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Communities in WIReDSpace

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Now showing 1 - 5 of 20

1. Academic Wits Research Outputs
This community is for all faculties and schools' research outputs by Wits academics and researchers
2. Academic Wits Research Outputs (this is to be edited and moved to 1. Academic Wits Research Outputs)
This community hosts traditional outputs such as published and unpublished research articles, conference papers, book chapters and other research outputs authored by Wits academics and researchers.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.
3. Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)
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.
4. Inaugural Lectures
This community for all Wits Inaugural lectures.
5. Wits Libraries Publications
This community is for all Wits Libraries staff presentations and publications.

Recent Submissions

Predictors of patient length of stay post stroke rehabilitation
(Makerere University, Faculty of Medicine, 2023) Bijl, Thea; Mudzi, Witness; Comley-White, Nicolette
Background: There is little research on length of hospital stay (LOS) in patients post stroke in South African rehabilitation facilities. As LOS is an important indicator of cost-of-care, this information may be useful to all stakeholders. Objectives: To determine the predictors of hospital LOS in patients post stroke rehabilitation. Methods: A retrospective file review of 243 patients. Results: Patient functional ability was measured using the Functional Independence Measure (FIM). Predictors of LOS were determined with multiple regression analysis. The median admission and discharge FIM scores were 43 (range: 16-119) and 75 (range: 16-120) points respectively. The median LOS was 43 (range: 3-112) days. Predictors of LOS were premorbid psychiatric conditions, impaired speech, requiring oxygen support, the development of pneumonia and admission FIM motor score, with admission FIM motor score being the strongest individual predictor of LOS (41%). Conclusion: Admission FIM score had an influence on patient outcomes and LOS. Patients with higher admission FIM motor scores may be able to participate in rehabilitation better and thus have shorter LOS. Being able to predict LOS on admission allows facility administrators to manage bed occupancy, human and clinical resources in post stroke rehabilitation. Keywords: Length of stay; predictors; rehabilitation; stroke.
Play Experiences: The Voices of Children Residing in a Large Children’s Home in Johannesburg
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2025) Hofmeyr, Katharine Jane
Introduction: Play is an integral part of a child’s life and is crucial for healthy development and well- being. Children residing in Child and Youth Care Centres (CYCCs) are at risk of developmental delays. Therefore, it is essential to find ways to support their play experiences. As occupational therapists, we assess and treat play and are uniquely situated to support children in play and promote occupational justice. Objectives: This study explores the play experiences of children living in a large children's home, focusing on their preferred activities, equipment, and environment. It also examines how children engage in social play and the barriers and facilitators they encounter as perceived by children. Method: A cross-sectional qualitative descriptive design was employed, utilizing the draw-and-tell method for data collection. The study was conducted in Johannesburg with 25 children from five children’s homes operating under the same non-governmental organisation. Results: Three key themes emerged from the data analysis: ‘social dynamics in play,’ ‘social connections in play,’ and ‘play resources and structures.’ Within these themes, categories and subcategories and direct quotes from children were identified. Conclusion: This study highlights how living in institutional care impacts children's play experiences. The findings emphasize the role of social dynamics and connections, routines, structure, and available play resources in shaping these experiences. As occupational therapists, we can understand children's perspectives in institutional care to inform efforts to promote their overall health and well-being in alternative care settings.
The Change in Executive Functioning of Grade Four Learners Attending an Occupational Therapy Intervention at a Learners-with-Special-Education-Needs School
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2025) Cilliers, Jean-Marie
Introduction: Executive functioning refers to the higher-level cognitive abilities required to plan, organise and direct thoughts and behaviour to achieve chosen goals. As executive functioning underpins the individual’s participation in meaningful occupations including education, it is an important treatment focus in paediatric occupational therapy. This is particularly true for children with Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), learning disorders, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and more. Various studies have considered the effectiveness of different intervention types to improve executive functioning, but there is still insufficient research in the occupational therapy field. Methods: A retrospective quasi-experimental research design was used to evaluate an occupational therapy intervention programme by determining the change in executive functioning in sixteen Grade 4 learners. The learners were attending a Learners with Special Educational Needs (LSEN) school in Gauteng, South Africa and had various diagnoses such as Cerebral Palsy, Specific Learning Disabilities, Autism Spectrum Disorder and physical disabilities. The Mediated Learning Experience approach was used as the