Browsing by Author "Govender, I."

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    The bird’s-eye perspective : how do district health managers experience the impact of family physicians within the South African district health system? A qualitative study
    (Taylor & Francis Group, 2017) Von Pressentin, K. B.; Mash, R. J.; Baldwin-Ragaven, L.; Botha, R. P. G.; Govender, I.; Steinberg, W. J.
    Background: Health policy-makers in Africa are looking for local solutions to strengthen primary care teams. A South African national position paper (2015) described six aspirational roles of family physicians (FPs) working within the district health system. However, the actual contributions of FPs are unclear at present, and evidence is required as to how this cadre may be able to strengthen health systems. Methods: Using semi-structured interviews, this study sought to obtain the views of South African district health managers regarding the impact made by FPs within their districts on health system performance, clinical processes and health outcomes. Results: A number of benefits of FPs to the health system in South Africa were confirmed, including: their ability to enhance the functionality of the local health system by increasing access to a more comprehensive and coordinated health service, and by improving clinical services delivered through clinical care, capacitating the local health team and facilitating clinical governance activities. Conclusions: District managers confirmed the importance of all six roles of the FP and expressed both direct and indirect ways in which FPs contribute to strengthening health systems’ performance and clinical outcomes. FPs were seen as important clinical leaders within the district healthcare team. Managers recognised the need to support newly appointed FPs to clarify their roles within the healthcare team and to mature across all their roles. This study supports the employment of FPs at scale within the South African district health system according to the national position paper on family medicine.
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    Optimising the learning environment for undergraduate students in the Department of Family Medicine at Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University
    (South African Academy of Family Physicians, 2019-10-28) Govender, I.; De Villiers, Martin
    Background: An important determinant of a medical student’s behaviour and performance is the department’s teaching and learning environment. Evaluation of such an environment can explore methods to improve educational curricula and optimise the academic learning environment. Aim: The aim is to evaluate the educational environment of undergraduate students in the Department of Family Medicine as perceived by students. Setting: This descriptive quantitative study was conducted with one group of final-year students (n = 41) enrolled in 2018, with a response rate of 93% (n = 39). Students were in different training sites at SMU. Methods: Data were collected using the Dundee Ready Educational Environmental Measure (DREEM) questionnaire. Total and mean scores for all questions were calculated. Results: The learning environment was given a mean score of 142/200 by the students. Individual subscales show that ‘academic self-perception’ was rated the highest (25/32), while ‘social self-perception’ had the lowest score (13/24). Positive perception aspects of the academic climate included: student competence and confidence; student participation in class; constructive criticism provided; empathy in medical profession; and friendships created. Areas for improvement included: provision of good support systems for students; social life improvement; course coordinators being less authoritarian and more approachable; student-centred curriculum with less emphasis on factual learning and factual recall. Conclusion: Students’ perceptions of their learning environment were more positive than negative. The areas of improvement will be used to draw lessons to optimise the curriculum and learning environment, improve administrative processes and develop student support mechanisms in order to improve students’ academic experience.