South African Family Practice最新文献

Background:  While the Choice on Termination of Pregnancy (CTOP) Act No. 92 was legalised in 1996 permitting termination of pregnancy (TOP) to be accessed at various public health facilities in South Africa, unsafe abortions continue to take place outside of legally designated facilities. The aim of this study was to explore the knowledge, attitudes and practices of healthcare professionals regarding TOP services at public primary healthcare (PHC) centres in the central business district (CBD) of the eThekwini Municipality in KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa.

Methods:  This quantitative, descriptive analysis used a questionnaire to obtain data from the healthcare professionals on four areas: demographic details, knowledge of (8 questions), attitudes to (10 questions) and practices (10 questions) regarding TOP services.

Results:  Among the 91 participants (whose ages ranged from 32 to 48 years), 91.2% were female, 93.4% belonged to the Christian faith, 42.9% were professional nurses and 74.8% had more than 5 years' work experience. The mean of the overall knowledge, attitude and practice score was 51.7%, 67.4% and 62.8%, respectively, which indicated poor knowledge, moderate attitude and unacceptable practice.

Conclusion:  While some healthcare professionals' knowledge regarding TOP services was poor, their personal beliefs may have contributed to their attitudes and practices regarding whether to assist their patients to access such services, despite it being legal.Contribution: This study provides insight into the health worker barriers that impede TOP service provision and access in the CBD of eThekwini.

No abstract available.

Ocular surface squamous neoplasia (OSSN) encompasses a spectrum of conjunctival tumours and, while rare globally, is the most common ocular malignancy in sub-Saharan Africa. Its rising incidence, primarily driven by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) epidemic, presents significant challenges in clinical diagnosis, as these lesions often share characteristics with other conjunctival lesions. In South Africa, where risk factors such as HIV, human papillomavirus infection and excessive sun exposure are prevalent, primary care clinicians play a crucial role in identifying and referring cases for early intervention. Ocular surface squamous neoplasia is often the first indication of HIV in patients who are otherwise unaware of their status when they present to healthcare workers, making it essential for healthcare workers to screen for HIV and initiate antiretroviral therapy. Early recognition of at-risk patients and prompt referral of suspicious lesions are imperative to improve patient outcomes and prevent vision loss.

Background:  Over years, concerning Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE) have advanced globally, posing a major threat to global health. Prior studies highlight previous antibiotic use and prolonged hospital stays as paramount risk factors for CRE infections. However, there are limited reports available with a focus on identifying risk factors for CRE infections by comparing CRE cases with controls. The aim is to evaluate factors associated with CRE infections among individuals admitted to hospitals in Mthatha.

Methods:  A retrospective case-control study among patients who attended Nelson Mandela Academic Hospital (NMAH) and Mthatha Regional Hospital (MRH), Eastern Cape, South Africa. Demographic, medical history and current hospitalisation factors were captured on clinical research forms. GraphPad Prism version 8 software was used for statistical analysis.

Results:  Out of the 226 participants with CRE infection, CRE cases were more likely than controls to be adults (51.9%, odds ratio [OR]: 1.34, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.72-2.55) and of male sex (54.9%, OR: 1.48, 95% CI: 0,87-2,45). Significant risk factors for CRE infections included underlying illnesses (OR: 2.55, 95% CI: 1.41-4.60, p = 0.002), urine catheterisation (OR: 5.40, 95% CI: 1.45-18.33, p = 0.01), intravascular devices (OR: 2.48, 95% CI: 1.06-6.03, p = 0.05) and prolonged hospital stay (OR: 1.87, 95% CI: 1.01-3.39, p = 0.048). CRE cases compared to controls were almost twice as likely to demise or have an extended hospital stay of more than one month. Klebsiella pneumoniae (62.6%) and Enterobacter cloacae (60.6%) were prevalent Enterobacterales associated with CRE.

Conclusion:  Significant risk factors for CRE infections are underlying illnesses, urine catheterisation, intravascular devices and prolonged hospitalisation.Contribution: The complicated nature of CRE infections highlights the importance of targeted interventions to mitigate their spread and impact on public health.

Background:  In resource-limited emergency settings, blood testing is crucial for diagnostics but can lead to financial strain and diagnostic challenges if used indiscriminately. This quality improvement project (QIP) aimed to identify commonly requested blood tests in an emergency department (ED), assess their appropriateness, and establish evidence-based guidelines for judicious use. This project was conducted during the family medicine rotation of interns at a tertiary hospital in a semi-urban area.

Methods:  The Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) method was employed. Pre- and post-intervention data were collected. An educational intervention, featuring informative visual aids was implemented to help guide the medical practitioners in the unit on appropriate blood test ordering.

Results:  The intervention led to a significant 48.7% reduction in total daily blood tests ordered, with a notable decrease in full-panel requests and an increase in individual test ordering.

