Background Diabetes mellitus type 2 (T2DM) is the most prevalent form of diabetes that has continued to increase worldwide over the past decades. The cornerstone of T2DM management is education on self-management. Evidence shows that nurses have insufficient knowledge of the content of T2DM patient education. Objective To assess nurses' knowledge of health education content for T2DM patients, and to establish the relationship between their education and knowledge level of T2DM health education. Methods A descriptive cross-sectional design and total population sampling strategy were used to recruit nursing staff at a medical/surgical unit. Fifty-one nurses at the referral hospital of Rwanda completed the self-administered questionnaire. Descriptive statistics were used for data analysis. Results Nurses exhibited poor knowledge of diabetes health education. There was no significant relationship between the nurses' level of education and diabetes health education knowledge (p=0.102). Conclusion Nurses had good general knowledge of diabetes, though a low level of knowledge of diabetes health education in this low-resource setting. Hospitals equipped with a T2DM protocol and appropriate staff training would likely improve the nurses' knowledge and patient care outcomes.
BackgroundThe level of burnout among nurses working in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and Emergency Department (ED) is high, which adversely affects health and work-related outcomes for both nurses and patients. Little is known about burnout among ICU and ED nurses in Rwanda.
ObjectiveTo explore the perceived effects of burnout among nurses and its management at a referral hospital in Rwanda. Methods A qualitative study design was carried out using focus groups. A purposive sample of six ICU and six ED nurses were recruited from the referral hospital in the capital city of Kigali. The discussions were audio-recorded in Kinyarwanda, transcribed verbatim into English and analysed inductively using thematic analysis.
ResultsBurnout among the 12 nurses was high and the five main themes namely, high burnout, the Variability of care, Incomplete care, Erratic care and Improving situation to prevent burnout.
ConclusionThe results of this study indicated that burnout is high between the ICU and ED study population and nurses need to be taken care of too. A good working environment addressing adequate staffing, specialty training, operational materials, and social activities are needed to improve unit functioning, and patient satisfaction and safety.Rwanda J Med Health Sci 2019;2(2):147-153.
BackgroundHemodialysis is the most standard method of Renal Replacement Therapy (RRT) used in Rwanda. Nephrology nursing is a new speciality, and little is known about the nurses' work performance while caring for patients under going hemodialysis. Objective To explore factors influencing nurse's work performance in the care of hemodialysis patients in four nephrology units in Rwanda. Methods A qualitative descriptive design used a purposive sampling strategy to recruit 12 registered nurses working on the hemodialysis unit. Data were collected through interviews using a semistructured guide. Data analysis used a thematic approach with six phases.
ResultsTwo themes and eight subthemes were revealed. Facilitating factors to increase work performance included the nurses' education and speciality training, good working environment, good interpersonal relationships among staff, and effective management and leadership. Barriers included, self-perceived knowledge and skills insufficiencies, moral distress, logistical concerns, and poor working conditions.
ConclusionThe findings revealed specific facilitating factors and barriers to nurses' work performance. Nurses at these study sites, in conjunction with faculty in the Master's Nephrology Track at the University of Rwanda, could become change agents and begin to increase facilitating factors and decrease barriers. Continual improvement in facilitating factors is needed to keep nurses performing well.Rwanda J Med Health Sci 2019;2(2):178-184.
BackgroundClinical experiences provide an opportunity for nursing students to integrate theoretical knowledge into practice, and analyze their learning using a theoretical model. Students do not take this opportunity unless it is intentionally included by the facilitators. These observations from the second cohort of medical surgical nursing students with their facilitators, regarding their clinical training period in selected sub-specialties at the University Teaching Hospital of Kigali (CHUK) aimed at developing students’ analytical and observational skills while developing clinical skills.MethodsThe study involved nine medical surgical nursing students who were in different subspecialties at CHUK from 7th January up to the 20th February, 2019. Informed observational approach and concomitant reporting were used to validate their learning and gain clinical experience. The students used Kolb’s Experiential Learning Theory to analyze their experience, with the focus on innovative skills.ResultsAll medical surgical nursing students reported that they improved their knowledge and skills during clinical practice, while broadening their outlook.ConclusionKolb’s Experiential Learning Theory is useful in validating and bridging theoretical learning to clinical practice.Rwanda J Med Health Sci 2021;4(3):430-436
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