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The experiences of healthcare workers on the delivery of healthcare service during Covid-19 Pandemic in clinics Sub-district A, City of Johannesburg Municipality Gauteng Province
Get PDFThesis (M. A. (Nursing)) -- University of Limpopo, 2023Background: The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic has invaded health systems
throughout the world. The study findings present many difficulties for healthcare
practitioners. This study summarizes the studies that came out during the first year of
the pandemic.
Purpose: To determine the experience of the healthcare workers on the delivery of
healthcare service during the COVID-19 pandemic in clinics sub-district A, city of
Johannesburg municipality Gauteng province.
Study method: A qualitative, phenomenological, descriptive, and contextual design
was applied to explore and describe the experiences of healthcare workers on the
delivery of healthcare services during the COVID-19 pandemic in clinics sub-district A,
city of Johannesburg municipality Gauteng province. A purposive and convenient, the
non-probability sampling method was used to select 24 healthcare workers, two doctors
and 22 nurses. Data collection was completed with an unstructured interview that lasted
between 25 and 40 minutes. Data were analyzed using Techs’ open coding method of
qualitative data analysis.
Results: The following themes emerged: Diverse experiences of the healthcare workers
when delivering service during the COVID-19 pandemic, diverse experience regarding
support systems when providing health services during the COVID-19 pandemic,
challenges regarding the provision of care during the COVID-19 pandemic and
suggestions on how to improve the service provision during COVID-19 pandemic.
Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic has put a significant strain on healthcare
systems around the world, including South Africa. COVID-19 pandemic demanded
healthcare workers to be resilience when providing service delivery, according to
interviews with healthcare workers in Johannesburg. The study's results will be
presented to the Gauteng health department and nurses. The study has examined the
necessary intervention and support of healthcare workers to improve patient care. It will
also provide policymakers with robust data to inform urgent decision-making regarding
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workforce protection, support, and sustainability
Prevalence of preterm deliveries in women living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus at Mankweng Hospital, Limpopo
Get PDFThesis (M.MED. (Paediatrics and Child Health)) -- University of Limpopo, 2023Objectives:
To determine the prevalence of preterm deliveries amongst HIV-positive women, to
describe the demographic characteristics of HIV-positive women delivering preterm
babies and to determine the possible risk factors that may be associated with preterm
delivery amongst HIV-positive women delivering in Mankweng hospital.
Materials and Methods:
A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted at Mankweng hospital labour
ward and neonatal unit over twelve months, from January 2019 to December 2019.
The maternity register was used to identify patients’ medical records which were then
retrieved and used for the study.
Results: The prevalence of preterm delivery amongst HIV-positive women was found
to be 34.1%. This was very high compared to the global prevalence. Maternal age was
not associated with preterm delivery. Factors that were found to be significantly
associated with preterm delivery in our setting are hypertension, fibroid uterus, urinary
tract infection and chorioamnionitis.
Conclusion: The prevalence of preterm delivery in our setting is very high. The risk
factors that contribute to preterm delivery among HIV-positive women are like that of
the general population. Further studies need to be done to determine if these factors
are increased among HIV-positive women
Implementing learning-based (ML-based) hybrid model to mitigate distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks in mobile edge computing (MEC)
Get PDFThesis (M.Sc. (Computer Science)) -- University of Limpopo, 20235G technology constitutes a considerable part of solving the problem of security in mobile communications. Multi-Access Edge Computing or mobile edge computing (MEC) extends the capabilities of cloud computing by locating them near the edge of the network. By outsourcing cloud processing to specific local servers, MEC decreases latency in 5G, thereby improving the end-user experience. This study explores a security vulnerability present in 5G MEC. Specifically, we examined distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks occurring at both the network and the application layer. The vulnerability of MEC to DDoS attacks poses significant challenges that are addressed in this research. We evaluated different Machine Learning (ML) algorithms and subsequently implemented hybrid models (Stacking/Blending, and Random Forests (RF) model) which are classified under supervised ML. The purpose of this study is to identify the most effective techniques for mitigating DDoS attacks in MEC systems. ML techniques such as Random Forest (RF), Decision tree (DT), Naïve Bayes (NB), K