scholarly journals Core Values of Family Physicians and General Practitioners in the African Context

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Henry J. O. Lawson ◽  
David N. N. Nortey

Introduction: Family Medicine is a growing specialty in the medical world. While it is expected that the specialty should have its own unique and established core values and tasks, the breath of the practice in several countries of the world has made this a daunting task. Core values and Tasks have far reaching effects on professions. They guide development of curricula, methods of instruction, standards of performance and even the culture of the profession. We aimed to explore the core value system of Family Physicians and General Practitioners practicing in Africa.Methods: Using the Delphi technique, a purposive selection of African Family Medicine practitioners in academia, public service, private practice and clinical training across Central, East, North, South and West Africa was conducted. Participants were asked to select five core values from an alphabetically collated global list of 29 core values in an online survey. The five most selected core values were collated and sent out in the second round to the participants to rank in order of importance.Results: Practitioners from nine African countries in three out of the five United Nations subregions of Africa completed the study. The first round of the study saw participation of a team of nineteen experts who selected the following five core values—Comprehensive care, Continuity of Care, Collaborative Care, Patient centered care, and Life-long learning.Discussion/Conclusion: The core values selected were not very different from global literature. These core values should guide the development of curricula, standardization of training methods and creation of benchmarks for standards of practice for the specialty in Africa.

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 74-83
Author(s):  
Seher Karahan ◽  
Ezgi Agadayi ◽  
Irfan Gazi Yilmaz

Aim: To determine the COVID-19 fear level of family physicians during the pandemic working in Sivas and its relationship to their experienced problems. Methods: This descriptive study was delivered to 225 family physicians in Sivas between December-January 2021 via an online survey containing 24 questions of participants' sociodemographic data, the problems they experienced in family medicine, and the COVID-19 Fear Scale. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression analysis were used to analyze thedata. Results: A total of 138 family physicians whose mean age was 37.6±7.3, with 52.2 % males and 47.8% females, included. Participants’ 16.7% had the COVID-19 infection. COVID-19 Fear Scale mean score of 18.3±6.5, appearing significantly higher in females (19.6±5.8) than in males (17.2±6.9). 28.3% of subjects needed taking professional psychological support, on which increase of working period in family medicine and COVID-19 Fear Scale Score and being single had a positive effect. Also, 86.2% experienced primary health care services problems, most frequently ranked as cancer screening, mobile service, and chronic illness follow-up. Conclusion: Necessary psychosocial support should be provided to all healthcare workers, especially family physicians, during the pandemic. So, we recommend authorities take proper precautions to continue without interruption for primary preventive health services. Keywords: COVID-19, fear, family practice, COVID-19, fear, primary care physicians


Author(s):  
Robert Mash ◽  
Julia Blitz ◽  
Jill Edwards ◽  
Steve Mowle

Background: The training of family physicians is a relatively new phenomenon in the district health services of South Africa. There are concerns about the quality of clinical training and the low pass rate in the national examination.Aim: To assess the effect of a five-day course to train clinical trainers in family medicine on the participants’ subsequent capability in the workplace.Setting: Family physician clinical trainers from training programmes mainly in South Africa, but also from Ghana, Uganda, Kenya, Malawi and Botswana.Methods: A before-and-after study using self-reported change at 6 weeks (N = 18) and a 360-degree evaluation of clinical trainers by trainees after 3 months (N = 33). Quantitative data were analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences, and qualitative data wereanalysed thematically.Results: Significant change (p < 0.05) was found at 6 weeks in terms of ensuring safe and effective patient care through training, establishing and maintaining an environment for learning, teaching and facilitating learning, enhancing learning through assessment, and supporting and monitoring educational progress. Family physicians reported that they were better at giving feedback, more aware of different learning styles, more facilitative and less authoritarian in their educational approach, more reflective and critical of their educational capabilities and more aware of principles in assessment. Despite this, the trainees did notreport any noticeable change in the trainers’ capability after 3 months.Conclusion: The results support a short-term improvement in the capability of clinical trainers following the course. This change needs to be supported by ongoing formative assessment and supportive visits, which are reported on elsewhere.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eva Arvidsson ◽  
Igor Švab ◽  
Zalika Klemenc-Ketiš

