Browsing by Author "Shelile, Mpho"

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    An explorative enquiry into the effects of psychological distress among nursing students at the National University of Lesotho
    (Merit research Journals, 2021-09) Shelile, Mpho; Matlali, Maphomane
    University students have increased psychological distress than any other students in different countries Worldwide. Psychological distress is defined as a condition that one feels in response to having to cope with situations that are unsettling, frustrating or perceived as harmful or threatening. The study focused on exploring the effects of psychological distress on nursing students at National University of Lesotho. The study used an explorative and descriptive qualitative research design to collect data using semistructured interviews from a sample of 10 nursing students. Qualitative content analysis was used to analyse the data and 3 themes and 11 subthemes were developed. Participants identified academic workload, time management, clinical placement, financial and socio-demographic factors as the main stressors. Poor academic performance, impaired physical wellbeing, emotional suffering and spiritual ill-health were among the identified effects of distress. The coping mechanisms which the nursing students employed included using available social support, motivating self and engaging in leisure activities. It was concluded that psychological distress has a great effect on nursing students and it results in poor academic performance and illness. Effective interventions can be adopted to improve coping with psychological stress factors and subsequent stress responses among nursing students.
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    Raising stroke prevention champions
    (MDPI, 2026) Shelile, Mpho; Mahlelehlele, Bokang A; Bass, Nick
    Globally, stroke is a significant health problem and is considered one of the leading causes of mortality and permanent disability worldwide. Nurses are key stake- holders and integral members of the stroke care team, contributing to every stage of care. Objective: This study aimed to assess the effects of a nurse-led stroke training program on the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of registered nurses working in Berea primary health care facilities, Lesotho, before and after an educational intervention. Methods: To evaluate the effectiveness of the nurse-led intervention, this study used a pre-experimental one-group pretest–posttest design. Participants completed a structured questionnaire be- fore the intervention to assess their baseline knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to stroke. Following the intervention, which consisted of educational sessions led by trained nurses, the same questionnaire was administered again to measure changes in participants’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices. Paired t-tests compared results. Results: A total of 34 registered nurses from 18 primary healthcare facilities participated in this pre- and post-intervention questionnaire study. When comparing knowledge, attitudes, and prac- tices related to stroke before and after the educational intervention, the increase in correct response rates was statistically significant (p < 0.001). The training evaluation received positive feedback from the participants. Conclusions: Structured nurse-led educational interventions enhance nurses’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices in stroke care, leading to improved patient outcomes and stronger community-based prevention. These find- ings highlight the need to integrate continuous stroke education into nursing policies and primary health care practice.