Abstract

This study was conducted to make nursing care guides which can be used by African students of nursing in making individualized nursing care plans. The nursing problems which were met in African rural hospitals served as a basis for the nursing care guides. Data for the study were obtained through questionnaires which were airmail to ten rural hospitals in Africa. Eight of the hospitals responded to the questionnaires.

The types of employees, the hospital facilities, and diseases of patients hospitalized during 1963 were studied. Special emphasis was placed upon the nursing problems found in the hospitals. These items were employed to direct in the selection of topics for nursing care guides.

Literature was reviewed on the subject of nursing care plans. Literature was consulted in preparing the nursing care guides. A form for a nursing care plan was adapted from existing plans for use by students of nursing in African rural hospitals.

The average bed capacity of the hospitals was 96 beds. Of the total nursing staffs in the eight hospitals studied, approximately one-fourth, or 26.5 per cent, were untrained: almost a fourth, or 21.5 percent, had received some type of nursing education which ranged from that of nurse-aide to nursing and hospital assistant programs; and about one-half, or 52 percent, were students, the majority of which were in nursing and hospital assistant program.

Pour categories of nursing problems were found. They were: (1) the need for a larger and better trained staff; (2) the need for better control over patients' diets; (3) the need for isolation units and more equipment in the hospitals; and (4) the need to help patients and their families understand their disease and its treatment better. Nursing care guides appeared to be useful in helping to meet the needs of problems one and four.

From a study of the diseases of the patients hospitalized during 1963 in the institutions studied, nine were chosen as topics for nursing care guides. They were: malaria, helminthic diseases, dysentery, pneumonia, anemia, kwashiorkor, tetanus, and heart disease. Nursing care guides were constructed in three sections. Some common symptoms were mentioned and important aspects of both the treatment and the nursing care and of their importance were given. The nursing care guides and the suggested nursing care plan form were recommended to African rural hospitals for trial in improving nursing care.

LLU Discipline

Nursing

Department

Nursing

School

Graduate School

First Advisor

Maxine Atteberry

Second Advisor

Mary Colby

Third Advisor

L. H. Lonergan

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Degree Level

M.S.

Year Degree Awarded

1964

Date (Title Page)

8-1964

Language

English

Library of Congress/MESH Subject Headings

Nursing Care -- Africa -- guidebooks

Type

Thesis

Page Count

xviii; 207

Digital Format

PDF

Digital Publisher

Loma Linda University Libraries

Usage Rights

This title appears here courtesy of the author, who has granted Loma Linda University a limited, non-exclusive right to make this publication available to the public. The author retains all other copyrights.

Collection

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Collection Website

http://scholarsrepository.llu.edu/etd/

Repository

Loma Linda University. Del E. Webb Memorial Library. University Archives

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