Nearest Neighbour (K-NN), Logistics regression (LR), Blending/Stack Model are evaluated on the basis of a variety of performance metrics (including accuracy, detection/recall, precision, F1-Measure, Matthews correlation coefficient (MCC), Receiver operating characteristic (ROC), and Area Under Receiver operating characteristic (AUROC)) for each of the algorithms. Probability density function (PDF) and hypotheses testing are statistical techniques deployed to support the findings of our study. Based on the literature in the field, ML techniques are recommended to reach our solution. The best ML algorithms yielding the best performance in mitigating the DDoS attacks are optimized to enhance their performance ability. This study outlines the overview of MEC environment’s existing mitigation scheme, and the implemented mitigation schemes towards DDoS attacks. According to our evaluated findings, Hybrid models outperformed ML models based on the computed scores of performance metrics. PDF and hypotheses testing successfully supported our findings by showing that hybrid models indeed outperformed ML models. Among the mitigation techniques, RF outperformed all supervised ML models by effectively mitigating DDoS attacks in MEC
Evaluation of midwifery practices among registered midwives at Witpoort and Lephalale Hospitals in Limpopo Province, South Africa
Get PDFThesis (M. (Nursing)) -- University of Limpopo, 2023Background: Midwifery practices have grown in complexity characterized by overload of operational pressure and the need for cost-effective and continuous accessible healthcare services where midwives are expected to adapt swiftly to keep up with the current changes in the settings to provide midwifery care. Midwifery practices are used to maintain quality as an alternative to mandatory legislated standards and can be used for self-assessment or benchmarking. Midwifery care is dynamic and evolving, and as such, failure by midwives to keep up with new developments may be deleterious. Therefore, upskilling clinical programmes such as essential steps to manage obstetric emergencies should be made available to midwives as it may improve clinical expertise. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the midwifery practices among registered midwives. Research method: Quantitative, descriptive and cross-sectional research was conducted to assess and describe midwifery practices among registered midwives at Witpoort and Lephalale hospitals in Limpopo province, South Africa. The population was all the registered midwives at Witpoort and Lephalale hospital. The population size was 100 midwives. Sample size of 80 registered midwives determined by Slovin formular. Simple random sampling was used to select the sample. A self-developed questionnaire was piloted before the main study was conducted. Data were analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 27 with the assistance of the statistician. Measures to ensure reliability and validity adhered to ensure quality of the study findings. Results: The study revealed that midwifery practices were adversely affected due to lack of the human and material resources; inadequate and malfunctioning equipment and also lack of training. A significant portion (47%) of the registered midwives were aged 50 or older. The majority of the respondents (78%) were female, and 82% did not have a specialty. A large proportion (41%) of the registered midwives had less than 6 years of experience in the maternity unit, while 6% had more than 15 years of experience. The majority (93.3%) of respondents consistently provide emotional support to pregnant women during antenatal care, and 81.6% indicated that they consistently and effectively
address the questions and concerns of pregnant women. Most (93.8%) of the respondents monitor the well-being of both the fetus and the mother during high-risk antenatal visits, while 85.7% consistently offer emotional support during labour and childbirth. However, a substantial majority (97.9%) never advised pregnant women to bring doulas for support. The majority (85.7%) of the respondents provide pain relief to pregnant women during labour. About 81.6% of the respondents deliver appropriate care to women during labour and childbirth, but only 34.7% stay with the woman during the second stage of labour. About (81.6%) of the respondents provide health education to mothers during the postpartum period. Approximately 42.8% of the respondents consistently support mothers in initiating and establishing breastfeeding, and 63.3% consistently address complications during the postpartum period. Conclusion: The study concluded that the midwifery practices were sub-standard due to the negative impact posed by lack of resources and equipment, and shortage of midwives, and lack of training. Sub-standard midwifery practices have serious implications for the health and well-being of mothers and newborns. These practices were influenced by various factors such as inadequate material and human resources; lack and malfunctioning of the available equipment. The consequences of inadequate midwifery practices can include increased maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality rates, complications during childbirth, and long-term health issues for both mothers and infants. Addressing shortage of human and material resources in maternity units is important for ensuring the safety and well-being of pregnant women and their newborns
