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A programme of support for care assistants of children admitted with cerebral palsy
Lebogang L Molefe1, Leepile A Sehularo2, Magdalena P Koen2
1Department of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, Sefako Makgatho University, Pretoria, South Africa.
Insights
Care assistants caring for children with cerebral palsy face challenges due to lack of training, resources, and support. A new support program aims to improve their job satisfaction and the quality of care provided.
Area of Science:
- Healthcare Management
- Pediatric Nursing
- Rehabilitation Science
Background:
- Cerebral palsy (CP) impacts children's motor skills and posture due to developmental brain damage.
- Care assistants in healthcare facilities provide essential support to children with CP.
- Inadequate support for care assistants leads to frustration and diminished quality of care.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore and describe the experiences of care assistants caring for children with CP in Gauteng province.
- To develop a comprehensive support program tailored for these care assistants.
Main Methods:
- Qualitative, exploratory, descriptive, and contextual research design.
- Data collected through semi-structured interviews with care assistants in Gauteng healthcare facilities.
- Content data analysis employed for thematic interpretation.
Main Results:
- Key themes identified: lack of training opportunities, insufficient resources, and absence of support.
- The findings informed the development of a support program based on the Donabedian model (structure, process, outcome).
Conclusions:
- Addressing the identified gaps in training, resources, and support is crucial for care assistants.
- The developed support program has the potential to enhance staff satisfaction and improve the quality of care for children with CP.
Background:
Cerebral palsy affects children's movement and posture because of damage to the brain's development. Care assistants in healthcare facilities provide care to children. Caring for the children is overwhelming, hence support is required. Such support is absent, causing frustration among care assistants, which leads to poor quality care for children.
Objectives:
To explore and describe the experiences of care assistants of children admitted with cerebral palsy in healthcare facilities of the Gauteng province, and to develop a support programme for care assistants.
Method:
A qualitative, exploratory, descriptive, and contextual research design was used. Participants were selected from healthcare facilities in Gauteng province. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data. Content data analysis was used to analyse data. The results were used to develop a support programme for care assistants.
Results:
Three themes emerged, namely, a lack of training opportunities, a lack of resources, and a lack of support. The results were used to develop a support programme, using the three steps of the Donabedian model for care: structure, process and outcome.
Conclusion:
Care assistants are not given training opportunities, work with limited resources and are not supported, hence the development of a support programme. If effectively utilised, the programme can lead to staff satisfaction and improvement of quality care for children.
Contribution:
The study enabled managers in healthcare facilities to see the need for policy and the need for support strategies for care assistants. A support programme was further developed.
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