Conclusion:  Educational interventions, aimed at guiding blood test requests, can significantly reduce unnecessary testing. Long-term data collection is necessary to confirm sustained changes in practice.Contribution: Our findings indicate that clear, evidence-based guidelines for the judicious use of blood tests can positively impact test ordering, particularly in resource-limited settings, and suggest opportunities for further long-term studies.

This article provides information on the reasons for inserting an arterial line, how to insert this line, the equipment required to insert an arterial line, and the possible complications that may arise from this procedure. It is hoped this information will guide primary care practitioners working in the South African environment and increase their confidence for inserting arterial lines.

Background:  Treatment success rate is a critical indicator for monitoring the progress of tuberculosis (TB) treatment programmes at both the patient and population levels. It informs decisions about resource allocation and the effectiveness of TB control strategies. This study aimed to determine the level of TB cure rates and the factors associated with treatment success among TB patients receiving TB care in the Collins Chabane municipality, Limpopo province, South Africa.

Methods:  Medical records from April 2020 to March 2021 of 289 patients attending primary health care facilities, initiated on anti-TB treatment were reviewed. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse data and modified Poisson regression was used to determine factors associated with treatment success. Statistical software Epi Info was used for analysis.

Results:  Of the 289 TB cases, 282 (97.6%) were newly initiated on TB treatment. Of these, 37.0% were cured, followed by 29.0% who defaulted treatment, 22.3% who completed the treatment and 11.7% who died during treatment. The likelihood of successful treatment outcomes was significantly associated with marital status, supervised treatment and distance travelled to a health facility. A higher likelihood of success was observed among patients who were single and 27.0% of those had supervised treatments.

Conclusion:  Tuberculosis patients continue to die in the course of treatment. Supervised treatment is a predictor of successful treatment outcomes.Contributions: This study highlight the need for heightened advocacy for supervised TB treatment and increased effort to combat the death of patients while on TB treatment.

Background:  To evaluate the effects of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and the preventative measures taken, especially how they affect forensic pathology services in rural South Africa.

Methods:  This retrospective analysis includes referred post-mortem cases from all forensic pathology services in Limpopo province, comparing the period before the COVID-19 pandemic (01 January 2019 to 31 December 2019) with the pandemic period (01 January 2020 to 31 December 2020). Data analysis was performed using STATA 16.0 software (StataCorp; College Station, TX). Chi-square test was employed for comparison, with a p-value 0.05 deemed statistically significant.

Results:  Approximately 9319 cases were submitted for post-mortem examinations, with 4857 occurring before the pandemic and 4462 during it, marking an 8.1% decrease. There was a decrease in the number of unnatural death cases, while the instances of natural deaths rose. Cases under investigation saw a notable increase. There was a marked decrease in referrals for forensic examinations across all districts. In addition, except for one facility, there was a decline in the number of cases sent for autopsies at all facilities.

Conclusion:  In conclusion, forensic pathology services in this province had been severely disrupted by the COVID-19 outbreak and the lockdown that followed, especially in the tertiary hospital. It has led to new challenges for case management and necessitated changes to operating procedures.Contribution: It has required modifications to operational procedures and has introduced various challenges in case management.

Despite the strides made in healthcare, many countries still struggle to meet citizen healthcare needs, leading to global and regional health inequalities. The complex interactions between healthcare systems and disciplines present challenges for primary care providers and family physicians. Primary care providers must be equipped with tools and resources to effectively fulfil their duties, such as clinical governance, leadership and capacity building. This article focusses on various thinking approaches that primary care providers can employ, namely systems thinking, complexity science thinking and learning health systems thinking. We appreciate that individual styles and preferences, organisational culture and systemic realities influence multiple modes of thinking and decision-making. A range of modes of thinking and mental models will assist with tackling challenges and opportunities in the primary healthcare system. We hope this brief overview encourages readers to experiment with different ways of thinking to help facilitate innovative solutions.

Background:  Integrated primary care (IPC) is a final-year medical subject at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa. It focusses on primary health care training. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic exacerbated existing decentralised training challenges, including standardisation and patient exposure. This study explored IPC students' experiences and perceptions of online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods:  This explanatory-sequential mixed-methods study was informed by the technology acceptance model, community of inquiry model and self-regulated learning theory. A cross-sectional online survey was followed by focus group discussions (FGDs) (n = 2 and n = 3, respectively). All 316 medical students in the 2021 cohort were eligible to participate. Closed-ended survey responses were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Open-ended responses were analysed using content analysis. The FGDs were thematically analysed.

Results:  The survey response rate was 52% (n = 164/316). Most students found the online content easily accessible (93.3%) and logically organised (80.0%). The course structure and organisation, and the range of online activities offered were the main features that supported learning. The main challenges included the content not being comprehensive and the difficulty of learning patient management from online content. Suggested improvements related to the course design and ways students and instructors can maximise the affordances of the online course.

Conclusion:  Acknowledging the limitations of learning clinical content online, the participants felt the course supported their learning. Our findings suggest that well-designed online content can augment clinical learning.Contribution: This study contributes to the discourse on the value of online learning for clinical teaching.