Strategies to enhance the utilization of digital health in early detection and treatment of pre-eclampsia by gravid women in Emalahleni Local Municipality, Mpumalanga Province
Get PDFThesis (M. (Nursing)) -- University of Limpopo, 2023Background: Gestational Hypertension and Pre-Eclampsia are the most prevalent conditions in Sub-Saharan Africa leading to undesirable perinatal and maternal outcomes. In South Africa, a high rate of maternal death was noted due to Pre-Eclampsia. However, the use of digital maternal health in South Africa has become of significance for the reinforcement of health care. Digital health initiatives such as mobile health initiatives were developed to improve better access to communities in low and middle-income countries. The implementation and practices of digital health seem to be growing and expandable to achieve the Universal Health Coverage goals in the provision of care to all globally and nationally. Purpose: To develop strategies to enhance the utilization of digital health in the early detection and treatment of Pre-Eclampsia by gravid women in Emalahleni Local Municipality, Mpumalanga Province. Methodology: A mixed convergent parallel research method was adopted in this study. In this study, the data was collected using quantitative and qualitative strands. The quantitative data was collected from midwifery practitioners using self-developed Likert scale questionnaires with a total of 64 items. The questionnaires were administered to 109 midwifery practitioners and the data was analyzed using descriptive statistics. The qualitative data was collected from the 10 gravid women using semi-structured one-on-one interviews and was analyzed using Tesch open coding method. A pilot study was conducted before conducting the main study to measure the validity and reliability of the questionnaire and interview guide. Thereafter the findings were merged to determine the extent to which they converge, diverge, and correlate. The integrated findings informed the development of the strategies. Thereafter a McKinsey 7s Model along with Appraisal of Guidelines for Research & Evaluation II guided the development of the strategies to enhance utilisation of digital health. The ethical standards were adhered to in this study. Ethical approval was obtained from Turfloop Ethics Committee (TREC/81/2022:PG). Results: The integrated findings showed that there are inconsistencies on the knowledge and importance of digital health utilization in the management of Pre-Eclampsia. Moreover, there are barriers to the utilization of digital health such as lack of awareness, shortage of digital and human resources, power supply inconveniences impacting network connectivity, lack of training about the use of digital health, and lack of digital health initiatives validation and policies. These results informed the development of the strategies to enhance the ulitization of digital health in early detection and treatment of pre-Eclampsia. Conclusion: For South Africa to succeed in achieving the Universal Health Coverage goals, midwifery practitioners should adopt digital health practices in clinical practice. The implementation of digital health should be reinforced and emphasized. Although there are more barriers to the implementation of digital health, the implementation of the developed strategies could possible facilitate a successful digital health use among midwives and gravid women and possible reduce perinatal and maternal mortalities and morbidities associated with lack of knowledge and access to healthcare informatio
Development and validation of a model for midwives who care for sick neonates in neonatal intensive care units of public hospitals, Limpopo Province
Get PDFThesis (Ph.D. (Nursing Science)) -- University of Limpopo, 2023Background: Providing quality neonatal care is one of the most challenging health
care services globally. Ensuring quality care during pregnancy and delivery is
paramount to improving health outcomes and reducing mortality and morbidity among
neonates. About 2.9 million neonatal deaths occur worldwide, accounting for 40%
under 5 years’ deaths. Poor quality care in health care organisations is thought to be
one of the factors for the slow progress the in reduction of neonatal deaths.
Furthermore, poor quality care is not just about the availability of resources in a health
institution, nor is it just about the absence of services. In South Africa, the midwives
providing care to sick neonates usually lack experience and competence mainly
because of shortage of midwives and lack of training in neonatal care, and neonatal
intensive care.
Purpose: The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a model for midwives
who care for sick neonates in Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs) of public
hospitals in Limpopo Province.
Methodology: An exploratory, sequential mixed - method design was used in this
study. The study was conducted in all five districts of Limpopo Province using one
hospital per district. The population was all the midwives allocated to the NICUs of
the five hospitals. The total population size for the qualitative phase was 58 midwives.
