Lived experiences of patients and families with decentralised drug-resistant tuberculosis care in the Eastern Cape, South Africa.

Background: South Africa adopted the decentralised Drug Resistant Tuberculosis (DR-TB) care model in 2011 with a view of improving clinical outcomes.

Aim: This study explores the experiences and perceptions of patients and family members on the effectiveness of a decentralised community DR-TB care model in the Oliver Reginald Kaizana (OR) Tambo district municipality of the Eastern Cape, South Africa.

Method: In this phenomenological qualitative research design, a semi-structured interview with prompts was conducted on 30 participants (15 patients and 15 family members).

Time-to-Treatment Initiation in a Decentralised Community-Care Model of Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis Management in the OR Tambo District Municipality of South Africa.

Background: Drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) continues to challenge global efforts toward eradicating and having a tuberculosis-free world. Considering the high early mortality, especially among HIV-infected individuals, early diagnosis and prompt initiation of effective treatment are needed to significantly reduce mortality and halt transmission of DR-TB in the community.

Aim: This study aims to assess the effectiveness of a community DR-TB care model with the specific objective of determining the Time-to-treatment initiation of DR-TB among patients in the OR Tambo district municipality.

Point-of-care ultrasound: The new district focus.

Background: Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) improves patient outcomes. The current POCUS curriculum of the Emergency Medicine Society of South Africa is based on guidelines from the United Kingdom with a different burden of disease (BoD) and available resources than encountered locally.

Aim: To determine which modules of the POCUS curriculum should be implemented to better equip doctors working at a district hospital in the West Coast District (WCD), South Africa.

Knowledge, beliefs and practices of nurses with long-acting reversible contraception, Cape Town.

Background: Implanon and copper intrauterine contraceptive device (IUCD) are long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARC) available in public primary health care (PHC) South Africa. These methods are the most effective forms of contraception.

Aim: To evaluate the knowledge, beliefs and practices on provision of LARC.

Exploring resilience in family physicians working in primary health care in the Cape Metropole.

Background: Despite the high prevalence of burnout among doctors, studies have shown that some doctors who choose to remain in primary healthcare (PHC) survive, even thrive, despite stressful working conditions. The ability to be resilient may assist family physicians (FPs) to adapt successfully to the relatively new challenges they are faced with. This research seeks to explore resilience through reflection on the lived experiences of FPs who have been working in PHC.

Family physicians' experience and understanding of evidence-based practice and guideline implementation in primary care practice, Cape Town, South Africa.

Background: In primary care, patients present with multimorbidity and a wide spectrum of undifferentiated illnesses, which makes the application of evidence-based practice (EBP) principles more challenging than in other practice contexts.

Aim: The goal of this study was to explore the experiences and understanding of family physicians (FP) in primary care with regard to EBP and the implementation of evidence-based guidelines.

Setting: The study was conducted in Cape Town primary care facilities and South African university departments of Family Medicine.