A blended teaching and learning model for family-medicine registrar training at a South African university.

Effective primary healthcare is essential in developing countries but faces several challenges, including the lack of standardised training across decentralised sites. In response to unsatisfactory registrar examination outcomes in 2013, the Department of Family Medicine at the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa introduced a blended teaching and learning programme. The aim of the new programme was to level the playing field by providing uniform online resources on a course site on the university's learning management system.

Changes in patient-reported outcomes during admission to a South African psychiatric facility.

Background: Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) are used as part of clinical practice to determine the impact of the condition and treatment interventions on a patient's health and quality of life. The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) is a self-administered diagnostic tool that has been widely adopted for the detection and monitoring of depression.

Aim: This analysis reports the change in PHQ-9 scores from admission to discharge in patients admitted for depression to a South African acute psychiatric facility and aims to quantify the treatment effect of the admission using the PHQ-9 as the measurement tool.

An approach to persons who are not willing to engage in behavioural change.

With its unique position, primary health care (PHC) can provide health promotion and prevention services, including lifestyle behavioural counselling. Unhealthy lifestyle behaviours are very prevalent among patients attending PHC, with many patients unwilling to change or in the precontemplation stage. While patients in the contemplation stage are better managed using the 5As approach of motivational interviewing counselling, those unwilling or not ready for change necessitate a different approach, such as the 5Rs of motivational interviewing (MI) counselling.

Obese patients' dissatisfaction with weight, body image and clinicians' interaction at a district hospital; Gauteng.

Background: Obesity in South Africa has created a public health crisis that warrants a multilevel intervention. However, patients' perceptions and clinicians' challenges hinder the management of obesity in primary care.

Aim: The study aimed to assess obese patients' dissatisfaction with weight and body image and their perspectives on interaction with clinicians regarding obesity management in a primary care setting.

Compliance of medical practitioners with diabetic treatment guidelines in West Rand, Gauteng.

Background: Diabetes mellitus is increasing globally and is associated with multiple complications. Guidelines have been formulated to standardise care among people living with diabetes mellitus (DM), but research shows poor compliance with treatment guidelines. The aim of this study was to assess how well healthcare practitioners in a district hospital in Gauteng complied with the most recent diabetic treatment guideline, Society for Endocrinology Metabolism and Diabetes South Africa (SEMDSA) 2017.