Browsing by Author "Von Pressentin, Klaus"

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    African primary care research : current situation, priorities and capacity building
    (AOSIS Publishing, 2014-12) Mash, Robert; Essuman, Akye; Ratansi, Riaz; Goodyear-Smith, Felicity; Von Pressentin, Klaus; Malan, Zelra; Van Lancker, Marianne; De Maeseneer, Jan
    Introduction: The Sixth PRIMAFAMED (Primary Health Care/Family Medicine Education Network) workshop on ‘Capacity Building and Priorities in Primary Care Research’ was held in Pretoria, South Africa (SA), from 22 to 24 June 2014. Delegates from the following countries attended the workshop: Ghana, Nigeria, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Sudan, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia, SA, Zambia, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Mozambique, Swaziland, Belgium, and Denmark (Figure 1). Delegates were from established or emerging departments of family medicine and primary care in these countries. The central theme of the workshop was primary care research – the current situation, the priorities for research and the need for capacity building. This report gives a summary of the consensus on these matters that emerged from the workshop. The motivation for the conference was derived in part from the involvement of Professor Bob Mash (SA) and Professor Olayinka Ayankogbe (Nigeria) in the World Organization of Family Doctors (WONCA) Global Working Party on Primary Care Research, which has a goal of promoting primary care research.
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    Family medicine training in Africa : views of clinical trainers and trainees
    (AOSIS publishing, 2018-03) Jenkins, Louis S.; Von Pressentin, Klaus
    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.
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    Family medicine training in Africa : views of clinical trainers and trainees
    (AOSIS, 2018-04) Jenkins, Louis S.; Von Pressentin, Klaus
    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.
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    Institutional tuberculosis infection control in a rural sub-district in South Africa : a quality improvement study
    (AOSIS, 2019) Mekebeb, Martha B.; Von Pressentin, Klaus; Jenkins, Louis S.
    Background: Tuberculosis (TB) is a major global health challenge, and South Africa is one of the high-burden countries. A national TB infection control (TBIC) guideline has stipulated three areas of infection control at health facilities: work practice and administrative control, environmental control, and personal protection for health workers. Aim: The aim of this study was to identify the gaps and address the challenges in institutional TBIC. Setting: The district hospital and a primary health care clinic within the Mossel Bay sub-district in the Western Cape. Methods: According to the national TBIC draft guideline, a quality improvement cycle was used to evaluate and improve TBIC. Each facility had an existing infection and prevention control and occupational health and safety team, which were used as the audit teams. Results: A baseline assessment was followed by a set of interventions, which did not show a significant improvement in TBIC. The difference between the pre- and post-intervention TB screening rate was not statistically significant. An assessment of time interval between 101 patients presenting with TB symptoms and diagnosed with TB was 4 days at baseline and post-intervention. Most of the anticipated improvements were dependent on the health workers’ adherence to the local TBIC policies, which emerged as an unexpected finding. Conclusion: We found good managerial commitment reflected by the presence of various policies, guidelines, specific personnel and committees to deal with infection control in general. This study has created awareness about TBIC among staff and pointed out the complexity of health workers’ behaviour towards adhering to policies.
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    South Africa has joined a global initiative for family medicine advocacy
    (Taylor & Francis, 2015-11) Von Pressentin, Klaus; Hoedebecke, Kyle; Pinho-Costa, Luis
    The international #1WordforFamilyMedicine initiative serves to explore the identity of family physicians and allows the international Family Medicine community to collaborate on advocating the discipline. South African family physicians provided 42 responses via a social media and online survey. Two “word cloud” images were created based on two icons recognised as being truly South African around the world – that of the national flag and former president Nelson Mandela. The #1WorldforFamilyMedicine initiative was promoted by the World Organization of Family Doctors across the globe to help celebrate World Family Doctor Day on 19 May 2015. To date, over 70 images have been created in 50 different countries on six continents. The images represent family physicians’ love for their profession and the community they serve. It is hoped that this initiative will help to inspire current and future Family Medicine and primary care providers.