scholarly journals Preparedness for Practice: Physiotherapists View on an Undergraduate Programme in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 88
Author(s):  
Thayananthee Nadasan ◽  
Verusia Chetty
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Primary Health Care ◽  
Clinical Practice ◽  
South African ◽  
Community Service ◽  
Personal Impact ◽  
Primary Health ◽  
Preparedness For Practice ◽  
Kwazulu Natal

Background: Community service physiotherapists need to be fit for clinical practice while addressing the evolving socio-cultural and economic health care challenges that face South African health systems. The introduction of community service for health care professions over a decade ago influenced education at tertiary institutions. The rhetoric remains as to the preparedness of physiotherapists for service delivery in a demanding primary health care setting. Objectives: The study explored perceptions of preparedness of physiotherapists for clinical practice in their community service year. Method: A qualitative approach using semi-structured interviews were used to understand perceptions of preparedness for community service by professional physiotherapists. Results: Thirty nine physiotherapists who graduated at a University in Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa were recruited using snowball sampling. Data was analysed using conventional content analysis and yielded four dominant themes i.e. (1) facilitators of preparedness for community service, (2) inhibitors to perceived preparedness for community service, (3) curriculum review and (4) personal impact of community service. Conclusions: Although, physiotherapists believed that community service contributed to their confidence as professionals, graduates deemed that physiotherapy programmes need a curriculum that is geared toward specific South African needs such as primary health care. Physiotherapists also believed that the undergraduate curricula should address global health care needs to prepare the new generation of health care professionals for global significance.

scholarly journals An analysis of the meaning of integrated Primary Health Care from the KwaZulu- Natal Primary Health Care context

Curationis ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
M.N. Sibiya ◽  
N.S. Gwele
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Primary Health Care ◽  
Health System ◽  
Health Care Services ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Primary Health ◽  
Kwazulu Natal ◽  
Comprehensive Health

In South Africa, integration o f services policy was enacted in 1996 with the aim of increasing health service utilization by increasing accessibility and availability of all health care services at Primary Health Care (PHC) level. Integration of PHC services continues to be seen as a pivotal strategy towards the achievement of the national goals of transformation of health services, and the attainment of a comprehensive and seamless public health system. Although the drive behind the integration of PHC services was to improve accessibility of services to the community, the problem however, arises in the implementation of integrated PHC (IPHC) as there is no agreed upon understanding of what this phenomenon means in the South African context. To date no research studies have been reported on the meaning of the integration of PHC services. Hence, there is a need for shared views on this phenomenon in order to facilitate an effective implementation of this approach. A cross-sectional study, using a qualitative approach was employed in this study in order to analyze the phenomenon, IPHC in KwaZulu-Natal and the meaning attached to it in different levels of the health system. A grounded theory was selected as it is a method known for its ability to make greatest contribution in areas where little research has been done and when new viewpoints are needed to describe the familiar phenomenon that is not clearly understood. Policy makers and co-ordinators of PHC at national, provincial and district levels as well as PHC nurses at functional level participated in the study. The data was collected by means of observations, interviews and document analysis. The sample size for interviews was comprised of 38 participants. Strauss and Corbin’s process of data analysis was used. It emerged that there were three core categories that were used by the participants as discriminatory dimensions of IPHC in South Africa. These core categories were (a) comprehensive health care, (b) supermarket approach and (c) one stop shop.

scholarly journals An investigation into the level of empowerment of rural women in the Zululand district of KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa

Curationis ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
B.R. Bhengu
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Primary Health Care ◽  
Rural Women ◽  
Group Discussion ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Women's Groups ◽  
Primary Health ◽  
Women’S Groups ◽  
Kwazulu Natal

The aim of the study was to evaluate the outcome of the empowerment of rural women in relation to gender issues, power, and communication within the Zululand District of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa after implementation of a four-year Primary Health Care project in partnership with the Provincial Department of Health, and two Schools of Nursing at the University of KwaZulu-Natal and McMaster University in Canada. This project is based on substantial evidence which reveals that rural women are being neglected to the extent that these women have missed out on opportunities for development. The reasons for this disempowerment of women, particularly rural women, are thought to be due to the feminisation of poverty, as well as female submission, educational deprivation, privacy of domestic violence, exploitation, domination by men and cultural oppression (patriarchy).A qualitative research approach was used. Focus group discussion was utilised as the data collection technique, and this was also applied during the collection of baseline data. An interview guide covered issues of concern in the communities and households, including what the women would, or had done about these, how they engaged in decision-making in their families, how they handled situations when there was a difference of opinion, and their awareness of, and ability to claim their rights, including control of their lives. The data was collected from six clinics, from groups of six to ten women in the predominantly rural Zululand District of KwaZulu-Natal.The project has revealed improvement in the women’s realisation of their rights, albeit limited, in communication, self-confidence, and reliance, including partnerships between Primary Health Care Nurses and women’s groups. The formation of women’s groups facilitated community development and participation in their own health, socio-economic and emotional development.The project suggests that such groups be encouraged and allowed to network for support as they understand their own problems better, they merely require facilitation.

scholarly journals Eye health promotion in the South African primary health care system*

2010 ◽  
Vol 69 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
H. L. Sithole ◽  
O. A. Oduntan
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Health Promotion ◽  
Primary Health Care ◽  
South African ◽  
Primary Health Care System ◽  
The South ◽  
Promotion Policy ◽  
Eye Health ◽  
Primary Health

Objective: There is currently very little or no research being done in South Africa on eye health promotion. Also, there is no evidence of any existing eye health promotion policy in the South African primary health care system. The purpose of this paper therefore is to highlight the lack of an integrated eye health promotion policy in the South African primary health care system.Approach: A literature review of research databases was conducted to identify research done in the previous years pertinent to eye health promotion in South Africa. Also, documents were requested from the South African National Department of Health to ascertain claims of any existing guidelines on eye care. It was found that these documents included the national guidelines on prevention of blindness, refractive error screening for persons 60 years and older, cataract surgery in South Africa, management and control of eye conditions at primary level.Although there is currently no integrated eye health promotion policy in South Africa, the fragmented national guidelines represent the existing policies on eye health promotion.  The custodians of these policies are the eye care coordinators located in each of the nine provinces.Conclusion: Although there are eye care coordinators in each province, there is no evidence of any eye health promotion activities being done in those provinces. Also, only one province out of nine has dedicated health promotion personnel that are not only focusing on eye health matters. This greatly compromises the initiatives of eliminating avoidable blindness. It is therefore recommended that an integrated eye health promotion model be developed so that it may form part of the South African primary health care system. (S Afr Optom 201069(4) 200-206)

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