Learning to care: nurses’ experiences of learning in a quality improvement intervention in uMgungundlovu District, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

Abstract

This study examined nurses' experiences of a quality improvement (QI) intervention to increase the identification and treatment of children and adolescents with HIV in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Despite the high prevalence of HIV in the country, progress in the paediatric population lags behind that of adults. The study employed a basic qualitative research design within the interpretivist paradigm to understand nurses' perceptions of QI in nursing care. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions, and the photovoice method and analysed using a data-driven inductive approach and deductive analysis. The study adopted Kolb’s experiential learning theory to theorise the findings that revealed that although the QI training was successful, the layout and mentoring processes did not facilitate the sustainability of the developed skills. Barriers to providing good clinical management of children and adolescents with HIV included a lack of institutionalisation and sustainability of the QI intervention and a non-conducive environment. This study highlights the importance of equipping healthcare workers with QI skills to improve healthcare quality and contribute to good health outcomes in the paediatric population. Based on the findings, the project was recommended to revise the training layout and adopt mentoring processes to develop sustainable interventions.