Released on: October 29, 2007, 8:42 pm

Press Release Author: Wiley-Blackwell

Industry: Healthcare

Press Release Summary: Nurses who counsel & testing HIV patients in South Africa
voluntarily are burnt out and in danger of leaving the service.

Press Release Body: Melbourne, Australia - 30 October, 2007-Voluntary Counseling and
Testing (VCT) HIV patients in South Africa have left the nurses who provide this
vital community service exposed to continual emotional strain - leading to career
burnout -causing these caregivers to eventually leave the service.



A study published by Wiley-Blackwell in the special issue of Nursing & Health
Sciences finds that VCT nurses in the Limpopo province experience many challenges
relating to emotional drain, with grief and continual loss listed as the main stress
factors.



The Limpopo province - the poorest and most rural in South Africa-has trained more
than 300 nurses since 2001 to provide adequate VCT services for the community. At
present, it has only 20 are still delivering VCT services



Based on her research project "Challenges faced by nurses in rendering HIV/AIDS
services in Limpopo Province", Dr. Mashudu Maselesele, published the paper -
"Nurses' experiences of delivering voluntary counseling and testing services for
HIV/AIDS in the Vhembe district, Limpopo province, South Africa". The study aims to
explore and describe the experiences of the nurses in order to better understand why
they quit the service; in the hope of rectifying the situation.



Professional nurses render VCT services over and above their daily nursing
functions, without additional compensation and support. In addition to the
inadequate resources for effective the delivery of counseling and testing services
(all of which is voluntary), they also have to deal with further obstacles such as
the stigma of the disease and frustrations concerning certain behaviors and
practices of clients and community members.



Dr. Maselesele says "VCT is a very crucial entry point in enabling HIV prevention
and management, and is extremely essential in not only helping patients cope with
their illness but also helps reduce overall infection rates. It is therefore vital
that we implement effective healthcare worker-retention strategies - via proper
mentoring and emotional support - to improve the motivational levels of nurses."



She added, "We must consistently maintain and sustain the high quality of service
this counseling program has been delivering."



*****



This paper is published in the December 2007 issue of Nursing and Health Sciences.
The journal is one of the 16 Wiley-Blackwell journals participating in the Council
of Science Editor's (CSE) Global Theme Issue dedicated to poverty and human
development. The Table of Contents may be viewed online at the following URL:
http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/toc/nhs/9/4 .

Media wishing to receive a PDF or schedule media interviews with the author should
contact Alina Boey, PR & Communications Manager Asia at
alina.boey@asia.blackwellpublishing.com or phone 613-83591046.





About the Council of Science Editors (CSE)

CSE is a professional society of science editors that serves members in the
scientific publishing and information science communities by fostering networking,
education, discussion, and exchange and to be an authoritative resource on current
and emerging issues in the communication of scientific information. The CSE Web site
that has the list of all participating journals, the direct URL is
http://www.councilscienceeditors.org/globalthemeissue.cfm . An accompanying Global
Theme Issue Event was held at the National Institutes of Health on 22nd October, and
is available by Web cast. More information is available at
http://www.fic.nih.gov/news/events/cse.htm and a link to the web cast can be found
at http://videocast.nih.gov/summary.asp?live=6239





Nursing & Health Sciences

Nursing & Health Sciences focuses on the international exchange of knowledge in
nursing and health sciences, particularly between East and West. The journal
publishes peer-reviewed papers on original research, education and policy as well as
more informal papers describing personal experiences. By encouraging Eastern and
Western scholars alike to share their clinical knowledge and experience, the Journal
aims to provide the reader with a deeper understanding of the lived experience of
health care around the world and the opportunity to enrich their own practices for
improved global health.



About Wiley-Blackwell

Wiley-Blackwell was formed in February 2007 as a result of the merger between
Blackwell Publishing Ltd. and Wiley's Scientific, Technical, and Medical business.
Together, the companies have created a global publishing business with deep strength
in every major academic and professional field. Wiley-Blackwell publishes
approximately 1,400 scholarly peer-reviewed journals and an extensive collection of
books with global appeal. For more information on Wiley-Blackwell, please visit
www.blackwellpublishing.com or http://interscience.wiley.com.



About Wiley

Founded in 1807, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. has been a valued source of information and
understanding for 200 years, helping people around the world meet their needs and
fulfill their aspirations. Since 1901, Wiley and its acquired companies have
published the works of more than 350 Nobel laureates in all categories: Literature,
Economics, Physiology/Medicine, Chemistry and Peace.

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site can be accessed at http://www.wiley.com. The Company is listed on the New York
Stock Exchange under the symbols JWa and JWb.





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PR & Communications Manager, Asia

613-8359 1046

alina.boey@asia.blackwellpublishing.com