BackgroundThe success of any educational institution is measured by its academic performance or how well students meet the standards set out. Currently, nursing students’ academic failure is a phenomenon of growing international interest because of its economic impact and its negative effects on the availability of future nurses in different health care systems. Factors identified as influencing the academic performance of students include the socio-economic background of parents or guardians, lecturer–student relationships, academic support services, demographic factors, quality of nurse educators, availability of facilities in the school, the language of instruction and level of entry qualifications of students.ObjectivesThe purpose of this study was to describe the perceptions of enrolled student nurses on factors influencing their academic performance in a private nursing school in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.MethodData were collected from 100 respondents using an adapted instrument related to the factors believed to influence students’ academic performance.ResultsThe results showed that parental involvement in education, good and supportive relationships between nurse educators and students, classroom computer technological gadgets, internet connection and adequate learning facilities were perceived as fostering better academic performance of students. In contrast, poor family background, use of English language for classroom instruction as well as negative peer group influences were leading to poor academic performance.ConclusionNursing institutions should, therefore, select students with higher-level entry qualifications, early identify at-risk students, recruit more qualified nurse educators and upgrade their facilities.

Introduction triage is gradually becoming an autonomous nursing role essential to patients' safety and the efficient delivery of emergency care. The increased need for more holistic and advanced care during triage makes the role of nurses during triage highly indispensable. However, several studies have shown that nurse-led triage has been so successful over the years in most African countries and in other developing countries. South African Triage Scale (SATS) is an example of triage tool that was designed in such a way that the lowest cadre nurse can successfully implement. The success recorded by this tool made most African countries and some other developing countries adopt the tool. The study was designed to explore the roles of nurses during triage in a selected public hospital in KwaZulu-Natal province. Methods this study utilized a quantitative approach, in which a non-experimental survey involving convenience sampling technique was chosen as the most suitable sampling technique for the study. Recognition-primed decision model formed the framework of the study. Ethical clearance was obtained from University of KwaZulu-Natal Ethics Review Board and ethics principles were observed during the study. Results the result of the study indicated that majority (100%) of the respondents perceived that nurses have lots of roles to perform during triage. They further unveiled that it is highly paramount for nurses to manage the waiting room and control overcrowding in the unit. Conclusion the study draws on the need for qualified and experienced nurses to be in charge of these roles in order to reduce the mortality and morbidity rates that usually occur during triage administration.

Aggressive behaviour of inpatients in mental health facilities occurs globally and is a serious nursing problem. Consequently, there is insufficient research studies conducted among nurses regarding the types of aggressive behaviour displayed by patients in psychiatric institutions. The purpose of this study was to determine nurses’ perceptions regarding the types of aggressive behaviour displayed by patients in a selected psychiatric hospital in Lesotho. A quantitative descriptive survey was used to collect data from 119 nurses who were selected by quota sampling. The data were collected by means of a self-administered questionnaire, analysed by using SPSS (version 25), and displayed by using tables, frequencies, standard deviations, means and Pearson’s chi-square test. The findings reported that the types of aggressive behaviour included verbal aggression (86%, n = 103), physical aggression against objects (79%, n = 94), physical aggression against self (65.5%, n = 78), and physical aggression against other people (81.5%, n = 97). This study concludes that the perceptions of the nurses were positively inclined towards violent behaviour displayed by patients. The study recommends that nurses be equipped with comprehensive psychiatric skills and information to enable them to manage and cope with patients’ aggression.

Background: Meta-analysis of international literature indicate high frequencies of aggression in a mental health setting. Several studies indicate that among professional health workers, nurses are more likely than other staff members to experience aggressive incidences from patients. Furthermore, based on cause, nurses apply a range of interventions in managing aggression, however, despite the perceived value of their intervention in managing aggression, no single intervention is sufficient for handling aggressive patients to stay in control in wards. Despite high priority placed on patient aggression management, insufficient research studies have been conducted on nurses perceptions regarding current skills in minimizing patient aggression. Objectives: The purpose of the study was to describe nurses perceptions regarding current assessment skills in minimizing patient aggression at a selected Psychiatric hospital. Methodology: Non-experimental, exploratory, descriptive research design was used to guide the research process. An all-inclusive sampling method was used with 119 nurses as respondents. Data was collected by means of a questionnaire, analyzed using SPSS version 25. Descriptive statistics procedure was used to present the findings of the study. Results: A minority of respondents, (n=27) 22.7% agreed that their current assessment skills for minimizing patients aggression were good compared to the majority of respondents, (n=92) 77.3%, who expressed a different opinion. This suggests that there are limited current assessment skills in identifying high-risk aggressive patients in a selected Psychiatric hospital. Conclusion: The findings of the study indicate that there are limited current assessment skills in minimizing patients aggression at selected Psychiatric hospital. Therefore, there is a need to provide comprehensive information on nurses current skills in minimizing patients aggression to obtain richer information.