Browsing by Author "Cooke, Richard"

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Laying the foundations to restructure the Madwaleni HIV wellness programme, using knowledge of the community perceptions of the programme, in relation to the needs and priorities while living with HIV
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2015-07) Cooke, Richard; Conradie, Hoffie; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Health Sciences. Dept. of Interdisciplinary Health Sciences
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Madwaleni Hospital is situated in a deeply rural area of the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa, serving a catchment population of approximately 262,300 within a 35 kilometer radius. An HIV programme was started in mid-2005 to try and address some of the HIV burden faced by the community. The pillars to the Madwaleni HIV programme comprise VCT (voluntary counselling and testing) and the HIV Wellness programme – a group of family-oriented services (including provision of antiretrovirals) offered to HIV positive individuals within the framework of local support groups meeting at the local hospital, community health center and primary health clinics. As at end August 2009, there are 3760 Wellness programmes members, of whom 1700 are on antiretrovirals. RESEARCH AIM: The purpose of this research was to obtain an in-depth understanding of individual’s perception of the success of the Madwaleni HIV Wellness Programme in the context of the individual needs in living with HIV.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Transformation of medical education through decentralised training platforms : a scoping review
    (James Cook University, 2018) Mlambo, Motlatso; Dreyer, Abigail; Dube, Rainy; Mapukata, Nontsikelelo; Couper, Ian; Cooke, Richard
    Introduction: Medical education in South Africa is facing a major paradigm shift. The urgency to increase the number of suitable, qualified and socially accountable health sciences graduates has brought to the fore the need to identify alternative training platforms and learning environments, often in rural areas. Subsequently, the focus has now shifted towards strengthening primary health care and community based health services. This scoping review presents a synopsis of the existing literature on decentralized training platform (DTP) strategies for medical education internationally, outlining existing models within it and its impact. Methods: This scoping review followed Arksey and O’Malley’s framework outlining five stages: (i) identification of a research question, (ii) identification of relevant studies, (iii) study selection criteria, (iv) data charting, and (v) collating, summarizing and reporting results. The literature for the scoping review was found using online databases, reference lists and hand searched journals. Data were charted and sorted inductively according to key themes. Results: A final review included 59 articles ranging over the years 1987–2015 with the largest group of studies falling in the period 2011–2015 (47.5%). Studies mostly employed quantitative (32.2%), qualitative (20.3%), systematic/literature review (18.6%) and mixed methods research approaches (11.9%). The scoping review highlighted a range of DTP strategies for transforming medical education. These include training for rural workforce, addressing context specific competencies to promote social accountability, promoting community engagement, and medical education partnerships. Viable models of DTP include community based education, distributed community engaged learning, discipline based clinical rotations, longitudinal clerkships and dedicated tracks focusing on rural issues. Shorter rural placements and supplemental rural tracks are also described. Conclusions: This scoping review showed a considerable amount of literature on decentralized training platforms that highlight the necessary adaptations needed for transforming medical education. The rural context is critical for many of these. Further studies are required to address the impact of DTPs on health service outcomes and human resource outcomes.