Original Research

Experiences of nurses working in a rural primary health-care setting in Mopani district, Limpopo Province

MP Mohale
Curationis | Vol 31, No 2 | a984 | DOI: https://doi.org/10.4102/curationis.v31i2.984 | © 2008 MP Mohale | This work is licensed under CC Attribution 4.0
Submitted: 28 September 2008 | Published: 28 September 2008

About the author(s)

MP Mohale,, South Africa

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Abstract

Professional nurses working in rural, primary health-care settings are experiencing burnout due to serious shortages of personnel. This is exacerbated by the brain drain of nurses leaving the country. Rural settings are resource constrained in terms of personnel and equipment. This results in dissatisfaction among nurses due to the unbearable working conditions which result in stress and frustration. A qualitative, explorative, descriptive study was conducted to explore and describe the experiences of nurses working in a rural primary health-care setting in the greater Letaba sub district in Limpopo Province. Purposive sampling was used to identify the participants. Data was collected in the form of in-depth interviews. The study revealed that nurses working in primary health-care settings were experiencing emotional and physical strain as a result of the shortage of human resources. It was recommended that policies that meet the health-care needs of rural communities be developed, and that strategies to retain professional nurses in primary health-care settings be formulated.

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Crossref Citations

1. Task shifting to improve the provision of integrated chronic care: realist evaluation of a lay health worker intervention in rural South Africa
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BMJ Global Health  vol: 4  issue: 1  first page: e001084  year: 2019  
doi: 10.1136/bmjgh-2018-001084