Developing mental health curricula and a service provision model for clinical associates in South Africa: a Delphi survey of family physicians and psychiatrists.

Background: Clinical associates are a health professional cadre that could be utilised in mental health task sharing in South Africa but this is training dependent. The objectives of the study were to identify the potential curricula content, training sites, and teaching modalities for undergraduate and potential postgraduate clinical associate mental health training and to identify the tasks that they should perform based on these curricula.

Methods: We utilised the Delphi method to reach consensus on items with the panel comprising psychiatrists and family physicians.

The acceptability of a donor human milk bank and donated human milk among mothers in Limpopo Province, South Africa.

Breastfeeding is a crucial public health approach that reduces infant morbidity and mortality by providing essential nutrients and antibodies, and breast milk is easily digested. Breastfeeding and donated milk serve as a preventative measure against necrotising enterocolitis. Additionally, they protect against viruses and nosocomial sepsis.

Mental illness attitudes, service provision interest and further training preferences of clinical associates.

Background: Non-specialist health professionals are required to provide mental health services given the burden of disease due to mental illness. The study aimed to explore the attitudes of clinical associates towards those with mental illness as well as their interest in mental health work and additional mental health training.

Methods: A cross-sectional study design was utilised.

Undergraduate research- a tale of three African institutions.

Background: The inclusion of research in undergraduate medical curricula benefits students as well as the scientific community. Multiple studies report the presence of one or more barriers to research training in these curricula.

Objectives: This paper presents and compares three studies done regarding the teaching of research in undergraduate medical curricula in South Africa, Sudan and Uganda.

Using a Nominal Group Technique to Inform a Curriculum of a Short Learning Programme for Peer Mentor Training in a Health Sciences Context.

Background: The purpose of this study was to explore the use of a modified nominal group technique (mNGT) to inform the curriculum of a Short Learning Programme for peer mentors in the Bachelor of Clinical Medical Practice (BCMP) program.

Methods: An mNGT was used to achieve group consensus. Research participants included academic staff and students of the BCMP program called clinical associate (ClinA) students.

Knowledge, confidence, and practices of clinical associates in the management of mental illness.

Background: Additional human resources are needed to provide mental health services in underserved areas in South Africa (SA). Clinical associates, the mid-level medical worker cadre in SA, could potentially be used to deliver these services.

Aim: The study explored the self-reported knowledge, confidence, and current practices of clinical associates related to mental health assessment and management.

Exploring doctors' trade-offs between management, research and clinical training in the medical curriculum: a protocol for a discrete choice experiment in Southern Africa.

Introduction: Medical curricula should prepare doctors for roles that extend beyond that of a clinician. But the formal inclusion of both management and research training still appear to be neglected. It is important to understand what the profession would be willing to give up in terms of clinical training time for management and research content teaching prior to making any changes in a medical curriculum.

Stakeholders' views on the utility and employment strategies of clinical associates.

Background: Clinical associates (ClinAs) were introduced into the South African healthcare system to increase the numbers of skilled health professionals. Little is known on how they are viewed. This study explored stakeholder views on the utility and employment strategies of ClinAs in the public sector.

Enabling mental health task-sharing: a collective case study of undergraduate clinical associate training programmes in South Africa.

Background: There is a shortage of the human resources needed to deliver mental health services which is likely to be exacerbated by COVID-19. Due to mental health workforce shortages, task-shifting and task-sharing approaches have been implemented in a number of countries. Clinical associates, a mid-level cadre working under the supervision of medical practitioners, could play a role in delivering mental health services but it is not clear if they are adequately prepared.

We know but we hope: A qualitative study of the opinions and experiences on the inclusion of management, health economics and research in the medical curriculum.

The achievement of global and national health goals requires a health workforce that is sufficient and trained. Despite considerable steps in medical education, the teaching of management, health economics and research skills for medical doctors are often neglected in medical curricula. This study explored the opinions and experiences of medical doctors and academic educationalists on the inclusion of management, health economics and research in the medical curriculum.

Mental health task-sharing in South Africa - a role for clinical associates?

Background: South Africa (SA) lacks the specialised workforce needed to provide mental health services particularly in the public sector and in rural areas. Mid-level medical workers offer a potential option for mental health task-sharing in countries where they exist, including SA. The objectives of the study were to explore the roles that SA's mid-level medical worker cadre (clinical associates) could play in mental health service delivery, and to explore views on advanced training in mental health for this cadre.

