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.

Evaluating the new family medicine internship programmes in the Western Cape, South Africa.

Background: In 2021, South Africa introduced a new 6-month internship in family medicine and primary care. This study aimed to assess the new rotation at district health facilities in the Western Cape.

Methods: A descriptive survey of interns and supervisors, as phase-two of an exploratory sequential mixed methods study.

Medical interns in district health services: an evaluation of the new family medicine rotation in the Western Cape of South Africa.

Background: In 2021, South Africa introduced a 6-month internship rotation in family medicine, in the second year of a 2-year internship programme for newly qualified doctors. This was a major change from the previous 3-months training in family medicine, and expanded the training platform to smaller district hospitals and primary health care (PHC) facilities, many of which had never had interns. The medical disciplines in South Africa needed to know if this change in the internship programme was worthwhile and successful.

Basin record of a Miocene lithosphere drip beneath the Colorado Plateau.

The sinking of gravitationally unstable lithosphere beneath high-elevation plateaus is proposed to be a key driver of their uplift. Numerical geodynamic models predict that lithosphere removal can lead to transient, dynamic topographic changes that could be preserved in the surface record, particularly in sedimentary deposits of lakes or playas that are subsequently inverted. However, few such examples have been documented.

Perceptions of private specialist outreach services at a rural district hospital, South Africa.

Background: A major disparity exists in access to specialised healthcare between rural and urban areas. Specialist outreach programmes are one of the ways in which rural specialist healthcare inequality is being addressed. A number of rural district hospitals (RDH) employ local, private specialists (LPS) to supplement public specialist outreach.

Retention of medical officers in district health services, South Africa: a descriptive survey.

Background: The health workforce is critical to strengthening district health services (DHS). In the public sector of South Africa, medical officers (MOs) are essential to delivering services in primary health care (PHC) and district hospitals. Family physicians, responsible for clinical governance, identified their retention as a key issue.

Retention of medical officers in the district health services of the Western Cape, South Africa: An exploratory descriptive qualitative study.

Background: An adequate health workforce is an essential building block of effective health systems. In South Africa, medical officers (MOs) are a key component of service delivery in district health services. The Stellenbosch University Family Physician Research Network in the Western Cape identified that retention of MOs was a key issue.

Evaluation of patient characteristics, management and outcomes for COVID-19 at district hospitals in the Western Cape, South Africa: descriptive observational study.

Objectives: To describe the characteristics, clinical management and outcomes of patients with COVID-19 at district hospitals.

Design: A descriptive observational cross-sectional study.

Setting: District hospitals (4 in metro and 4 in rural health services) in the Western Cape, South Africa.

A wind-albedo-wind feedback driven by landscape evolution.

The accurate characterization of near-surface winds is critical to our understanding of past and modern climate. Dust lofted by these winds has the potential to modify surface and atmospheric conditions as well as ocean biogeochemistry. Stony deserts, low dust emitting regions today, represent expansive areas where variations in surficial geology through time may drastically impact near-surface conditions.

An exploration of the knowledge, attitudes and beliefs of Xhosa men concerning traditional circumcision.

Background: The practice of traditional circumcision is associated with considerable morbidity and mortality, yet there is a paucity of literature that provides an understanding of the cultural values that influence men to choose traditional rather than medical circumcision.The aim of this study was to better understand the culture surrounding traditional circumcision, with a view to addressing morbidity and mortality rates associated with the Xhosa male initiation rituals.We explored Xhosa men's perceptions regarding the need for the risks and the social pressure to undergo traditional circumcision, the impact of non-initiation or failed initiation and the perceived barriers to obtaining medical help for the complications of traditional circumcisions.

Postgraduate training for family medicine in a rural district hospital in South Africa: Appropriateness and sufficiency of theatre procedures as a sentinel indicator.

Background: Since 2007, the postgraduate training of family physicians for South African district hospitals has been formalised. This training differs from European and North American programmes as up to 30% of the skills needed rely on district hospital surgical, obstetrics and anaesthetics procedures, particularly in rural areas, as outlined in the national unit standards. The aim of this study was to evaluate the appropriateness and sufficiency of learning opportunities for these skills in a rural district hospital.