Globally, most young people living with mental health conditions lack access to mental health care but have access to a mobile device. The growing access to mobile devices in South Africa has the potential to increase access to mental health care services through digital platforms. However, uptake of digital mental health interventions may be hampered by several factors, such as privacy, confidentiality, informed consent, and affordability. This study identified the prospects and challenges of implementing a mobile phone-based mental health intervention for young people in Ingwavuma area. Data were collected from 93 young people in three villages purposefully selected in Ingwavuma area. Participants included in the study were aged 16–24. Data were collected through a questionnaire. Thematic and descriptive analysis was performed on the qualitative and quantitative data, respectively. Mental health education was low, with only 22% of participants having received prior education on mental health. About 50% of the participants had come across a mental health app, but none of them had used any of these apps; 87% of participants had Internet access; 60% preferred to use social media to contact a health worker; and 92% suggested that use of digital apps would improve mental health literacy among young people. Barriers to access of digital mental health interventions were identified as the high cost of data, restrictive religious beliefs, limited privacy, lack of native languages on most digital platforms, low digital literacy, and complicated user interface. In uMkhanyakude, uptake of digital mental health apps among the young people was low. We recommend that, developers create context-specific digital applications catered for young people from different cultural backgrounds. Socio-economic issues such as affordability also need to be addressed in developing these tools.

Background: Schizophrenia is a chronic health condition that poses unique challenges for patients and their family caregivers. This study assessed the association between caregiver burden, sociodemographic characteristics and psychological factors among family caregivers of older persons with schizophrenia.Methods: A mixed methods design was employed in this study. Three hundred and forty respondents were purposively selected to participate in the quantitative aspect of the survey, whereas 20 caregivers were purposively selected to participate in the qualitative phase. The Zarit Burden Interview Scale and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale were used to collect quantitative data from family caregivers, and qualitative data were collected through face‐to‐face, in‐depth interviews using a semi‐structured interview question guide. The qualitative responses were audio‐recorded and transcribed, and the cleaned transcribed data were transferred to Atlas.ti Scientific version 24 for coding the themes and subthemes. SPSS version 29 was used to analyse the cleaned, sorted and coded quantitative data at a statistically significant level of p ≤ 0.05.Results: The results showed that most family caregivers (60%) were female, aged between 17 and 64 years. Over half (52.6%) of the caregivers experienced severe caregiver burden. An ordinal logistic regression analysis to predict caregiver burden found that several factors were linked to lower caregiver burden, including older age (OR = 0.75, p = 0.042), certain living arrangements (OR = 0.51, p = 0.037) and longer caregiving duration (OR = 0.65, p < 0.001). In contrast, higher burden was strongly associated with depression (OR = 10.39, p < 0.001), anxiety (OR = 2.99, p < 0.001) and being married (OR = 1.65, p = 0.028). Qualitative findings revealed that caregivers experienced profound emotional distress, including anxiety and depression, and significant financial strain due to medication costs and transportation expenses. Qualitative interviews have highlighted emotional distress, financial strain and social isolation as core challenges.Conclusion: There is a need to provide psychological and social support for family caregivers of older persons with schizophrenia. The government should consider subsidising medication and care costs, similar to existing models for TB and HIV treatments in Nigeria.Implications for Practice: Family caregivers, especially women and those aged 53–64 years, experience a severe burden. Providing psychological support services, such as counselling and stress management, can help mitigate emotional distress.

Background: Competency-based education (CBE) for midwifery programs is a system of academic instruction and evaluation that aims to achieve proficiency in midwifery student learning outcomes, which is based on students’ ability to demonstrate the knowledge, attitudes, self-perceptions, and skills of a predetermined set of educational activities in theory and practice. CBE focuses on ensuring that midwifery students can develop critical thinking abilities, values, and the clinical decision-making abilities needed for the delivery of safe care in future practice. Objective: The objective of this scoping review is to map and synthesize existing literature on the implementation of CBE for midwifery programs and its sustainability in Africa. Methods: We will use the Arksey and O’Malley approach for scoping reviews for the research methodology. The 3-stage search process, proposed by the Joanna Briggs Institute, will be used to determine the eligibility of published and unpublished studies. PubMed, Science Direct, Web of Science, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and Scopus will be searched to screen published articles. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses and Google Scholar will be used to search for unpublished studies. Findings will only apply to studies conducted in Africa from 2010 to the present year in English. The 2 reviewers will work independently to carefully screen and compare the full text of the selected citations to the inclusion criteria. In the event of any disagreements between the 2 reviewers at any stage of the selection process regarding the inclusion of an article, this will be settled by discussion or consultation with a third reviewer. The extracted data will be presented using a PRISMA-ScR (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Review) flow diagram with an attached narrative summary. The review will summarize and disseminate findings on the implementation of the CBE for midwifery programs and its sustainability in Africa. Results: It is intended that this scoping review will be completed within 6 months following the publication of this protocol. Conclusions: The conclusions from this scoping review will inform midwifery educators, institutions, policy makers, and other stakeholders on the strategies to implement and sustain CBE for midwifery programs in Africa.

A well-educated midwifery workforce is critical to providing quality health services. However, the quality of midwifery education in Nigeria is identified as a factor contributing to the country’s poor maternal and neonatal health outcomes and inability to meet global development goals. This study aimed to analyse the process used to strengthen the quality of midwifery education with the aim of generating a middle-range model to prepare competent and confident midwifery graduates. The Strauss and Corbin version of the Grounded Theory approach that is underpinned by the Social Constructivism Paradigm was adopted for this qualitative study. Strengthening the quality of midwifery education (SQME) emerged as the model’s core phenomenon. Major concepts, including the midwifery education context, nature of the curriculum, SQME process, pillars, and outcomes, supported the core phenomenon. Strengthening the quality of midwifery education can be achieved over a long time provided the pillars of SQME are deep-rooted to sustain the process of strengthening the quality of midwifery education. The model can be used to strengthen the quality of midwifery education and may be adapted to nursing/allied health programmes in Nigeria and other developing countries.

Curationis provides a forum for cutting-edge theories and research models related to the exploration of issues experienced and the best practices of nurses and midwives so as to improve nursing education, nursing administration and community nursing within Africa.