scholarly journals Feasibility of Establishing HIV Case-Based Surveillance to Measure Progress Along the Health Sector Cascade: Situational Assessments in Tanzania, South Africa, and Kenya

2017 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. e44 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richelle Harklerode ◽  
Sandra Schwarcz ◽  
James Hargreaves ◽  
Andrew Boulle ◽  
Jim Todd ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Health Sector ◽  
Case Based

scholarly journals Identifying and bridging the knowledge-to-practice gaps in rehabilitation professionals working with at-risk infants in the public health sector of South Africa: a multimethod study protocol

BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. e039242
Author(s):  
Pragashnie Govender
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
South Africa ◽  
At Risk ◽  
Neonatal Intensive Care ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Health Sector ◽  
Critical Time ◽  
Reliability And Validity ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Health Sector

IntroductionEarly childhood is a critical time when the benefits of early interventions are intensified, and the adverse effects of risk can be reduced. For the optimal provision of early intervention, professionals in the field are required to have specialised knowledge and skills in implementing these programmes. In the context of South Africa, there is evidence to suggest that therapists are ill-prepared to handle the unique challenges posed in neonatal intensive care units and wards with at-risk infants in the first few weeks of life. This is attributed to several reasons; however, irrespective of the causative factors, the need to bridge this knowledge-to-practice gap remains essential.Methods and analysisThis study is a multimethod stakeholder-driven study using a scoping review followed by an appreciative inquiry and Delphi process that will aid in the development, implementation and evaluation of a knowledge translation intervention to bridge knowledge-gaps in occupational and physiotherapists working in the field. Therapists currently working in the public health sector will be recruited for participation in the various stages of the study. The analysis will occur via thematic analysis for qualitative data and percentages and frequencies for descriptive quantitative data. Issues around trustworthiness and rigour, and reliability and validity, will be ensured within each of the phases, by use of a content validity index and inter-rater reliability for the Delphi survey; thick descriptions, peer debriefing, member checking and an audit trail for the qualitative data.Ethics and disseminationThe study has received full ethical approval from the Health Research and Knowledge Management Directorate of the Department of Health and a Biomedical Research Ethics Committee. The results will be published in peer-reviewed academic journals and disseminated to the relevant stakeholders within this study.

scholarly journals A retrospective record review and assessment of cost of quetiapine use in a community psychiatric setting in the Sedibeng district of Gauteng

2017 ◽  
Vol 23 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lesley J. Robertson ◽  
Jacqui K. Miot ◽  
Bernard Janse van Rensburg
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Clinical Response ◽  
Health Sector ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Optimal Level ◽  
Median Number ◽  
Essential Medicines ◽  
Functional Improvement ◽  
Patient Profile ◽  
Depressive Episodes

Background: With the revision of the National Essential Medicines List in South Africa, quetiapine is only available at the discretion of individual institutions in the public health sector. However, quetiapine is effective in managing all aspects of bipolar disorder, including preventative treatment of depressive episodes, and may be a cost-effective option in severe illness.Aim: To present the first retrospective review of quetiapine use in a peri-urban health district of South Africa, describing the patient profile, clinical response and prescribing patterns.Methods: The clinical files of all patients in Sedibeng District who received quetiapine over a defined 3-year period (2011–2013) were reviewed. A positive clinical response was defined as both symptomatic and functional improvement. Demographic and clinical characteristics of responders were compared with that of non-responders. Pre- and post-quetiapine scripts of the responders were audited and costed.Results: Patients who received quetiapine (n = 40) had chronic disabling illness, often with multiple medication trials and hospitalisations prior to quetiapine use. Bipolar II disorder (followed by bipolar I disorder) was the most common primary psychiatric diagnosis documented. Other than improvement in functioning (p < 0.0001), responders differed significantly from non-responders in terms of a higher level of polypharmacy and a significant reduction in median number of medications from pre- to post-quetiapine (p = 0.0057).Conclusion: Quetiapine use was associated with a highly significant improvement in functioning; however, it came at a 52% increase in medicine cost. Pre-quetiapine treatments, though, did not achieve an optimal level of functioning, and overall costs may be reduced by more rational prescribing habits.

South Africa’s Key Health Challenges

2014 ◽  
Vol 652 (1) ◽  
pp. 166-185 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alan Whiteside
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Economic Development ◽  
Health Sector ◽  
Transition To Democracy ◽  
Noncommunicable Diseases ◽  
People Living With Hiv ◽  
South Africans ◽  
Aids Epidemic ◽  
The Government ◽  
Living With Hiv

South Africa has an estimated 6.4 million people living with HIV, with more than 2 million already on treatment. The disease emerged in South Africa at the same time as the transition to democracy began in 1990. Although the country has seen considerable advances in many social spheres, the health sector has lagged. This lag is primarily because the HIV/AIDS epidemic results in an increased burden of disease in a cohort of people who would otherwise be healthy. This article warns that the all-pervasive nature of the epidemic will put other areas of development at risk. With economic development come new threats to the health of South Africans, including noncommunicable diseases and environmental change. Service delivery remains a challenge for the government at all levels, and the demands of not only South Africans but of migrants and refugees need to be considered.

scholarly journals Effects of Brain Drain on the South African Health Sector; Analysis of the Dynamics of its Push Factors

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (4(J)) ◽  
pp. 62-72
Author(s):  
Victor H. Mlambo ◽  
Toyin Cotties Adetiba
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Brain Drain ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Health Sector ◽  
The South ◽  
Push Factors ◽  
African Health ◽  
South African Health

While there has been a plethora of studies that addresses migration in Africa, many have yet to successfully unpack the effects of brain drain on the South African health sector. Using textual analysis of the available literature relevant to the topic under consideration; this work seeks to identify the major structural and socio-economic push factors that drive the migration of health professionals in South Africa, relying on Revestain’s laws of migration and Lee’s push/pull theory of migration. The study also looks at explaining other factors that contribute to the migration of health professionals in South Africa. We argue that for South Africa to retain health professionals, the government needs to increase the training of health workers, improve their working conditions and security, upgrade infrastructure and ensure availability of resources as well as develop a more open immigration policy prioritizing skilled immigration.

scholarly journals Reforming the health sector in South Africa – Post 1994

2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 167-179
Author(s):  
Melody Brauns ◽  
Anne Stanton
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Health Sector ◽  
South African Government ◽  
The South ◽  
African Government

This article reviews the efforts of the South African government in recognising development challenges of the post-apartheid era and assesses the approaches employed to bring about economic growth and to address inherited inequalities.

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