In 2020, Anné Joubert received a Sigma small grant, which aims to encourage nurses to contribute to the advancement of nursing through research. Made possible through contributions to the Sigma Foundation for Nursing’s research fund, Anné’s focus was to identify how registered nurses could achieve person-centered caring to improve diabetic foot care compliance in rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
What did receiving a Sigma small grant mean to your research?
The Sigma small grant enabled me to travel to all these rural clinics to collect data. It also provided me with the capacity to employ two experienced, native research assistants who spoke isiZulu during the midst of COVID-19.
What motivated you to apply for the Sigma small grant?
When I started my doctoral journey, I had very little confidence in my research capabilities. I felt I wasn’t good enough or smart enough to succeed and get my doctoral degree. My supervisor was very adamant that I should apply for the Sigma small grant, which is why I applied. Receiving this grant made me realize that I was good enough and capable. Receiving the Sigma small grant showed me that I did quality work and that my research was valid and worthy. It motivated me to continue with my studies.
How did your experiences as a nurse influence your decision to address the challenges of diabetic foot care in rural areas?
Caring has been a topic close to my heart for a long time. I have always felt that if you cared about someone or something you will find a way to care better for them even if you don’t know how. The phrase that summarizes my research the best is “from soul to sole.” I wanted to find out how caring could improve diabetic foot outcomes in rural areas where patients mostly only had access to public primary healthcare clinics.
Being person-centered for me is that you acknowledge the person for who they are without the disease. And in my years of being a nurse, I have realized how complicated it is to manage patients with diabetes. It is extremely difficult to assist them in caring for and about themselves. I developed a lot of compassion for these patients. I also realized how neglected diabetic foot care was, especially in rural areas at primary healthcare clinics. I was looking for a way to make a difference. You make a difference when you care!
How do you hope your research impacts the field of nursing?
I tried to find practical evidence-based solutions to the challenges the registered nurses faced in the rural primary healthcare clinics with diabetic foot care management. By looking for these and finding these solutions, I, as a researcher, was also being person-centered and caring. The current guidelines for diabetic foot care management are very good, but not always practical and implementable in rural areas. The nurses expressed a lack of knowledge and training in diabetic foot care. To address this shortcoming, my research also includes the development of an in-service training program. This content is based on evidence-based guidelines that are implementable. The in-service training also considers the rurality of the environment and the lack of resources. I really tried to walk the extra mile in my research.
What’s next for you and your research?
I am in the process of finding a publishing house that can assist me with publishing the information that I put together for the in-service training program. The idea is to compile it into a manual that can be sent to these rural primary healthcare clinics. I am also trying to get the person-centered caring diabetic foot care in-service training program accredited with the South African Nursing Council.
To learn more about the contributions that made this grant possible, visit Sigma Foundation for Nursing.
Anné Joubert, DNP, MCur, BCur, RN, is a lecturer at the University of Zululand in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.