Knowledge and psychosocial wellbeing of nurses caring for people living with HIV/AIDS at a regional hospital in Vhembe district Limpopo Province

Abstract

HIV/AIDS continues to be a major global priority given the increasing number of infected people. Driven by their needs, clinical services for People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) are rapidly changing. Hence, the global shortage of nurses happens to be one of the greatest obstacles of dealing with the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Nurses lack the necessary information needed to adequately care for PLWHA. Some nurses are expected to continually adapt and keep 'up with new programmes, information and practices. The purpose of this study is to investigate knowledge and psychosocial wellbeing of nurses caring for PLWHA in order to develop guidelines to support these nurses at a regional hospital in Vhembe district. A descriptive, cross-sectional study design was used. A cohort of 233 nurses (professional, enrolled and enrolled nursing auxiliaries) involved in the caring for PLWHA participated in the study. A structured questionnaire was used as an instrument for data collection. The instrument consisted of participants' demographic and professional characteristics, HIV I AIDS knowledge questions, the AIDS Impact Scale (AIS), Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), and the Beck Depression inventory (BDI) . The study participants were conveniently selected from the regional hospital and stratified into three categories. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS statistics 18) computer software was used for data analysis. Knowledge levels were cross-tabulated against qualification to detect possible patterns and variations. Correlation was done to assess possible relationships between knowledge and measures of MBI and AIS as well as BDl. Regression analysis was done to establish the predictors of measures of MBI using backward and enter methods. Ethical clearance was obtained from North West University ethics committee and Department of Health. The results showed that the HIV/AIDS knowledge level among nurses was below the average mean 7.90 (SD 9.04), revealing lack of knowledge among nurses caring for PLWHA. There was a significant level of burnout in about 50% of nurses caring for PLWHA. This study also revealed a significantly high level of burnout among assistant nurses as compared to enrolled and professional nurses. There was no significant relationship between HIV/AIDS knowledge, burnout (r=0.00) and depression (r=-0.09). A moderate level of reported burnout was evident among nurses. Guidelines for support in respect of nurses caring for PLWHA included structured nursing educational support, organisational support with respect to employee wellness programmes, depression and burnout interventions, as well as social support. Hence, the provision of these support mechanisms may create a positive practice environment for nurses in South Africa in general, and Vhembe district of the Limpopo Province in particular.