Outcomes of a Short Course in Improving Eye Healthcare Knowledge and Skills Among Final-Year Medical Students.

Background: Globally, at least, more than 2 billion people are either blind or visually impaired, the majority of whom live in low-income settings. Visually impaired people experience limitations in their daily activities in addition to the negative psychological impact. Ophthalmology is not a major focus in medical curricula, including in Sudan.

Inter-rater agreement of scores to assess quality of care in public sector primary health care facilities - A pattern of performance.

Purpose: To determine if the scores obtained from the Ideal Clinic Assessment Tool (ICAT) used to assess the quality of care in public Primary Health Care facilities in South Africa showed inter-rater agreement between self-assessments, district peer reviews and cross-district peer reviews. The ICAT scores obtained in the three types of reviews were paired as follows: self-assessments/district peer reviews, self-assessment/cross-district peer reviews and district/cross-district peer reviews. The global scores and averages of the Vital elements for the three paired reviews for 587 facilities across the country were compared using Bland-Altman plots.

Risk factors of ocular morbidity among under-five years old children in Khartoum State- Sudan- 2020.

Background And Aims: Visual impairment in early childhood can significantly affect the development of visual, motor, and cognitive function and potentially lead to long-term adverse psychosocial consequences. This study aimed to identify the risk factors of ocular morbidity among under 5-year old children in Khartoum State, Sudan.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in three tertiary eye care hospitals in Khartoum State, Sudan.

The clinical outcomes of patients with diabetes and hypertension in a peri-urban area, Johannesburg, South Africa.

Aim: To describe the clinical outcomes of patients with type 2 diabetes (DM2) and hypertension (HT) who received treatment and care at a specialized primary healthcare facility.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted and data retrieved from 349 patient's records. The clinical outcomes were linked to individual risk factors and demographic profiles.

Final-year medical students need to know their future supervisory role of clinical associates.

Background: A clinical associate (ClinA) is a mid-level health professional who may only practise under the supervision of a medical doctor. By extension, medical students need to be prepared for this responsibility. This study explored whether final-year medical students at one university were aware of this supervisory role, felt prepared and were knowledgeable about the ClinAs' scope of practice.

Trends in practice intentions and preferences of clinical associate students: Implications for training and health services in South Africa.

Background: The University of Pretoria (UP) had its first intake of Bachelor of Clinical Medical Practice (BCMP) students in 2009. The objectives of this study were to examine the trends in geographical practice intentions and preferences of the first nine cohorts of BCMP students. We also assessed sector and level of care preferences of six BCMP cohorts.

The ability of primary healthcare clinics to provide quality diabetes care: An audit.

Background: In South Africa, much of diabetes care takes place at primary healthcare (PHC) facilities where screening for diabetic complications is often low. Clinics require access to equipment, resources and a functional health system to do effective screening, but what is unknown is whether these components are in place.

Aim: The aim of this study was to assess the capacity of primary care clinics in one district to provide quality diabetes care.

Clinical mentoring to improve quality of care provided at three NIM-ART facilities: A mixed methods study.

Background: The South African Department of Health implemented the nurse-initiated management of antiretroviral treatment (NIM-ART) programme as a policy to decentralise services. Increasing access to ART through nurse initiation results in significant consequences.

Aim: This study evaluated the quality of care provided, the barriers to the effective rollout of antiretroviral services and the role of a clinical mentor.

The quality of voluntary medical male circumcision done by mid-level workers in Tshwane District, South Africa: A retrospective analysis.

Background: Voluntary medical male circumcision (VMMC) reduces the acquisition of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in heterosexual men by up to 60%. One HIV infection is averted for every 5 to 15 VMMCs. To conduct VMMCs in large populations, large numbers of trained healthcare professionals are needed.

Patient safety culture in a district hospital in South Africa: An issue of quality.

Background: The Nursing Act 33 of 2005 holds nurse practitioners responsible for all acts and omissions in the delivery of quality patient care. But quality patient care is influenced by a number of factors beyond the control of nurse practitioners. Patient safety culture is one such factor and is seldom explored in hospitals in developing countries.