Loss to long-term follow-up in children with spinal tuberculosis: a retrospective cohort study at a tertiary hospital in the Western Cape, South Africa.

Introduction: children with spinal tuberculosis (TB) are at risk of kyphotic deformity both during and after the active phase of the disease. Management guidelines include follow-up until skeletal maturity. Little is known about adherence to this recommendation.

Mind the gap! Risk factors for poor continuity of care of TB patients discharged from a hospital in the Western Cape, South Africa.

Background: TB patients discharged from hospitals in South Africa experience poor continuity of care, failing to continue TB treatment at other levels of care. Factors contributing to poor continuity of TB care are insufficiently described to inform interventions.

Objective: To describe continuity of care and risk factors in TB patients discharged from a referral hospital in the Western Cape, South Africa.

Training and support to improve ICD coding quality: A controlled before-and-after impact evaluation.

Background: The proposed National Health Insurance policy for South Africa (SA) requires hospitals to maintain high-quality International Statistical Classification of Diseases (ICD) codes for patient records. While considerable strides had been made to improve ICD coding coverage by digitising the discharge process in the Western Cape Province, further intervention was required to improve data quality. The aim of this controlled before-and-after study was to evaluate the impact of a clinician training and support initiative to improve ICD coding quality.

Are central hospitals ready for National Health Insurance? ICD coding quality from an electronic patient discharge record for clinicians.

Background: South Africa (SA)'s planned National Health Insurance reforms require the use of International Statistical Classification of Diseases (ICD) codes for hospitals to purchase services from the proposed National Health Authority. However, compliance with coding at public hospitals in the Western Cape Province has been challenging. A computer application was developed to aid clinicians in integrating ICD coding into the patient hospital discharge process.

How far does family physician supply correlate with district health system performance?

Background: Since 2011, a new cadre of family physicians, with 4 years of postgraduate training, was deployed in the district health services of the Western Cape, and tasked with a considerable range of duties aimed at a general improvement in care and health outcomes. There is a need to evaluate the contribution of these family physicians to the district health system.

Aim: To develop a methodology for describing the correlation between family physician supply and district health system performance, clinical processes and outcomes, and to measure this correlation at baseline.