scholarly journals Evaluating the performance of South African primary care: a cross-sectional descriptive survey

2019 ◽  
Vol 61 (3) ◽  
pp. 77
Author(s):  
Graham Bresick ◽  
Klaus B. Von Pressentin ◽  
Robert Mash
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Primary Care ◽  
South African ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Care Assessment ◽  
First Contact

Introduction: In 2018 governments reaffirmed their commitment to implementing primary health care (PHC) in the Astana Declaration. South Africa has introduced a number of health reforms to strengthen PHC and enable universal health coverage (UHC). UHC requires access to quality primary care and progress needs to be measured. This study aimed to evaluate the quality of South African primary care using the Primary Care Assessment Tool (PCAT).Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional survey used data derived from a previous analytical observational study. Data from 413 patients, 136 health workers and 55 managers were analysed from 30 community health centres across four provinces of South Africa. Scores were obtained for 10 key domains and an overall primary care score. Scores were compared in terms of respondents, provinces and monthly headcount.Results: Patients rated first contact accessibility, ongoing care and community orientation as the poorest performing elements ( 50% scoring as ‘acceptable to good’); first contact utilisation, informational coordination and family-centredness as weaker elements ( 66% scoring as ‘acceptable to good’); and comprehensiveness, coordination, cultural competency and availability of the PHC team as stronger aspects of primary care (≥ 66% or more scoring as ‘acceptable or good’). Managers and providers were generally much more positive about the performance of PHC.Conclusion: Gaps exist between PHC users’ experience of care and what PHC staff believe they provide. Priorities to strengthen South African primary care include improving access, informational and relational continuity of care, and ensuring the implementation of community-orientated primary care. The PCAT is a useful tool to measure quality of primary care and progress with UHC.

scholarly journals Effect of family practice contract services on the quality of primary care in Guangzhou, China: a cross-sectional study using PCAT-AE

BMJ Open ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (11) ◽  
pp. e021317 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lina Li ◽  
Chenwen Zhong ◽  
Jie Mei ◽  
Yuan Liang ◽  
Li Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Family Practice ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Quality Of Primary Care ◽  
Care Assessment ◽  
First Contact

ObjectiveCurrent healthcare reform in China has an overall goal of strengthening primary care and establishing a family practice system based on contract services. The objective of this study was to determine whether contracting a general practitioner (GP) could improve quality of primary care.DesignA cross-sectional study using two-stage sampling conducted from June to September 2014. Propensity score matching (PSM) was employed to control for confounding between patients with and without contracted GP.SettingThree community health centres in Guangzhou, China.Participants698 patients aged 18–89 years.Main outcome measuresThe quality of primary care was measured using a validated Chinese version of primary care assessment tool (PCAT). Eight domains are included (first contact utilisation, accessibility, continuity, comprehensiveness, coordination, family-centredness, community orientation and cultural competence from patient’s perceptions).ResultsA total of 692 effective samples were included for data analysis. After PSM, 94 pairs of patients were matched between the patients with and without contracted GPs. The total PCAT score, continuity (3.12 vs 2.68, p<0.01), comprehensiveness (2.31 vs 2.04, p<0.01) and family-centredness (2.11 vs 1.79, p<0.01) were higher in patients who contracted GPs than those did not. However, the domains of first contact utilisation (2.74 vs 2.87, p=0.14) and coordination (1.76 vs 1.93, p<0.05) were lower among patients contracted with GPs than in those who did not.ConclusionOur findings demonstrated that patients who had a contracted GP tend to experience higher quality of primary care. Our study provided evidence for health policies aiming to promote the implementation of family practice contract services. Our results also highlight further emphases on the features of primary care, first contact services and coordination services in particular.

scholarly journals Assessment of access to first contact in the perspective of professionals

2020 ◽  
Vol 73 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Glaucia Margarida Bezerra Bispo ◽  
Eduarda Maria Duarte Rodrigues ◽  
Amanda Cordeiro de Oliveira Carvalho ◽  
Kenya Waleria de Siqueira Coêlho Lisboa ◽  
Roberto Wagner Júnior Freire Freitas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Family Health ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Unified Health System ◽  
Basic Care ◽  
Care Assessment ◽  
First Contact

