Zelda Venter Emphasizing the pressing demand for critical care nursing in South Africa, a professor from the University of Pretoria (UP) no...
Zelda VenterEmphasizing the pressing demand for critical care nursing in South Africa, a professor from the University of Pretoria (UP) noted that the nation has only 62,46 critical care-certified nurses registered with the South African Nursing Council (SANC).
64 million people in South Africa is Meanwhile, there are only 4,719 critical care beds available. Approximately 1,186 of these are located in the public sector, with the remaining 3,533 in the private sector.
In her first speech at the UP, newly appointed Professor Isabel Coetzee-Prinsloo shared a groundbreaking vision for the future of critical care in South Africa. She introduced what she called the "three pillars of excellence in critical care" – high-quality education, professional growth, and the application of knowledge.
Her speech, given during a period when healthcare systems around the globe are still changing following the Covid-19 crisis, Coetzee-Prinsloo highlighted the essential contribution of expert critical care nursing.
She mentioned that intensive care units are led by nurses, with severely ill patients receiving and being managed by highly trained critical care nurses in cooperation with doctors and specialists. This real-life situation, she pointed out, highlights the pressing need for a well-organized, multi-dimensional strategy to maintain and improve excellence in the area. For Coetzee-Prinsloo, the efficient use and ongoing growth of this specialized workforce is not just an academic goal, but a vital public health requirement.
At the core of her perspective is the first principle, quality education, which she characterized as a vibrant and necessary process. In addition to enhancing patient care, she noted, it serves as a key element of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, directly connecting quality education with health and overall well-being.
From her perspective, healthcare professionals should develop the knowledge, abilities, and competencies necessary to provide the best levels of empathetic patient care. This includes training critical care nurse practitioners who possess advanced clinical skills, solid decision-making capabilities, and effective communication skills to handle challenging and demanding situations.
Coetzee-Prinsloo's academic contributions highlight a long-term dedication to this concept. Her studies emphasize improving teaching techniques and enhancing the professional lives of nurses. Additionally, she has examined the practical obstacles in ongoing professional growth, looking into why nurses might not regularly participate in educational initiatives and how these hurdles can be overcome to facilitate effective learning.
The second pillar, professional growth, highlights teamwork and patient-focused care, going beyond technical skills to tackle the ethical and emotional challenges that come with intensive care.
At the heart of the dynamic between patient, family, and nurse, she referred to it as "a cooperative partnership founded on trust, communication, and shared respect." Acknowledging the family as a crucial element in care, she emphasized how their participation offers emotional support, distinctive perspectives, and a joint voice in clinical choices.
Coetzee-Prinsloo also highlighted the ethical issues in critical care, citing studies on moral distress among nurses when carrying out do-not-resuscitate orders, as well as the experiences of relatives in end-of-life care within high-intensity units. Her research demonstrates a commitment to enhancing the overall patient and family experience in intensive care environments.
The third component, knowledge translation, serves as the method through which the initial two components—education and practice—are consistently updated with the most reliable evidence. Coetzee-Prinsloo describes this as "the ongoing process of applying research findings to clinical practice in order to enhance patient results."
Her involvement in this field encompasses the creation of a conceptual model for educational design that encourages the application of theoretical knowledge to practical situations. Coetzee-Prinsloo emphasized that achieving high standards in critical care depends on the combination of quality education, practice advancement, and the conversion of knowledge into real-world applications.
zelda.venter@inl.co.za
