scholarly journals Vaccine effectiveness against hospital admission in South African health care workers who received a homologous booster of Ad26.COV2 during an Omicron COVID19 wave: Preliminary Results of the Sisonke 2 Study.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Glenda E Gray ◽  
Shirley COLLIE ◽  
Nigel Garrett ◽  
Ameena Goga ◽  
Jared Champion ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Workers ◽  
Booster Dose ◽  
Hospital Admissions ◽  
Vaccine Effectiveness ◽  
Care Organization ◽  
African Health ◽  
Care Workers ◽  
Vaccine Booster

Following the results of the ENSEMBLE 2 study, which demonstrated improved vaccine efficacy of a two-dose regimen of Ad26.COV.2 vaccine given 2 months apart, we expanded the Sisonke study which had provided single dose Ad26.COV.2 vaccine to almost 500 000 health care workers (HCW) in South Africa to include a booster dose of the Ad26.COV.2. Sisonke 2 enrolled 227 310 HCW from the 8 November to the 17 December 2021. Enrolment commenced before the onset of the Omicron driven fourth wave in South Africa affording us an opportunity to evaluate early VE in preventing hospital admissions of a homologous boost of the Ad26.COV.2 vaccine given 6-9 months after the initial vaccination in HCW. We estimated vaccine effectiveness (VE) of the Ad26.COV2.S vaccine booster in 69 092 HCW as compared to unvaccinated individuals enrolled in the same managed care organization using a test negative design. We compared VE against COVID19 admission for omicron during the period 15 November to 20 December 2021. After adjusting for confounders, we observed that VE for hospitalisation increased over time since booster dose, from 63% (95%CI 31-81%); to 84% (95% CI 67-92%) and then 85% (95% CI: 54-95%), 0-13 days, 14-27 days, and 1-2 months post-boost. We provide the first evidence of the effectiveness of a homologous Ad26.COV.2 vaccine boost given 6-9 months after the initial single vaccination series during a period of omicron variant circulation. This data is important given the increased reliance on the Ad26.COV.2 vaccine in Africa.

scholarly journals A mixed reception: perceptions of pregnant adolescents’ experiences with health care workers in Cape Town, South Africa

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ronel Sewpaul ◽  
Rik Crutzen ◽  
Natisha Dukhi ◽  
Derrick Sekgala ◽  
Priscilla Reddy
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Antenatal Care ◽  
Health Care Workers ◽  
Cape Town ◽  
Pregnant Adolescents ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Care Workers ◽  
Antenatal Clinics ◽  
Antenatal Services

Abstract Background Maternal mortality among adolescent mothers in South Africa is higher than many middle-income countries. This is largely attributable to conditions that can be prevented or managed by high quality antenatal care. The way in which pregnant adolescents are treated at antenatal clinics influences their timely utilization of antenatal services. This qualitative study reports on the experiences of pregnant adolescents with health care workers when accessing antenatal care. Methods Pregnant girls aged 13–19 (n = 19) who attended public health care facilities that provide Basic Antenatal Care (BANC) services in Cape Town, South Africa were recruited. Four face to face in-depth interviews and four mini focus group discussions were undertaken, facilitated by a topic guide. Thematic analyses were used to analyse the data. Results Experiences that reinforce antenatal attendance, such as respectful and supportive treatment, were outweighed by negative experiences, such as victimization; discrimination against being pregnant at a young age; experiencing disregard and exclusion; inadequate provision of information about pregnancy, health and childbirth; clinic attendance discouragement; and mental health turmoil. Conclusions There is evidence of a discordant relationship between the health care workers and the pregnant adolescents. Adolescents feel mistreated and discriminated against by the health care workers, which in turn discourages their attendance at antenatal clinics. Maternal health care workers need to receive support and regular training on the provision of youth friendly antenatal care and be regularly evaluated, to promote the provision of fair and high quality antenatal services for adolescent girls.

scholarly journals Factors associated with low tuberculosis preventive therapy prescription rates among health care workers in rural South Africa