ABSTRACT Objectives: to evaluate the “access to first contact” attribute, from the perspective of Primary Care Health professionals. Methods: an evaluative and cross-sectional study, carried out from February to March 2017. The sample consisted of 163 health professionals, of both genders, who worked in the basic care of the Municipality of Juazeiro do Norte, Ceará. Access to first contact was evaluated by the Primary Care Assessment Tool (PCATool). The 6.60 mark was used as the cut-off point for the evaluated attribute. Results: access to first contact reached a score of 3.3, denoting a low degree of orientation for Primary Health Care. Nurses were the ones who evaluated the attribute more negatively (p=3.2). Conclusions: access to first contact obtained a low score, pointing to the fragility of the Family Health Strategy as a gateway to the Brazilian Unified Health System (Sistema Único de Saúde).

scholarly journals Acesso às unidades de saúde da família na perspectiva de hipertensos [Access to family health unit from the hypertensive’s perspective] [Acceso a las unidades de salud de la familia desde la perspectiva de hipertensos]

2017 ◽  
Vol 25 ◽  
pp. e14442
Author(s):  
Inês Leoneza ◽  
Elisabete Pimenta Araújo Paz ◽  
Raphael Mendonça Guimarães ◽  
Adelson Antonio Castro
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Elementary Education ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Family Health ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Individual Characteristics ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Care Assessment ◽  
First Contact ◽  
Primary Care Assessment Tool

Objetivo: analisar o grau de orientação oferecida por unidades primárias em relação ao atributo acesso de primeiro contato na perspectiva de usuários hipertensos. Método: estudo transversal de avaliação com uso do Primary Care Assessment Tool-Brasil. Os dados foram coletados com 373 hipertensos maiores de 20 anos, no município de Macaé, Brasil. Resultados: verificou-se a predominância das seguintes características individuais: 49% tinham entre 40 a 59 anos; 74% pertenciam ao gênero feminino; 38,1% apresentaram ensino fundamental incompleto; 59,5% tinham renda de até 2 salários mínimos. Obteve-se escore de 7,65 para acesso de primeiro contato, superior à média de 6,6 do escore padrão, e um escore de 2,40 para acessibilidade. Conclusão: os resultados apontam utilização satisfatória das unidades no que refere ao acesso de primeiro contato e insatisfatória quanto à acessibilidade aos serviços, o que mostra necessidade de investimentos na reorganização do processo de atendimento às demandas e prioridades dos usuários.ABSTRACTObjective: to analyze the degree of orientation offered by primary units in relation to the attribute first contact access from the perspective of hypertensive users. Methods: cross-sectional study using Primary Care Assessment Tool-Brazil. Data were collected with 373 hypertensive patients over 20 years of age, in the city of Macaé, Brazil. Results: the predominance of the following individual characteristics was verified: 49% were between 40 and 59 years old; 74% were female; 38.1% had incomplete elementary education; 59.5% had income of up to 2 minimum wages (about US$548.00). A score of 7.65 was obtained for first contact access, superior to the mean of 6.6 of the standard score, and a score of 2.40 for accessibility. Conclusion: the results indicate a satisfactory use of the units in relation to first contact access and unsatisfactory related to accessibility to services, which shows the need for investments in the reorganization of the process of meeting the demands and priorities of users.RESUMENObjetivo: analizar el grado de orientación ofrecida por unidades primarias en relación al atributo acceso de primer contacto en la perspectiva de usuarios hipertensos. Método: estudio transversal de evaluación con uso de Primary Care Assessment Tool-Brasil. Los datos fueron recolectados con 373 hipertensos mayores de 20 años, en el municipio de Macaé, Brasil. Resultados: se verificó la predominancia de las siguientes características individuales: el 49% tenía entre 40 a 59 años; el 74% pertenecía al género femenino; 38,1% presentaron enseñanza fundamental incompleta; el 59,5% tenía ingresos de hasta 2 salarios mínimos (alrededor de US$ 548.00). Se obtuvo una puntuación de 7,65 para acceso de primer contacto, superior a la media de 6,6 de la puntuación estándar, y una puntuación de 2,40 para accesibilidad. Conclusión: los resultados apuntan utilización satisfactoria de las unidades en lo que se refiere al acceso de primer contacto e insatisfactorio en cuanto a la accesibilidad a los servicios, lo que muestra necesidad de inversiones en la reorganización del proceso de atención a las demandas y prioridades de los usuarios. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.12957/reuerj.2017.14442

scholarly journals Evaluation of the health attention to pregnant women with HIV: comparison between primary and specialized service