basis for developing the intervention programme. Grade 4 learners attended the intervention group once weekly. The Delis Rating Scale of Executive Functioning (D-REF) assessment was used to determine the change in executive functioning of each Grade 4 learner, as well as for different diagnostic groups. The learners’ academic results were used to determine the association between the change in executive functioning and change in academic outcomes. Results: There were no significant changes in executive functioning scores or academic performance scores from Term 1 to 4. The intervention seems to have addressed severe executive functioning impairments more effectively than only slight executive functioning impairments, with better outcomes in the clinical indices of activity level and impulse control and abstract thought and problem solving. Only slight individual improvement in attention and working memory was indicated. There was no significant change in academic marks of the learners. Learners with an ADHD diagnosis in v conjunction with ASD diagnosis, seemed to have benefitted the most from the intervention. Conclusion: While some improvement was found in individual clinical indices for Grade 4 learners who attended the weekly interventions, scores varied. An individualised approach to addressing executive functioning deficits may be indicated.
The Barriers and Facilitators Experienced by Primary Caregivers When Implementing Occupational Therapy Home Programmes Within a Primary Healthcare Setting
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2025) Topham, Ella; Van der Linde, Janine
Introduction This study aimed to describe and explore the facilitators and barriers that primary caregivers experience when implementing an occupational therapy home programme. Methods An exploratory, descriptive qualitative research design was used. The researcher conducted semi-structured interviews with 12 primary caregivers attending Hillbrow Community Health Centre. Purposive sampling methods were used to gather participants involved in the study and participants were sources largely from outpatient groups for children with Cerebral Palsy and Down syndrome. Findings The data gathered from the 12 semi-structured interviews were analysed using thematic analysis. Four themes were generated throughout this process, namely: family dynamics; “sometimes he just doesn’t want to”:-child-centric factors; faith, strength and responsibility and, “it’s hard, it’s complicated”: the broader context. These themes described how factors in the primary caregivers’ immediate household contexts as well as the broader socioeconomic contexts of their communities contributed to their ease or difficulty they experienced when implementing occupational therapy home programmes. While it was found that these themes described the facilitators and barriers that primary caregivers experienced, they were not experienced in isolation and it was an interplay of factors between the primary caregiver, the child and contextual factors that influenced the home programme implementation. It was found that surprisingly few barriers related to the home programme activities themselves and that a consolidated understanding of the home programme activities was important for effective implementation. This study found that the interaction between the primary caregivers, children and household context contributed to the primary caregivers’ opportunity to implement the home programme activities. Conclusion This study aimed to describe facilitators and barriers that influenced how primary caregivers implemented occupational therapy home programmes. All primary caregivers interviewed managed to implement the programmes but provided insight into what factors within their immediate and broader environments and contexts made it easier or more difficult to implement the home programme activities. This insight showed how v | P a g e factors and resources within their household and broader socioeconomic environments were a greater influence on implementation than the home programme activities themselves. This insight is important for occupational therapists to understand when prescribing home programmes and working with children with disabilities and their primary caregivers.
Undergraduate research- a tale of three African institutions
(Makerere University, Faculty of Medicine, 2023-06) Delport, Rhena; Dreyer, Abigail; Maart, Ronel; MohamedSharif, Asma; Rebecca Nekaka,; Nekaka, Rebecca; Turner, Astrid; Wolvaardt, Jacqueline
Background: The inclusion of research in undergraduate medical curricula benefits students as well as the scientific community. Multiple studies report the presence of one or more barriers to research training in these curricula. Objectives: This paper presents and compares three studies done regarding the teaching of research in undergraduate medical curricula in South Africa, Sudan and Uganda. Methods: Two cross-sectional study designs (South Africa and Sudan) and one interventional study design (Uganda) were conducted. Both cross-sectional studies used mixed methods while the Ugandan study used a quantitative method. A total of 41 faculty members and 554 students participated. The studies used a combination of surveys, focus group discussions, key informant interviews and document analysis. Results: Participants from all three studies valued research and considered it useful and relevant to their studies. The findings from the South African and Sudanese studies align with the ‘Four I’s’ framework that summarise the barriers to research training as lack of initiative, impulse, incentive and idols. The Ugandan study demonstrated improved self-reported knowledge and atti- tude (specifically anxiety) among participants after completion of a short course on research.