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10 October 2018 | Story UFS
UFS School of Nursing gets funding for mental health project
Ronelle Jansen received research funding to provide adolescents with improved access to mental health services and care.
Ronelle Jansen from the School of Nursing at the University of the Free State (UFS) received research funding as part of a multistakeholder capacity-building project to provide adolescents with improved access to mental health services and care in PHC (primary healthcare) settings. 

The research aims to develop and implement a mobile mental health (mHealth) application screening tool for primary healthcare workers (PHCW) to identify adolescent mental health problems and provide mental healthcare training. 

Under pressure 

Jansen (UFS team leader) says mental health screening is sometimes lacking at the clinic level, because the clinics are so busy. “PHCW are under huge pressure due to the number of people they have to see every day, and due to severe staff shortages.

“There is, amongst others, a huge amount of paperwork that needs to be completed for each patient. The nurses only get about 10 minutes to see each patient and mental health screening is seen as time consuming.”

Early identification 

Jansen says the mHealth tool will focus on adolescents and they hope that the mobile application will help nurses with early identification of mental health problems. The clinic staff will then be able to treat and refer the patient correctly. 

She says they hope an accessible and user-friendly mobile tool will also help to motivate PHCW to more regularly screen for mental health problems.

This research is a three-year project co-funded by the Erasmus + programme of the European Union. Nine universities will collaborate on the project. Other partner institutions include the Turku University of Applied Science in Finland (project coordinator); Hamburg University of Applied Sciences in Germany; Riga Technical University in Latvia; the universities of Stellenbosch; Cape Town; Pretoria; the University of Zambia and the Lusaka Apex Medical University.

Jansen says the benefit of the research may be that PHCW will be better empowered to screen for mental health problems, with the aim to improve adolescent mental healthcare and train competent PHCW.

News Archive

Kovsie students bring warmth to the Bloemfontein community
2013-06-01

 

Michael van Niekerk and Melissa Lucas, prime of Akasia, making up the packages.
Photo: Linda Fekisi
14 June 2013

It goes without saying that winter in Bloemfontein is scarcely pleasant, especially if you do not have the proper clothing. Members of the Kovsie community have taken a step towards giving a helping hand to those in need. Share the Warmth Winter wonder box is a project that was launched by the SRC City Residences and Commuter students to help keep the cold away. Students and staff of the University of the Free State (UFS) donate a package which includes a blanket, beanie, gloves, socks and sweets, to be handed out to the children in need.

Share the Warmth Winter is the brainchild of Michael van Niekerk who is the SRC member in charge of the portfolio. He received the idea for such a project from an initiative he is a part of at Mooiplaas Township. “People make shoeboxes with presents inside for children and hand them out during Christmas. I thought it would be a great idea to share the warmth in winter, especially in the freezing Free State,” he said.

The team managed to collect more than 100 items in just a few weeks. The distribution of the boxes will take place around the Bloemfontein area. Teams will visit shelters, while others will hand out the boxes directly to children in places like Heidedal and downtown.

“I am very delighted by the response and think that this is something that needs to grow bigger and bigger to include the entire Bloemfontein every winter,” said Michael when asked if it is a once-off project. People who would like to bring warmth to the little ones, can still send boxes or packages to the SRC Building or send an email to vanniekerkm@ufs.ac.za for more information.

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