2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Raquel Einloft Kleinubing ◽  
Daniel Gonzalo Eslava ◽  
Stela Maris de Mello Padoin ◽  
Cristiane Cardoso de Paula
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Quality Of Care ◽  
Pregnant Women ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Care Assessment ◽  
Specialized Care ◽  
Women With Hiv

ABSTRACT The public network for health care of pregnant women with HIV, in Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul/Brazil, includes primary and specialized care services. Objective: Evaluating whether the type of service interferes in the quality score of the health care in the experience of the pregnant women with HIV. Methods: Cross-sectional study, with data collection from April-November/2014, with 78 participants. The Primary Care Assessment Tool-Brazil instrument was applied and the Pearson's Chi-square test and Fisher's exact test were used. Results: The quality of care received was evaluated as unsatisfactory both in primary care (6.50) and in specialized care (6.35). Conclusion: The type of service interferes with the quality of care, which can affect women's choice of service. It is necessary to improve the quality of both types of services and to search for the management of shared care to attend both the usual care of gestation and the specificity of infection.

scholarly journals Assessment of Primary Health Care Attributes in Campina Grande, Paraíba, Brazil

2020 ◽  
Vol 73 (suppl 5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rafaela Simão de Abrantes ◽  
Débora Lana Alves Monteiro ◽  
Aline de Paula Rêgo Graciano Luz ◽  
Ricardo Alves de Olinda ◽  
Wilton Wilney Nascimento Padilha
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Primary Health Care ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Primary Health ◽  
Care Assessment ◽  
Education Activity ◽  
First Contact

ABSTRACT Objective: to assess the presence and extent of Primary Health Care attributes in Campina Grande, Paraíba. Method: this is a cross-sectional study with 202 professionals from the Basic Health Units. The Primary Care Assessment Tool, Brazil, was used, which includes eight attributes of primary care whose scores were converted into a scale from 0 to 10, with those considered satisfactory > 6.60. Result: the general score mean was 7.6, but First contact access obtained a score of 3.7. Dental surgeons attributed the worst scores for all attributes (p <0.05). Permanent education activity was associated with a high general score (p <0.01). Conclusion: with the exception of First contact access, the other attributes are present, but initiatives by teams and managers are necessary for its expansion, with permanent education being the main strategy in this process.

scholarly journals Commitment and the emigration intentions of South African professional nurses

2013 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey J. Bagraim
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Employee Commitment ◽  
Western Cape ◽  
Public Health Services ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Tertiary Hospitals ◽  
Quantitative Design ◽  
The Relationship

The emigration of skilled nurses from South Africa exacerbates the crisis in the provision of public health services. A descriptive, quantitative design was applied to investigate the relationship between intention to emigrate and employee commitment. Over 400 registered nurses (N = 419), working within public sector tertiary hospitals in the Western Cape, responded to a cross-sectional survey questionnaire. Three foci of employee commitment (organisational, professional and national) were examined but only national commitment significantly helped predict intention to emigrate from South Africa in the regression model (beta = -0.0525, p < 0.0001). The implications of the results obtained in this study are discussed.Die emigrasie van verpleegkundiges uit Suid-Afrika vererger die krisis in die verskaffing van gesondheidsorgdienste in die land. ’n Beskrywende, kwantitatiewe ontwerp is gebruik om die verwantskap tussen werknemertoewyding en die voorneme om te emigreer te ondersoek. Meer as 400 verpleegsters (N = 419) wat in openbare tersiêre hospitale in die Wes-Kaap werk, het op die vraelys gereageer. Drie fokusareas van toewyding (organisatories, professioneel en nasionaal) is gemeet, maar net nasionale toewyding het daartoe bygedra om emigrasievoorneme te voorspel (beta = -0.0525, p < 0.0001). Die implikasies van hierdie resultate word bespreek.

scholarly journals Self-perceived employability among undergraduate students at a South African university

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Doret Botha
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Survey Design ◽  
The Self ◽  
The South ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Perceived Employability ◽  
Managerial Implications

