – 35 dBA, allowing the achievement of an ideal signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of +15 dB, and the ideal reverberation time is 0.4 s – 0.6 s. Various South African regulations discussed are inconsistent regarding ambient noise level (ranging from 35 dBA – 50 dBA) and say little about reverberation time for classrooms.Conclusion: South African regulations regarding classroom acoustics require revision to ensure inclusion of all learners with disabilities. The current status does not enforce barrier-free environments in mainstream schools for children with sensory, language or learning impairments.

scholarly journals DOUBLE TROUBLE: Youth from violent families: easy victims of crime?

2006 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lezanne Leoschut
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Young People ◽  
Family Violence ◽  
South African ◽  
Institutional Support ◽  
Children And Young People ◽  
African Youth ◽  
Victims Of Crime ◽  
Violent Families ◽  
Exposure To Family Violence

Crime and violence are pervasive in South Africa, and children and young people in particular are exposed to high rates of violence within their homes. This article demonstrates that exposure to family violence increases the vulnerability of young people to becoming victims of crime. Interventions are needed that aim to change behaviour within families, provide institutional support for children outside the home, and thus make a tangible difference to the lives of South African youth.

scholarly journals Emergence of vancomycin-resistant enterococci in South Africa: Implications for public health

2018 ◽  
Vol 114 (9/10) ◽  
Author(s):  
Frank E. Tatsing Foka ◽  
Ajay Kumar ◽  
Collins N. Ateba
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Antimicrobial Resistance ◽  
South African ◽  
Resistance Management ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Ecological Niches ◽  
Indirect Contact ◽  
Vancomycin Resistant Enterococci ◽  
Vancomycin Resistant

South Africa is among the countries with the highest prevalence of debilitating diseases such as HIV/Aids and diabetes. In this context, the emergence of vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VREs) in most South African ecological niches is quite disturbing, taking into consideration the fact that therapeutic options in a case of resistant-enterococci infection would be limited. Agricultural practices coupled with the misuse of antibiotics in intensive animal rearing and in hospital facilities have led to the creation of reservoirs of VREs in the environment. VREs can cause serious health problems by transmitting their resistance genes to susceptible pathogens; they are transmitted to humans by direct or indirect contact and through the food chain. We screened thoroughly the AJOL and the PubMed databases for studies on VRE incidence in South Africa. This review gives insight into the current status of antimicrobial resistance management in South Africa; it explores the different pathways involved in the spread of VREs and proposes possible solutions to tackle the issue of VREs and antimicrobial resistance in South Africa and other parts of the world.

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