The total sample size of 12 participants (6 from each hospital) was selected
purposefully for the qualitative phase. Qualitative data collection and analysis were
done to explore the phenomenon, identify themes, design a data collection
instrument, and pre-test it by pilot study. The findings of the qualitative phase were
used to develop the quantitative data collection tools, to conduct the quantitative data
collection and analysis. Measures to ensure trustworthiness were followed. The
interview guide was used to collect data through one-to-one semi-structured
interviews. Tesch’s eight steps in the coding process were used to analyse the
qualitative data. The population for the quantitative phase included 82 midwives who
were allocated in the NICUs in the four public hospitals. Slovin’s formula was used to
calculate the sample size. The sample size was 68 participants for the quantitative
phase. Reliability and validity were established. Quantitative data analysis was done
through SPSS version 25. The collected data were coded and analysed through
descriptive statistics.
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Ethical considerations: The proposed study was approved and cleared by the Intradepartmental Review Committee. Ethical clearance was obtained from the Turfloop
Research Ethics Committee (TREC). Permission to conduct the study was granted
by the Limpopo Province Department of Health Ethics Committee. Further permission
to collect data from public hospitals was granted by hospital managers. The interview
guide and consent form were formulated in English. Scientific adherence to ethical
principles was ensured. In qualitative processes, member checks, independent
coding and the reviews were done by the supervisor. The study was language edited
to ensure it is readable. Turnitin was done to minimise plagiarism.
Development and validation of a model: A model was developed utilising the
concept analyses and the findings of the study to ensure quality care by the midwives.
Experts in the field of the study were given the validation tool to assess the model.
Significance of the study: The findings from this study might increase the likelihood
of desired neonatal health outcomes and identify the gaps in the knowledge of care
of sick infants to be addressed in the neonatal care
A data security and privacy scheme for user quality of experience in a Mobile Edge Computing-based network
Get PDFJournal article published in the journal of Array 19 (2023) 100304Cloud computing has widely been used for applications that require huge computational and data storage
resources. Unfortunately, with the advent of new technologies such as fifth generation of cellular networks
that provide new applications like IoT, cloud computing presents many limits among which the End-To-End
(E2E) latency is the main challenge. These applications generally degrade scenarios that require low latency.
Mobile Edge Computing (MEC) has been proposed to solve this issue. MEC brings computing and storage
resources from cloud data center to edge data center, closer to end-user equipment to reduce the E2E latency
for request processing. However, MEC is vulnerable to security, data privacy, and authentication that affect
the end-user Quality of Experience (QoE). It is therefore fundamental that these challenges are addressed to
avoid poor user experience due to the lack of security or data privacy. In this paper, we propose a hybrid
cryptographic system that uses the symmetric and asymmetric cryptographic systems, to improve data security,
privacy, and user authentication in a MEC-based network. We show that our proposed scheme is secured by
validating it with the Automated Validation of Internet Security Protocol and Application tool. Simulation
results show that our solution consumes less computing resources
Small-scale maize farmers' perceptions and adaptations towards climate change in Makhuduthamaga Local Municipality, Sekhukhune District, Limpopo Province
Get PDFThesis (M.A. Agricultural Management (Agricultural Economics)) -- University of Limpopo, 2023The agricultural sector is a vital component of the South African economy. The industry has the ability to contribute to rural growth, eliminate poverty, improve food security, create jobs, and narrow income disparities. Climate change, on the other hand, poses a threat to South Africa's agricultural sector, water resources, food security, health, infrastructure, and ecosystem services and biodiversity as a result of rising temperatures and less rainfall. Climate change adaptation techniques such as changing or adjusting planting date, use of soil and water as conservation techniques have gained traction as an essential strategy alongside mitigation around the world, and are widely documented in a variety of sources and approaches (such as books, journal articles, reports etc.). Nonetheless, few studies have been conducted in South Africa to prove or analyse if these techniques will be implemented at the farm level, notably in Makhuduthamaga Local Municipality, Sekhukhune District, Limpopo Province. Furthermore, little or no research has been performed to determine whether the small-scale maize farmers from the area have perceived that climate is changing and they are will to adapt to those methods. As a result, this study was carried out to fill the aforementioned research information gap and to draw relevant policy implications to increase the welfare of small-scale maize farmers through the application of perceptions and adaptation towards climate change. The study's overarching goal was to analyse small-scale maize farmers' perceptions and adaptation towards climate change in Makhuduthamaga Local Municipality, Sekhukhune District, Limpopo Province. The study