WIReDSpace
Welcome to WIReDSpace (Wits Institutional Repository on DSpace)
For queries relating to content and technical issues, please contact IR specialists via this email address : openscholarship.library@wits.ac.za,
Tel: 011 717 4652 or 011 717 1954
Communities in WIReDSpace
Select a community to browse its collections.
- This community is for all faculties and schools' research outputs by Wits academics and researchers
- This community hosts traditional outputs such as published and unpublished research articles, conference papers, book chapters and other research outputs authored by Wits academics and researchers. Items in this collection are also mapped to relevant collections within the Faculties/Schools/Departments communities for more specific browsing and searching.
- This community is for all faculties and schools' electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs) by masters and doctoral students. NB: All electronic theses and dissertations to be edited and moved/uploaded here.
- This community for all Wits Inaugural lectures.
- This community is for all Wits Libraries staff presentations and publications.
Recent Submissions
Item type:Item, Medication time: The experiences of registered nurses and caregivers in a care facility for people with dementia(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2025) Mgidi, Nompumelelo; Seedat , Jaishika; Kater, Kelly-AnnIntroduction: Provision of care to people with dementia is a rapidly growing field in healthcare. Challenges regarding medication administration to people with dementia have been reported in studies. While the literature identifies how some of the challenges are mitigated, there remains a notable gap in understanding how these challenges influence the experiences of the registered nurses and caregivers during this important task. Objectives: The main aim of the current study was to investigate and document the experiences of registered nurses and caregivers when they administer medication to people with dementia in a care facility in Johannesburg. Methodology: Using a qualitative phenomenological research design, purposive sampling was used to recruit eleven participants in a care facility for dementia in Johannesburg. Data collection took place in three phases: observations, semi-structured interviews, and focus groups. The collected data was then analysed using thematic analysis with an inductive approach. Results: Five themes emerged from the study: a) Cognitive decline b) Behavioural challenges c) Patient tailored care d) Training needs e) Different perspectives. The caregivers tailored their strategies to ensure continuity of medication administration to PWD, depending on their cognitive status and the behaviours they exhibited. Different training needs and perspectives were expressed by the caregivers. Lastly, the results show the different perspectives on providing care to people with dementia. Implications: The results show that caregivers will benefit from training workshops on how to understand and manage behaviours, and cognitive decline exhibited by people with dementia affecting medication administration. The need for support groups is evident as the caregivers require advice on the some of the challenges they face on care provision to people with dementia. The results also show the need for the development of Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) that caregivers can use to safely administer medication to people with dementia.Item type:Item, Subjective Experiences of Working as a Healthcare Worker in South Africa: A Qualitative Study(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Sounes, Daniela; Long, CarolThis study explores the perceptions and experiences of healthcare workers (HCWs) in South Africa. The study aims to understand the subjective lived experiences of HCWs, including the systemic issues, working conditions, psychological impacts, sense of purpose, and coping mechanisms of HCWs. Using a qualitative approach, data were collected through open-ended questions via an online survey, resulting in responses from 177 participants across eight of the nine provinces in South Africa. The analysis revealed profound systemic challenges, including resource shortages and poor management, leading to significant frustration and stress among HCWs. Working conditions were characterised by long hours and administrative burdens, contributing to physical and mental exhaustion. Psychological challenges included the impact of toxic workplace cultures and hierarchical structures, as well as the emotional toll of patient care. Despite these challenges, HCWs found a sense of purpose through patient outcomes and professional growth. However, many struggled with feelings of being stuck and employed various coping strategies, both healthy and unhealthy. The findings underscore the urgent need for systemic reforms, better resource allocation, improved working conditions, and robust support systems to enhance HCW well-being and healthcare delivery in South Africa.Item type:Item, Field evaluation of nanopore targeted nextgeneration sequencing to predict drugresistant tuberculosis from native sputum in South Africa and ZambiaT Schwab; L Joseph; A Moono; P Göller; Denise Evans; E et alItem type:Item, Persistence: Model Asylum Narratives and a Recognizable ‘Transgenderness’(ICI Berlin Press, 2025) Camminga, B.In recent years, autobiographical narratives by transgender migrants and refugees from Africa have emerged, such as Farah Abdi’s Never Arrive, Neo Sandja’s Right Mind, Wrong Body, and Rizi Xavier Timane’s An Unspoken Compromise. This chapter examines these texts’ geographical focus and the resurgence of the ‘wrong body’ trope, considering what the transgender asylum narrative offers to the ‘trans travel narrative’. A key difference is the lack of a safe return — what I term the ‘unsafe return’.Item type:Item, Evaluation of a digital entomological surveillance planning tool for malaria vector control Three country mixed methods pilot study(PUBLIC LIBRARY SCIENCE) C Hemingwa; S Gowelo; M Opiyo; D Marrenjo; E et al; Blessings Kaunda