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Background: Registered nurses working in the mobile health clinics (MHCs) play an important role in enabling HIV care access to populations in remote areas through Nurse Initiated Antiretroviral Therapy program (NIMART). Aim: To explore and describe the nurses' experiences regarding operational factors influencing the implementation of HIV care services in the mobile health clinics (MHCs) of eThekwini Municipality in KwaZulu Natal. Methods: Qualitative Exploratory Descriptive (QED) method was used after permission was granted from North-West University Human Research Ethics Committee provincial and local health authorities. Data saturation informed sample size of thirteen MHCs nurses were purposefully sampled to participate. Audio-recorded, semi-structured, online, one-on-one interviews guided by open-ended questions were done for data collection, and including demographic profile. The interview transcripts were analysed using Atlas-TI and SPSS descriptive statistics was used for demographics. Results: Eleven subthemes emerged under patient-related, nurse-related, and organisational-related themes which influence the operational factors in the MHCs, namely: patient defaulting treatment, lack of privacy, unavailability of phones, stressful and demotivating MHCs, nurses feel unsafe, lack of support from management, lack of budget, unavailability of computers, shortage of medical equipment, shortage of nursing staff and absence of data capturers. Conclusion: Structured contextual coaching and support program for nurses is imperative to ensure effective and strengthened operations in MHCs, further supported by improvement in human resource for health allocation for MHCs in light of expanding health care programs Contributions: Evaluation of health care programmes, and human resource for health quality improvement needs in the clinical practice of HIV care of MHCs nurses which advocate for specific policy formulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The incidence and prevalence of COVID-19 continues to escalate globally, with the consequence to quality of life, the economies of nations and various sectors of society. While there is substantial research on the impact and experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic, little remains known about the perceptions and lived experiences of families living with people diagnosed with COVID-19, particularly within the South African context. Purpose: To explore the perceptions and lived experiences of family members living with people diagnosed with COVID-19 in South Africa. Methods: A descriptive phenomenological design was used. Data were collected from 15 participants who were family members of people diagnosed with COVID-19 in South Africa. Purposive snowball sampling was used to identify and recruit participants, and data were collected at community level in KwaZulu-Natal, Western Cape and Gauteng, South Africa. Individual in-depth interviews were used to collect the data, and an audio tape was used to record all interviews. Data were transcribed verbatim and analysed using a phenomenological data analysis processes. Ethical approval to conduct the study was obtained from the University of KwaZulu-Natal Research Ethics Committee--reference number: BREC00003228/ 2021. Results: Four super-ordinate themes emerged in relation to the perceptions and lived experiences of family members living with people diagnosed with COVID-19 in South Africa. The superordinate themes were: (1) sources of information about COVID-19, (2) pandemic perceptions and experiences, (3) impact of diagnosis and related burden and (4) aftermath of living with a family member diagnosed with COVID-19. Discussion and conclusion: Family members' perceptions and lived experiences of COVID-19 are largely influenced by media, moreover, the impact of diagnosis has consequences for the physical, mental and emotional well-being of family members. Diagnosis disrupts family dynamics by depleting financial resources due to the caregiver burden experienced. The findings thus imply that provision of psychosocial support is imperative for families living with persons diagnosed with COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: This systematic review was undertaken based on available data on human immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV) care, management, and support services provided by mobile health clinics (MHCs) in various countries globally, to identify available HIV care and support services, as outlined by PEPFAR's 'universal' framework for MHCs. The review question was "What universal HIV care and support is available at MHCs?". Material and methods: The search yielded 34,954 articles and was conducted within four databases, including EBSCOhost (UKZN library), Google Scholar, PubMed, and CINAHL. The search yielded 25 studies, which met the inclusion criteria, from 2011 to 2020. Results: Seven themes were identified relating to HIV care and support services offered by MHCs. Theme 1: Fragmented or selected universal HIV care and support services available at mobile health clinics, Theme 2: Lack of local support for HIV care and support services from ministries of health. Theme 3: Success relies on multiple stakeholders' engagement. Theme 4: Excellent platform to reach marginalized population and expanding healthcare access. Theme 5: Possible multi-health program delivery. Theme 6: Implementation of critical viable point-of-care services. Theme 7: Follow-up care leads to successful health outcomes for patients attending MHCs. Conclusions: Intentional and carefully planned HIV services delivered by MHCs ensure that minimum universal HIV care and support is achieved for people living with HIV. Local access to healthcare services is improved and yielding positive impact by reducing HIV-related morbidity and mortality rates in the communities, while at risk-populations are considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]