specifically addressed the following objectives: (i) Identify and describe small-scale maize farmer’s socio-economic characteristics in the study area; (ii) Assess the level of perceptions of small-scale maize farmers towards climate change in the study area; and (iii) Analyse the socio-economic factors influencing perceptions and adaptation of small-scale maize farmers towards climate change in the study area. A simple random sampling procedure was used to select 110 small-scale maize farmers from a sample frame of 238 based on probability proportional to sample size. The qualitative and quantitative cross-sectional data were collected through group observation and face-to-face interviews using structured questionnaires from Mid-December 2021 to Mid- February 2022. The empirical model that was employed to address the research objectives include; Heckman two stage equation model in chapter five. The data collected was analysed using IBM SPSS Version 27.0 and Microsoft excel 2016, respectively. To assess the perceptions of sampled small-scale maize farmers in the study area, the Likert-scale method of analysis was used. The majority of small-scale maize farmers interviewed 41 (37 %) strongly agreed that climate change is occurring, followed by those who were doubtful or uncertain 27 (25 %). Twenty four (22%) of the sample small-scale maize farmers agreed that climate change is occurring; however, 6% disagreed and 10% strongly disagreed. All the null hypotheses of the study are rejected because: the results from the descriptive statistics results shows that a large number of small-scale maize farmers strongly agreed and perceived or rather believed that climate has changed due to rainfall and temperature in the last 30 years. Lastly, the Heckman two stage equation model results revealed that age, educational level, farming experience, number of adult labourers, crop failure, credit access, access to extension services, farm size, perceived changes in temperature and rainfall and they all have a significant impact on the small-scale maize farmers’ perceptions and adaptation towards climate change. On the basis of empirical findings, it is proposed that the government, community members, and other stakeholders (such as NGOs, research institutions, municipalities, and so on) approach climate change adaptation as part of the local development plan. Investments in technologies such as irrigation, drought-resistant plants, and early maturing varieties; institution building; research; training; and promotion of small-scale farmers and animals such as cattle held to mitigate the effects of crop failure or low yields in extreme weather situations are some of the examples. This will also provide additional services required for adaptation, complicating the fulfilment of other development goals for long-term welfare.Department of Agriculture, Land Reform, and Rural Development (DALRD
Transformative learning experiences of students in repurposed service-learning projects during COVID-19 at a University of Technology
Get PDFJournal article published in African Perspectives of Research in Teaching & Learning Journal (APORTAL) Vol 7 (2) (2023)The potential of transformative learning through repurposed service-learning initiatives is
explored by examining the transformative learning experiences of three first-year
Communication students of Marketing from a university of technology in South Africa while implementing service-learning projects during the COVID-19 pandemic. To examine the differences between service-learning projects during the pandemic and the traditional face-to face models, traditional service-learning frameworks are explored and the motivation for adapting traditional service-learning is explained. The study used a qualitative research approach to examine the viewpoints of participants. To assess student transformative learning, the Transformative Learning Theory is employed as a lens. Participants were interviewed and their verbatim statements constituted the data analyzed using thematic analysis. A deductive coding approach was used as data was analyzed and a set of established themes served as the foundation for the discussion of the findings. The transformative learning experiences of the participants are discussed to illustrate how service-learning projects can be repurposed. It is evident that communication skills were practiced, and transformative learning occurred. As a result, "home-based" service-learning is recommended as a form of alternative service learning. The article contributes to the current education climate in which teaching
methodologies require increased flexibility and innovation
The burden of cyberbullying on teachers
Get PDFJournal article published in African Perspectives of Research in Teaching & Learning Journal (APORTAL) Vol 7 (2) (2023)This article explores the challenges teachers face in dealing with cyberbullying from the
perspective of behavior management theory. We argue that dealing with cyberbullying places an additional burden on teachers. The research is based on narrative inquiry and focuses on the experiences of a participant named Amanda who works in a primary school. Amanda embodies the complexity of everyday life for teachers in a South African school. The analysis shows that teachers like Amanda are exposed to high levels of stress and burnout due to the administrative demands of dealing with bullying on social media, which distracts them from their actual pedagogical tasks. The inadequate institutional support has a negative impact on both their professional efficiency and their personal lives. The findings show that a holistic approach, including policy reforms, psychological support, and specialized training is needed to mitigate these effects