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Amiya A. Ahmed ◽  
Megan Grammatico ◽  
Anthony P. Moll ◽  
Sipho Malinga ◽  
Philile Makhunga ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Workers ◽  
Preventive Therapy ◽  
Rural South ◽  
Factors Associated ◽  
Care Workers ◽  
Prescription Rates ◽  
Rural South Africa

scholarly journals Traditional healers and cancer prevention

Curationis ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
M Steyn ◽  
A Muller
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Health Education ◽  
Health Care Workers ◽  
Traditional Healers ◽  
Basic Knowledge ◽  
Care Workers ◽  
Prevention Of Cancer ◽  
Knowledge Of Cancer ◽  
Provide Health Education

The increase in the incidence of cancer in South Africa necessitates the expansion of preventative efforts. This study shows that traditional healers in Atteridgeville are consulted by a range of people in their communities, have a basic knowledge of cancer, provide health education to their patients and are willing to participate in cancer preventative strategies. They are therefore ideally suited to augment the services of westernized health care workers. The issue of professionalization is explored and a procedure is suggested whereby the training of traditional healers can be enhanced so as to facilitate their professionalization and their collaboration with other health care workers in the prevention of cancer.

When roles within interpreter-mediated psychiatric consultations speak louder than words

2020 ◽  
pp. 136346152093376 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sanja Kilian ◽  
Leslie Swartz ◽  
Xanthe Hunt ◽  
Ereshia Benjamin ◽  
Bonginkosi Chiliza
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Workers ◽  
Ad Hoc ◽  
Psychiatric Hospitals ◽  
Best Interests ◽  
Western Cape ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Care Workers ◽  
Professional Interpreting

In South Africa, clinicians working in public psychiatric hospitals are mainly fluent in English and Afrikaans, while the majority of patients are not proficient in these languages. Due to a lack of professional interpreting services, informal, ad hoc interpreters are commonly employed in public psychiatric hospitals. We collected data on language practices in public psychiatric care in South Africa, and provide a detailed account of what happens when bilingual health care workers and cleaners haphazardly take on the additional role of interpreter. Data were collected during 2010 at a public psychiatric hospital in the Western Cape, South Africa. Thirteen interpreter-mediated psychiatric consultations were video-recorded, and 18 audio-recorded semi-structured interviews were conducted with the interpreters and clinicians who participated in the interpreter-mediated psychiatric consultations. Patients were proficient in isiXhosa (one of the 11 official languages of South Africa), the clinicians (all registrars) were first language English or Afrikaans speakers, while the health care workers (nurses and social workers) and cleaners were fluent in both the patients’ and clinician’s language. Our findings suggest that interpreters took on the following four roles during the interpreter-mediated psychiatric consultations: regulating turn-taking, cultural broker, gatekeeper and advocate. Our findings suggest that, despite interpreters and clinicians having the patient’s best interests at heart, it is the patient’s voice that becomes lost while the clinician and interpreter negotiate the roles played by each party.

Taking the Blame Off of Health Care Workers: Using a Systems Approach to Determine the Contributing Factors to Needlestick Injuries

1998 ◽  
Vol 42 (14) ◽  
pp. 1033-1037
Author(s):  
Krista R. McIntosh
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Workers ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Systems Approach ◽  
Health Care Organization ◽  
Organizational Factors ◽  
Care Organization ◽  
Needlestick Injuries ◽  
Contributing Factors ◽  
Care Workers

The purpose of this study was to determine what factors within a health care organization relate to the occurrence of needlestick injuries (NSIs) among Health care workers (HCW). To do this a systems approach was taken. The overall hypothesis was that factors external to the HCWs were related to the occurrence of NSIs and, therefore, the focus of NSI prevention should be taken off the individual. A mail-out questionnaire was completed by 209 Alberta nurses. From the data generated, a structural equation model was tested which examined factors at many levels of a health care organization as well as those associated with HCWs which may be predictive of the occurrence of NSIs. There was support for the hypothesis that organizational factors, not individual ones, account for the most variance in unsafe needle handling behaviours and NSIs. Discussion centers on the specific factors found to be most related to NSIs and possible human factors interventions.

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