Gaining access into a resource poor community: Relevance to mothers and preterm infants

2^nd Advanced Nursing Science & Practice

April 20-21, 2018 | Las Vegas, USA

Ms Ida du Plessis, Marie Poggenpoel, Chris Myburgh and Wanda Jacobs

University of Johannesburg, South Africa

Posters & Accepted Abstracts: Adv Practice Nurs

Abstract :

Infants born prematurely in South African public hospitals are discharged when they become hemodynamically stable and their weight has reached a certain mass. Mothers take their infants home to resource poor communities (RPC) well known to be poor with resources like suitable housing, water, electricity, decent roads and adequate transportation. Conditions are not ideal for caring of a preterm infant, as they remain in a fragile physiological condition due to prematurity. Recommendations are provided for researchers wanting to gain access into RPCs so to ensure researcher-participant trust as well as safety of the researcher. A qualitative, exploratory, descriptive and contextual research design were used. The researcher found that preparation of gaining access into an informal settlement is essentials, as communities hold their own unique culture and hierarchy of communication. It was mandatory for the researcher to explore better ways to gain access into the RPC so to ensure her own safety, but simultaneously be received into the settlement by the community members. The way the researcher enters the specific RPC is vital as it builds respectful relationships between researchers, participants and the community. The researcher acknowledges that entry into the community is a privilege as the researcher needs to gain access into the homes of the community members and acquire specific personal information. Therefore, the researcher has a duty to respect the present-day processes alidadp@uj.ac.za