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Employees in public hospitals in South Africa work under dreadful conditions and are at risk of developing psychological stress and occupational diseases as well as occupational injuries. These poor working conditions translate to poor service delivery and as a result, the patients are the ones who suffer the most while under the care of these healthcare professionals. Despite these poor working conditions in public hospitals, there are limited studies that have dealt with this important topic in South Africa. The purpose of this paper was to describe a conceptual model which can be used as a framework of reference to improve the working conditions and the health and safety of employees at selected public hospitals in South Africa. A descriptive, explorative and theory construction research design was used to construct a conceptual model for improving the working conditions in public hospitals in the specific province in South Africa. The model suggests that improvement of working conditions, employee health and safety and quality patient care can only be achieved if employees and managers work interdependently for the betterment of the working conditions of their hospitals. Improvement should focus on enablers such as leadership commitment, infrastructure, resources, safety and security communications, decision-making, interpersonal relationships, support, and education and training. The implication for the managers and employees is that the model can be used as a framework for improving working conditions in hospitals, to promote the health and safety of employees and to improve quality patient care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Technological innovations are changing the face of nursing education, with teachers being expected to integrate best teaching practices in the classroom and to ensure that nursing students are motivated and engaged. Taking into consideration students' needs is essential to provide successful integration of the technology in teaching and learning. This paper aims to explore nursing students' perceptions and expectations regarding the use of technology in nursing education. A descriptive quantitative research design was used, and the study was conducted at a selected university in South Africa. A total of 150 nursing students completed the questionnaires, with the data being analysed descriptively using SPSS version 25. The nursing students reported that educators used technology to deliver course instructions (96.7%), and encouraged students to use it for creative or critical thinking tasks (95.3%). They were encouraged by their educators to use their own technology devices (94.7%) and online platforms (94.7%). More undergraduate students perceived that nurse educators used technology at school (15.63 ± 2.54) than postgraduate students (14.41 ± 3.07) (U =1341.00, p = .044). Overall, 77.3 per cent of the nursing students expected the use of technology in teaching, mainly Moodle (88.7%), search tools (75.3%), podcasts and videocasts (66.7%), EndNote (62.7%), and Turnitin (48.7%). The majority of the students (82.1%) from the lower academic levels (first and second year) had a high expectation of the use of technology compared to 71.2 per cent of the higher levels (third and fourth year). The use of technology in teaching requires nurse educators to have adequate skills to make it a powerful tool for teaching and learning. Much more effort should be put in motivating students to use various technological tools, and ensuring that they have adequate skills, particularly at the entry level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mental health care environment is a stressful environment, especially among student nurses. The purpose of the study was to develop a model of emotional support for student nurses working in the mental health care environment. The objectives were set in two phases: Phase one -- identification of concepts; Phase two -- development of a model of emotional support for student nurses. A theory-generating design, based on a qualitative, explorative and descriptive research approach, was used to meet the aim of the study. Data was purposively collected from 40 nursing students using (n=6) focus group discussions and eight educators and nine clinical staff by way of semi-structured interviews. Data was analysed by means of Tesch's method of data analysis. The model was developed by means of the four steps of which the first two are discussed in this paper as step three and four will be discussed elsewhere. Step one is the concept development consisting of concept identification and concept definition. A total of 22 concepts were identified, which were synthesised into six main concepts, namely, positive self-concept, positive work environment, academic and professional development, effective communication, formal and informal supportive interventions, and collaboration between the higher education institution and the mental health care setting. Step two is the model development during which the main concepts were placed in relation to one another, which formed an emotional support model for students working in mental health care settings. This paper gives an account of the methodological processes that were utilised to meet the aim and objectives of the study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mobile and web health applications have gained widespread usage worldwide for pediatric patients with chronic diseases, yet comprehensive research evaluating their impact remains limited. This research aims to determine the comprehensive impact of mobile and web health apps on pediatric chronic disease management and quality of life. Searches were performed on seven primary databases (Emerald Insight, Scopus, ScienceDirect, PubMed, ProQuest, Ebsco, and SpringerLink) from 2003 to 2023. The study followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses 2020 Statement guidelines. The quality study was conducted using JBI's critical appraisal tools. Descriptive and narrative analysis methods were used, and the findings were presented in text and tabular formats. Out of 1,840 articles reviewed, only 28 met the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The most identified outcomes in the study of mobile and web health apps on pediatric chronic disease management are psychological, cognitive, and behavioural outcomes and quality of life. However, biological markers seem to be the least evaluated outcome. Mobile and web health applications play a positive role in managing chronic diseases and enhancing the quality of life for pediatric patients. These applications offer a range of features, including symptom assessment, information dissemination, educational resources, caregiver communication, social support, and calendar reminders. Healthcare providers and caregivers should consider integrating these technologies into caring for children with chronic diseases. It can lead to improved outcomes and overall well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The National Department of Health in South Africa has introduced the National Core Standards (NCS) tool to improve the quality of healthcare delivery in all public healthcare institutions. Knowledge of the NCS tool is essential among healthcare providers. This study investigated the level of knowledge on NCS and how the NCS tool was communicated among professional nurses. This was a cross-sectional survey study. Purposive sampling technique was used to select hospitals that only offered tertiary services in KwaZulu-Natal. Six strata of departments were selected using simple stratified sampling. The population of professional nurses in the selected hospitals was 3 050. Systematic random sampling was used to recruit 543 participants. The collected data were analysed using SPSS version 25. The study showed that only 16 (3.7%) respondents had knowledge about NCS, using McDonald's standard of learning outcome measured criteria regarding the NCS tool. The Pearson correlation coefficient between the communication and knowledge was r = 0.055. The results revealed that although the communication scores for the respondents were high their knowledge scores remained low. This study concluded that there is a lack of knowledge regarding the NCS tool and therefore healthcare institutions need to commit themselves to the training of professional nurses regarding the NCS tool. The findings suggest that healthcare institutions implement the allocation of incentives for nurses that attend the workshops for NCS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]