Background: Values are deeply held views that act as guiding beliefs for individuals and organizations. They state what is important in a profession. The aims of this study were to determine whether European countries have already developed (or are developing) documents on core values in family medicine; to gather the lists of core values already developed in countries; and to gather the opinions of participants on what the core family values in their countries are.Methods: This was a qualitative study. The questionnaire was distributed as an e-survey via email to present and former members of the European Society for Quality and Safety in Family Practice (EQuiP), and other family medicine experts in Europe. The questionnaire included six items concerning core values in family medicine in the respondent's country: the process of defining core values, present core values, the respondents' suggestions for core values, and current challenges of core values.Results: Core values in family medicine were defined or in a process of being defined in several European countries. The most common core values already defined were the doctor-patient relationship, continuity, comprehensiveness and holistic care, community orientation, and professionalism. Some countries expressed the need for an update of the current core values' list. Most respondents felt the core values of their discipline were challenged in today's world. The main values challenged were continuity, patient-centered care/the doctor-patient relationship and comprehensive and holistic care, but also prioritization, equity, and community orientation and cooperation. These were challenged by digital health, workload/lack of family physicians, fragmentation of care, interdisciplinary care, and societal trends and commercial interests.Conclusion: We managed to identify suggestions for core values of family medicine at the European level. There is a clear need to adopt a definition of a value and tailor the discussion and actions on the family medicine core values accordingly. There is also a need to identify the core values of family medicine in European countries. This could strengthen the profession, promote its development and research, improve education, and help European countries to advocate for the profession.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nele R. M. Michels ◽  
Roar Maagaard ◽  
Igor Švab ◽  
Nynke Scherpbier

General Practice/Family Medicine (GP/FM) is a key discipline within primary health care and so by extension for the whole health care system. An essential condition for effective GP/FM care is a work force that is highly qualified. As society is changing rapidly, a revision of the GP/FM definition is ongoing, in addition to a recent movement of identifying related core values. In this paper, we want to give an overview on how these new paths and perspectives are currently reflected in GP/FM teaching and training. We selected four core values that fit in with possible future visions: person-centered care, continuity of care, cooperation in care, and community-oriented care. By a narrative review, we observed that GP/FM education toward core values is often built around overarching topics. Teaching and learning take place in specific contexts, most of all through placements within communities, primary care settings, or hospital wards. Mixed teaching- and training methods are used combining knowledge, skills, and attitude. Furthermore, collaboration with other health professionals and peers is stressed, in addition to the importance of role models, a holistic focus and the involvement of patients. Since these core values are important within GP/FM and rather few studies on the educational aspects and learning tools were found we advocate encouraging each other more to share good practices, certainly the innovative ones specifically related to GP/FM.


2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Özden Gökdemir ◽  
Nurşah Özkan Bayrakçı ◽  
Olgu Aygün ◽  
Kyle Hoedebecke

Abstract Objectives In 2018, Harvard University provided a 10-week online course titled “Improving Global Health: Focusing on Quality and Safety” as using Massive Online Open Courses (MOOCs) web-based platform. The course was designed for those who care about health and healthcare and wish to learn more about how to measure and improve that care – for themselves, for their institutions, or for their countries. The goal of this course was to provide visual and written education tools for different countries and different age groups. In respect to the aim of this study is to evaluate the impressions and benefits of group learning activity and educational needs after this “Improving Global Health” courses experience with an online survey among the participants. Methods Sixty-six family medicine practitioners and trainees who were among the participants of the course were the universe of the study. These young General Practitioners/Family Physicians (GPs/FPs) from different countries were organized among themselves to follow the course as a group activity. Two weeks after the course, an online survey was sent to all the participants of this group activity. Results Twenty-eight out of 66 participants (42.4%) completed the survey and provided feedback on their perspectives and experience. Most of them were female (70.4%), and have not attended any MOOC course before (63%). This international group achieved a completion rate of approximately 65% by the deadline and nearly 90% including those finishing afterward. The majority felt that the group activity proved beneficial and supportive in nature. Conclusions Well-structured, sustainable e-learning platforms will be the near futures’ medical learning devices in a world without borders. Future studies should further explore facilitators and barriers among FPs for enrolling and completing MOOCs. Furthermore, there is a need to evaluate how these group-learning initiatives may help participants incorporate lessons learned from the course into their daily practice.


