Curationis 30(3): x-yKangaroo Mother Care (KMC) is a fairly new concept to the patients and personnel in the neonatal units in KwaZulu-Natal. Arising from one of the Governmental initiatives, KMC was introduced to KwaZulu Natal in 2001. The personnel at the regional hospital where this study took place, were briefly introduced to this alternate method o f care for a low birth weight baby, by means o f symposia and in-service training. This study was undertaken to explore the perceptions of mothers for the preparation and experience of KMC and to describe the experiences o f the mothers who had implemented KMC. Furthermore, this study sought to determine whether mothers received support during the implementation of KMC and if so, to identify the sources o f this support. The lack o f documented evidence to problems that mothers may have encountered and management strategies to deal with these, prompted the study. A phenomenological approach was used. The sample was obtained from the neonatal unit o f a regional hospital in Durban. The sample comprised of ten mothers who were practicing KMC in the post-natal ward, or mothers who were discharged and were still practicing KMC. Data were collected by means o f face-to-face interviews. These interviews provided the researcher with rich, personal and narrative experiences o f the carers before and during KMC. The results o f this study indicated that KMC was indeed new to most of the mothers and this evoked apprehension, doubt and fear, but once the mothers had tried it and were successful, they felt a sense o f joy. Nursing personnel formed part of the supportive environment for the mothers practicing KMC. Recommendations are made for nursing practice, nursing education and nursing research.

Knowledge is one of the major factors that promotes adherence to treatment regimens. With the current trends worldwide of home and community-based services for the management of HIV/AIDS patients, knowledge of care givers about the home care of these patients will determine the success of the programs. The purpose of this descriptive study was to explore the knowledge and practices of primary care givers of HIV/AIDS children in the provision of home care services. In this study an attempt was made to describe the factors which are associated with knowledge. Thirty-six primary care givers were randomly selected from three major home based care centres in Blantyre City, Malawi. A structured interview schedule was used to collect data. Data were analysed manually and by computer, using the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS).
The findings revealed a gap in knowledge since in many instances taking a child to the hospital for the management of minor ailments was the action of choice, thus perpetuating the problem of overburdening hospital resources. Lack of prior preparation for home based care was found to be the major factor contributing to the lack of knowledge. Recommendations proposed include the need to put into place mechanisms that will ensure that all the primary care givers are adequately prepared in good time for home care service. Ensuring regular home visits was also thought to be helpful for efficient and effective supervision and reinforcement of information given to fill the gaps in knowledge wherever necessary

Curationis 30(4): 38-44This research is a follow up of a Breast Week which was organized in Freetown, Sierra Leone. The specific objective o f this study was to assess the effectiveness of the knowledge and teachings given to the women who participated in this project. A quantitative approach with an exploratory descriptive design was adopted and an observational checklist guided the data collection process. A sample size o f 120 women (10%) who participated in the Breast Week was obtained through systematic sampling. During the Breast Week women were taught how to examine their breasts using breast self-exam ination (BSE) to detect abnorm alities o f the breasts. This study was undertaken one year later by the researcher to ascertain whether the information on breast self-examination provided during the Breast Week was being utilised and whether what was taught was being put into use. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 11.5. Reliability and validity were ensured through the use o f a structured observational checklist and a pilot study was undertaken. The observations were all observed and recorded by the same researcher. The majority o f the 120 women (91.7%) stated that they had never practiced BSE before the Breast Week. After receiving health education on BSE, 95% were able to dem onstrate an effective method o f undertaking BSE. It is thus recommended that every opportunity should be utilized in health care settings to teach BSE and to reinforce the practice, especially in poverty stricken countries where other forms of screening methods are unavailable.

Pregnant women in Malawi receive information about pregnancy, labour and delivery during routine antenatal visits. This study aimed to explore knowledge of obstetric complications amongst primigravidae attending an urban health centre in Blantyre, Malawi. A descriptive study design was used. Recognition of obstetric complications in pregnancy, during labour and after delivery and actions that participants would take if they developed any complications in pregnancy and after delivery were explored. Actions that women would take for complications that occur during labour were not probed, as women have little control over actions taken when complications arise during labour. Methods: Participants were selected by means of purposive sampling from a population of pregnant women who fitted defined criteria and who were attending antenatal clinic at a health centre. Forty-five primigravidae from the urban setting with a gestation period between 28 and 42 weeks were interviewed. Data were analysed manually. Results: The findings showed that participants were more aware of obstetric complications that could occur in pregnancy than of complications that may occur during and after delivery. Sixty percent of the participants were knowledgeable about obstetric complications in pregnancy. The majority of the participants, 73% and 82.2% did not know of any problems that could occur during and after the birth of the baby respectively. Participants had limited knowledge of complications that may need immediate treatment during all three periods. Fifty-eight percent (95% ci: 43; 73) of the primigravidae had some knowledge and could make an informed decision to go to a health facility with pregnancy complications. However, only 24% (95% ci: 11; 38) of the primigravidae had some knowledge and could make an informed decision to go to a health facility with complications after delivery. These findings suggest a critical need for provision of information on obstetric complications especially those that may occur during and after birth with emphasis on those obstetric complications that require immediate treatment.

Problem-based Learning is a learner-centered approach to education which encourages student participation and group work in the learning process. This method of selfdirected 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.