Orientation: South Africa has been suffering from persistently high levels of unemployment since 2008. The youth is regarded as the most at-risk group in the South African labour market and unemployment amongst the youth is considered one of the most critical socio-economic problems in South Africa. Increasing one’s employability is essential to securing employment and enhancing one’s well-being.Research purpose: This study aimed to explore the self-perceived employability of undergraduate students at a South African university.Motivation for the study: Currently, there is a scarcity of published research on the self-perceived employability amongst undergraduate students at higher education institutions in South Africa.Research approach/design and method: The study was conducted within a positivistic research paradigm. A quantitative-based cross-sectional survey design was used. Convenience sampling was used to select the students who were included in the survey. Data were collected through a web-based survey, using a standardised coded questionnaire that consisted of a five-point Likert-type scale.Main findings: The results indicated that the respondents were relatively confident about their internal employability, but they were less confident about their opportunities in the external labour market.Practical/managerial implications: Understanding one’s employability and the accompanied issues creates awareness of one’s potential, skills and knowledge to become a successful citizen and employee.Contribution/value-add: The study shed light on the self-perceived employability of undergraduate students at a South African university and consequently contributes to the existing literature on employability in the South African context.

scholarly journals SASS: South African Simulation Survey – a review of simulation-based education

2019 ◽  
pp. 12-20
Author(s):  
R Swart ◽  
R Duys ◽  
ND Hauser
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Survey Tool ◽  
South African Society ◽  
Simulation Based ◽  
The Impact

Background: Simulation-based education (SBE) has been shown to be an effective and reproducible learning tool. SBE is used widely internationally. The current state of SBE in South Africa is unknown. To the best of our knowledge this is the first survey that describes the use and attitudes towards SBE within South Africa. Methods: An online survey tool was distributed by email to: i) the South African Society of Anaesthesiologists (SASA) members; and ii) known simulation education providers in South Africa. The respondents were grouped into anaesthesia and non-anaesthesia participants. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the data. Ethics approval was obtained: HREC REF 157/2017. Results: The majority of the respondents provide SBE and integrate it into formal teaching programmes. There is a will amongst respondents to grow SBE in South Africa, with it being recognised as a valuable educational tool. The user groups mainly targeted by SBE, were undergraduate students, medical interns, registrars and nurses. Learning objectives targeted include practical skills, medical knowledge, critical thinking and integrated management. Amongst anaesthesia respondents: the tool most commonly used to assess the quality of learner performance during SBE, for summative assessment, was ‘expert opinion’ (33%); the most frequent methods of evaluating SBE quality were participant feedback (42%) and peer evaluation (22%); the impact of SBE was most frequently assessed by informal discussion (42%) and learner feedback (39%). In anaesthesia SBE largely takes place within dedicated simulation facilities on site (47%). Most respondents report access to a range of SBE equipment. The main reported barriers to SBE were: finance, lack of trained educators, lack of equipment and lack of protected time. A limited number of respondents report engaging in SBE research. There is a willingness in both anaesthesia and non-anaesthesia groups (96% and 89% respectively) to collaborate with other centres. Conclusion: To the best of our knowledge this publication provides us with the first cross-sectional survey of SBE in anaesthesia and a selection of non-anaesthetic respondents within South Africa. The majority of respondents indicate that SBE is a valuable education tool. A number of barriers have been identified that limit the growth of SBE within South Africa. It is hoped that with a commitment to ongoing SBE research and evaluation, SBE can be grown in South Africa.

A generic investigation process for South African commercial forensic practitioners

2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 587-600 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacobus Gerhardus J. Nortje ◽  
Daniel P. Bredenkamp
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Best Practices ◽  
South African ◽  
Governance Structure ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Cross Sectional Design ◽  
Investigation Process

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to critically analyse and discuss the identification of a generic investigation process to be followed by the commercial forensic practitioner in South Africa. Design/methodology/approach This paper is a cross-sectional design that commenced with a review of the current available literature, highlighting the different approaches, processes and best practices used in local and international forensic practices. The methodology includes primary data collected with questionnaires from commercial forensic practitioner (N = 75) process users. Findings This paper identifies the following five distinct categories in the forensic investigation process, with sub-processes, namely, initiation, planning, execution, reporting and reflection. Research limitations/implications The study focuses only on the South African members of the Institute of Commercial Forensic Practitioners (ICFP) fraternity in South Africa as the ICFP is a leading body that, through membership, offers a recognised professional qualification in commercial forensics. Practical implications An investigation process for commercial forensic practitioners in South Africa could be used by the ICFP that would provide a governance structure for the ICFP. Originality/value The originality of this paper lies in setting out of an account of forensic accounting processes and best practices nationally and internationally. The missing knowledge is that no such research is known to have been conducted in South Africa. Currently, to the authors’ knowledge, no formalised investigation process exists. The contribution of the study is that by using an investigation process, it may enhance the quality of forensic investigations and contribute to the successful investigation and prosecution of commercial crime in South Africa that will be beneficial to all stakeholders.

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