Author(s):  
Louis S. Jenkins ◽  
Klaus Von Pressentin

Background: This article reports on the findings of a workshop held at the joint 5th World Organisation of Family Doctors (WONCA) Africa and 20th National Family Practitioners Conference in Tshwane, South Africa, in 2017. Postgraduate training for family medicine in Africa takes place in the clinical workspace at the bedside or next to the patient in the clinic, district hospital or regional hospital. Direct supervisor observation, exchange of reflection and feedback, and learning conversations between the supervisor and the registrar are central to learning and assessment processes.Objectives: The aim of the workshop was to understand how family medicine registrars (postgraduate trainees in family medicine) in Africa learn in the workplace.Methods: Thirty-five trainers and registrars from nine African countries, the United Kingdom, United States and Sweden participated. South Africa was represented by the universities of Cape Town, Limpopo, Pretoria, Sefako Makgatho, Stellenbosch, Walter Sisulu and Witwatersrand.Results: Six major themes were identified: (1) context is critical, (2) learning style of the registrar and (teaching style) of the supervisor, (3) learning portfolio is utilised, (4) interactions between registrar and supervisor, (5) giving and receiving feedback and (6) the competence of the supervisor.Conclusion: The training of family physicians across Africa shares many common themes. However, there are also big differences among the various countries and even programmes within countries. The way forward would include exploring the local contextual enablers that influence the learning conversations between trainees and their supervisors. Family medicine training institutions and organisations (such as WONCA Africa and the South African Academy of Family Physicians) have a critical role to play in supporting trainees and trainers towards developing local competencies which facilitate learning in the clinical workplace dominated by service delivery pressures.


2020 ◽  
Vol 51 (4) ◽  
pp. 1172-1186
Author(s):  
Carolina Beita-Ell ◽  
Michael P. Boyle

Purpose The purposes of this study were to examine the self-efficacy of school-based speech-language pathologists (SLPs) in conducting multidimensional treatment with children who stutter (CWS) and to identify correlates of self-efficacy in treating speech-related, social, emotional, and cognitive domains of stuttering. Method Three hundred twenty randomly selected school-based SLPs across the United States responded to an online survey that contained self-efficacy scales related to speech, social, emotional, and cognitive components of stuttering. These ratings were analyzed in relation to participants' beliefs about stuttering treatment and their comfort level in treating CWS, perceived success in therapy, and empathy levels, in addition to their academic and clinical training in fluency disorders as well as demographic information. Results Overall, SLPs reported moderate levels of self-efficacy on each self-efficacy scale and on a measure of total self-efficacy. Significant positive associations were observed between SLPs' self-efficacy perceptions and their comfort level in treating CWS, self-reported success in treatment, beliefs about the importance of multidimensional treatment, and self-reported empathy. There were some discrepancies between what SLPs believed was important to address in stuttering therapy and how they measured success in therapy. Conclusions Among school-based SLPs, self-efficacy for treating school-age CWS with a multidimensional approach appears stronger than previously reported; however, more progress in training and experience is needed for SLPs to feel highly self-efficacious in these areas. Continuing to improve clinician self-efficacy for stuttering treatment through improved academic training and increased clinical experiences should remain a high priority in order to enhance outcomes for CWS. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.12978194


Public Voices ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 82
Author(s):  
William D. Richardson ◽  
Ronald L. McNinch

"Forrest Gump" bas been extraordinarily popular with the ordinary citizens and one of the reasons is self-evident: it presents a Jeffersonian confidence in the moral stalwartness of the yeoman citizenry that runs counter to some of the current approaches in ethics. The film celebrates a basic decency and a common sense that are accessible to all. No real or imagined superiority is required for one to partake. The film is not only popular but also populist in its assertion of the primacy of the ordinary citizen within this regime. In a political climate that now finds the tenure of elected officials uncertain and the legitimacy of public administration suspect, the visible portrayal of exemplary citizen virtues may serve as a timely reminder to all that, more so than any other regime, a democratic republic is ultimately and fundamentally dependent on the core values possessed by its citizenry.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document