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Article History

Received: 20 February 2019

Accepted: 11 June 2019

First Online: 25 June 2019

Ethics approval and consent to participate

: Ethical clearance was sought from the Durban University of Technology’s Institutional Research Ethics Committee. Conditional permission to conduct the study was granted (Reference number: REC 16/18), with the stated condition that all responsible gatekeepers were required to give additional permission.The eThekwini Health District Office was approached for permission to conduct the study within Durban hospitals. Permission was granted with the instruction that further permission be sought from the Health Research and Knowledge Unit of the Kwa-Zulu Natal Department of Health.The Kwa-Zulu Natal Department of Health was contacted using their online application form for this purpose, and research approval was granted (Reference number: HRKM 191/18). The department requested that further approval be obtained from the different hospitals prior to commencement of the study.The respective Medical Managers/Chief Executive Officers/Heads of Departments at the hospitals where study participants were to be recruited were sent letters via email requesting permission to conduct studies at their institutions as advised by the Kwa-Zulu Natal Department of Health. They all granted the researchers permission (Two hospitals supplied reference numbers: 9/2/3R and KE/2/7/1/36/2018).These letters of approval were then sent to the institutional ethics committee to obtain full ethics approval (Reference number: REC 16/18).Each prospective participant was supplied with a letter of information, as well as a copy of the abridged research proposal at least 24 h prior to the interview. The research aims and objectives as well as the role of the participants was also explained verbally to each participant, and they were afforded an opportunity to ask questions, and indicate their willingness to participate. Consent forms were signed by each participant prior to the interview.

: Not applicable.

: The authors declare that they have no competing interests.