The extent of interruptions to primary care medical officers' consultations in the Western Cape.

Background: Administrative tasks are an increasing burden for primary care doctors globally and linked to burnout. Many tasks occur during consultations. They cause interruptions with possible effects on patients' and doctors' experiences and care.

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.

Impact of an educational video as a consent tool on knowledge about cure research among patients and caregivers at HIV clinics in South Africa.

Background: Despite increasing access to antiretroviral therapy in low- and middle-income countries, only 54% of eligible individuals were receiving treatment in Africa by 2015. Recent developments in HIV cure research have been encouraging. However, the complex science and procedures of cure research render the informed consent process challenging.

Evaluating the effect of the Practical Approach to Care Kit on teaching medical students primary care: Quasi-experimental study.

Background: South Africa is committed to health reforms that strengthen primary health care. Preparing future doctors to work in primary care teams with other professionals is a priority, and medical schools have shifted towards community-based and decentralised training of medical students.

Aim: To evaluate the effect on student performance of the Practical Approach to Care Kit (PACK) (an integrated decision-making tool for adult primary care) during the final phase of medical student training at Stellenbosch University.

Erectile function in circumcised and uncircumcised men in Lusaka, Zambia: A cross-sectional study.

Background: Evidence from three randomised control trials in South Africa, Uganda and Kenya showing that male circumcision can reduce heterosexual transmission of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection from infected females to their male partners by up to 60% has led to an increase in circumcisions in most African countries. This has created anxieties around possible deleterious effects of circumcision on erectile function (EF).

Aim: To compare EF in circumcised and uncircumcised men aged 18 years and older.

An analysis of blood pressure measurement in a primary care hospital in Swaziland.

Background: Measurement of blood pressure (BP) is done poorly because of both human and machine errors.

Aim: To assess the difference between BP recorded in a pragmatic way and that recorded using standard guidelines; to assess differences between wrist- and mercury sphygmomanometerbased readings; and to assess the impact on clinical decision-making.

Setting: Royal Swaziland Sugar Corporation Mhlume hospital, Swaziland.

Quality of asthma care: Western Cape province, South Africa.

Background: Asthma is the eighth leading contributor to the burden of disease in South Africa, but has received less attention than other chronic diseases. The Asthma Guidelines Implementation Project (AGIP) was established to improve the impact of the South African guidelines for chronic asthma in adults and adolescents in the Western Cape. One strategy was an audit tool to assist with assessing and improving the quality of care.