There is a resultant need for audiology training on the pharmacology of ototoxic medication, otoprotective strategies and adherence to recommended guidelines. This has implications for university audiology training programmes and curriculum planning. The need for development of South Africa-specific audiology guidelines was highlighted.
 
  Whilst it is noted that there is a lack of resources for effective implementation of ototoxicity-monitoring protocols, it is also noted that there are measures and otoprotective strategies that can be put in place without additional resources.
 Whilst it is noted that there is a lack of resources for effective implementation of ototoxicity-monitoring protocols, it is also noted that there are measures and otoprotective strategies that can be put in place without additional resources.Transient gestation hypertension is a contributor to adverse pregnancy outcomes particularly when it progresses to pre-eclampsia (PE). This requires frequent monitoring. We illustrate the need for stringent monitoring of gestational hypertension, transient gestational hypertension (TGH) and PE without severe features and conducted a brief rapid review of the literature. Two cases are presented Firstly, a 25-year-old primigravida at 30 gestational weeks who had an isolated TGH with high blood pressure (BP) of 141/87 mmHg, which was not investigated. Four weeks later, she presented with a BP of 202/128 mmHg, imminent eclampsia and intrauterine foetal death and had an uncomplicated induction of labour and delivered a 1400 g macerated male stillborn. Secondly, a 30-year-old primigravida at 30 gestational weeks who developed PE but her monitoring was compromised initially by inadequate healthcare capacity including unavailability of hospital bed-space for inpatient care and later by poor clinic attendance as a resy.The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has spread throughout the world, with devastating effects of the virus as well as the repercussions of the resulting 'lockdowns'. South Africa went into a national lockdown in March 2020 to mitigate the impact of the virus. This included a ban on the sales of tobacco and electronic cigarette products. The ban has been a highly contentious issue in South Africa, discussed worldwide, which has drawn many criticisms. The prevalence rate of smoking in South Africa was around 21.5%, with the Western Cape province having a prevalence rate of 39%. We compared the number of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) presentations at a large regional referral hospital in the Western Cape province from January to August 2019 with the same period in 2020. Electronic emergency centre data showed a reduction of 69.28% in COPD presentations.  https://www.selleckchem.com/products/th5427.html  To control for some confounders for the same period, we also reviewed patients presenting with urinary tract infections, which showed only a 30.60% reduction. This notable reduction in COPD presentations reduced service pressure of emergency centre and most likely benefitted patients' health. Further research and policies are needed to ensure ongoing reduction in the prevalence of smoking.
  Living with diabetes is challenging, especially for adolescents at risk of poor glycaemic control. Understanding the illness perceptions of this group is important to be able to develop interventions for this growing population in need.
 
  This study explored the illness perception amongst adolescents living with type 1 diabetes (T1D) and how these perceptions interacted with the management of T1D.
 
  This study was conducted at a medical centre providing care for adolescents living with T1D in Parktown, South Africa.
 
  A qualitative, explorative design with semi-structured interviews was followed. A non-random purposive sampling method was utilised. The illness perception amongst eight adolescents, aged 12-18 years, at risk of poor glycaemic control, was analysed through thematic analysis.
 
  Two subthemes related to illness perception were generated, namely (1) illness perception of T1D is negative and (2) living with T1D leads to a sense of being different. Furthermore, two subthemes were generated in relation to how illness perceptions interacted with diabetes management, namely (3) management of T1D is challenging and (4) management of T1D is motivated by fear.
 
  This group of adolescents with at-risk glycaemic control believed that T1D is difficult to manage, leading to a largely negative perception of the disease. This study contributes to the body of literature on adolescents where illness perception may play a role in adhering to diabetes care plans. This research may give additional insights into the awareness of illness perception in designing successful interventions.
 This group of adolescents with at-risk glycaemic control believed that T1D is difficult to manage, leading to a largely negative perception of the disease. This study contributes to the body of literature on adolescents where illness perception may play a role in adhering to diabetes care plans. This research may give additional insights into the awareness of illness perception in designing successful interventions.
  Caring in nursing helps patients feel better, whilst the absence of caring will affect patients psychologically, emotionally and physically.
 
  The aim of this article was to explore and describe primary health care (PHC) professional nurses' and PHC nurse managers' perceptions of the developed strategies to facilitate effective caring for patients in PHC clinics.
 
  This study was conducted in two PHC clinics in Ekurhuleni, an area east of the Gauteng province, South Africa.
 
  The study used a qualitative, exploratory, descriptive and contextual design. In-depth individual phenomenological interviews were conducted with eight purposively selected PHC professional nurses working in PHC clinics and two PHC nurse managers supervising PHC clinics in Ekurhuleni. Giorgi's coding method was used to analyse the data.
 
  Three themes were identified from the results of the exploration and description of PHC professional nurses' and PHC nurse managers' perceptions of the developed strategies. The use of active listening skills, showing interest in what is being said, asking questions and providing constructive feedback that focuses on the issue were the most effective strategies in improving effective communication between PHC nurse managers and PHC professional nurses.