What are the experiences of medical students and their trainers regarding undergraduate training in primary health care at four South African medical schools? A qualitative study.

Background: In 1978, the World Health Organization (WHO) adopted primary health care (PHC) as the most effective strategy to meet the healthcare needs of communities. This raises the question as to the extent and nature of the training that undergraduate (UG) medical students receive in medical schools regarding PHC, following this statement.

Aim: The study aim was to explore the experiences of UG medical students and their trainers regarding training in PHC in their institutions.

Understanding of 'generalist medical practice' in South African medical schools.

Background: In South Africa, medical students are expected to have acquired a generalist competence in medical practice on completion of their training. However, what the students and their preceptors understand by 'generalist medical practice' has not been established in South African medical schools.

Aim: This study aimed to explore what the students and their preceptors understood by 'generalist medical practice'.

What do medical students and their clinical preceptors understand by primary health care in South Africa? A qualitative study.

Background: The definition of Primary Health Care (PHC) issued by the World Health Organisation in 1978 indicated that essential health care should be made accessible to individuals and their communities close to where they live and work. In 1992 Starfield articulated the four pillars of PHC: the patient's first contact with healthcare, comprehensive care, coordinated care and continuous care. Using this literature guidance, this study sought to explore what undergraduate medical students and their clinical preceptors understood by PHC in four South African medical schools.

Cervical cancer screening in a population of black South African women with high HIV prevalence: A cross-sectional study.

Cervical cancer is largely preventable through early detection, but screening uptake remains low among black women in South Africa. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence and factors associated with cervical cancer screening in the past 10 years among black African women in primary health care (PHC) clinics, in Gauteng Province, South Africa. This was a cross-sectional study involving 672 consecutively recruited black women at cervical cancer screening programs in PHC clinics between 2017 and 2020.

Tobacco use among a population of women attending cervical cancer screening programs in primary health care clinics in South Africa: a cross-sectional study.

Introduction: we determined the prevalence, patterns and factors associated with tobacco use among women presenting for cervical cancer screening in primary health care clinics in Gauteng province, South Africa.

Methods: this study utilized data from an ongoing cross-sectional study commenced in September 2018, in which 749 participants had responded to an interviewer-administered semi-structured questionnaire on socio-demographics, HIV status, tobacco use, family planning methods, sexual and cervical cancer screening behaviours. Data were entered into the web-based research electronic data capture (REDCap).

Position paper on undergraduate Palliative Medicine education for doctors in South Africa.

Background:  Basic palliative care teaching should be included in training curricula for health care providers (HCPs) at all levels of the health service to ensure that the goal set by the South African (SA) National Policy Framework and Strategy for Palliative Care, to have an adequate number of appropriately trained HCPs in South Africa, is achieved. Furthermore, palliative learning objectives for nurses and doctors should be standardised. Many SA medical schools have integrated elements of Palliative Medicine (PM) teaching into undergraduate medical training programmes for doctors; however, the degree of integration varies widely, and consensus and standardisation of the content, structure and delivery of such PM training programmes are not yet a reality.

Clinical Predictors of Abnormal Head Computed Tomography Findings in Non-trauma Patients Presenting to a South African Emergency Department.

Head computed tomography (head CT) examinations conducted at emergency departments (EDs) for non-trauma patients are expensive and expose patients to ionizing radiation. Identification of symptoms likely to yield abnormal head CT scans can reduce costs and prevent unnecessary patient irradiation. There is limited comprehensive data in the literature concerning the utilization of head CT in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) EDs.

Generalist practitioners' self-rating and competence in electrocardiogram interpretation in South Africa.

Background: Electrocardiogram (ECG) is the only practical, non-invasive method of recording and analysing cardiac abnormalities. It enables a primary healthcare (PHC) clinician to detect cardiac and non-cardiac abnormalities, some potentially life-threatening. Their early detection could save a patient's life.

Magnitude, trends and prevention of road traffic accidents in the Republic of South Africa.

Road traffic injuries (RTIs) constitute one of the five major disease burdens in South Africa with high mortality and morbidity. Thus far, the scientific enquiry into this burden has not been accompanied by successful government efforts to meet the challenge. Currently, more than 1.

Perceptions of health care professionals on the safety and security at Odi District Hospital, Gauteng, South Africa.

Background: For optimum delivery of service, an establishment needs to ensure a safe and secure environment. In 2011, the South African government promulgated the National Core Standards for Health Establishments for safety and security for all employees in all establishments. Little is known about whether these standards are being complied to.

Knowledge, attitudes and management skills of medical practitioners regarding weight management.

Background: Overweight and obesity have become a global problem. Health professionals are poorly prepared in weight management, which has an effect on their attitudes and management skills with regard to overweight and obese patients.Aim and setting: To assess the knowledge, attitudes and management skills of medical practitioners regarding weight management at Odi District Hospital, Gauteng Province, South Africa.

Why do women not return for CD4 count results at Embhuleni Hospital, Mpumalanga, South Africa?

Background: According to the South African Policy and guidelines for the implementation of the PMTCT programme of 2008, all pregnant women who tested HIV-positive also had to have their CD4 count measured in order to inform the option of Prevention of Mother-to-Child Treatment (PMTCT): to be put on lifelong treatment or to be placed on temporary PMTCT. They were required to return for the results within two weeks, but some did not return, implying that they did not benefit from the programme. This study was conducted to establish their reasons for not returning.

Cultural and health beliefs of pregnant women in Zambia regarding pregnancy and child birth.

Background: Health beliefs related to pregnancy and childbirth exist in various cultures globally. Healthcare practitioners need to be aware of these beliefs so as to contextualise their practice in their communities.

Objectives: To explore the health beliefs regarding pregnancy and childbirth of women attending the antenatal clinic at Chawama Health Center in Lusaka Zambia.

Inpatients' awareness of admission reasons and management plans of their clinical conditions at a tertiary hospital in South Africa.

Background: Inpatient awareness of the reason for their admission and the planned management enhances patient compliance and empowers patients to be resourceful in subsequent consultations. The objective of this study was to determine patients' awareness of their clinical conditions while admitted to an academic hospital.

Methods: A survey was conducted at Dr George Mukhari Academic Hospital in Pretoria, from 6 to 17 December 2010, on 264 inpatients drawn from a population of 837 through a systematic sampling method.

African Primary Care Research: qualitative data analysis and writing results.

This article is part of a series on African primary care research and gives practical guidance on qualitative data analysis and the presentation of qualitative findings. After an overview of qualitative methods and analytical approaches, the article focuses particularly on content analysis, using the framework method as an example. The steps of familiarisation, creating a thematic index, indexing, charting, interpretation and confirmation are described.

African primary care research: performing surveys using questionnaires.

The aim of this article is to provide practical guidance on conducting surveys and the use of questionnaires for postgraduate students at a Masters level who are undertaking primary care research. The article is intended to assist with writing the methods section of the research proposal and thinking through the relevant issues that apply to sample size calculation, sampling strategy, design of a questionnaire and administration of a questionnaire. The articleis part of a larger series on primary care research, with other articles in the series focusing on the structure of the research proposal and the literature review, as well as quantitative data analysis.

Reasons for inpatients not to seek clarity at Dr George Mukhari Academic Hospital, Pretoria.

Background: Healthcare practitioners should provide patients with information regarding their clinical conditions. Patients should also feel free to seek clarity on information provided. However, not all patients seek this clarity.

Qualitative exploration of the career aspirations of rural origin health science students in South Africa.

Introduction: There is evidence in the literature that rural background significantly encourages eventual rural practice. Given the shortage of healthcare providers in rural areas, we need to explore ways of ensuring throughput and success of rural-origin students in health sciences. It is therefore important to understand who these students are, what motivates them and the factors involved in the formation of their career choices.