Health SA Gesondheid最新文献

{"title":"Compliance with radiation protection among radiographers in Eswatini public health facilities.","authors":"Amelia Shungube, Thandokuhle E Khoza","doi":"10.4102/hsag.v29i0.2727","DOIUrl":"10.4102/hsag.v29i0.2727","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The consequence of non-compliance with patient radiation safety standards increases unnecessary radiation exposure with high chances of harmful biological effects. Radiographers are trained to prevent these harmful effects by enforcing radiation protection, which is achieved through proper techniques, equipment, shielding materials and beam collimation.</p><p><strong>Aim: </strong>The study aimed to explore compliance with radiation protection by radiographers in Eswatini public health facilities (PHFs).</p><p><strong>Setting: </strong>Eswatini PHFs with radiography departments (RDs) representing all four regions in the country.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The study applied a qualitative exploratory design. Purposive sampling was used to select participants. In-depth face-to-face interviews were conducted with radiographers (who have at least 2 years of work experience) until data saturation was achieved with the 13th participant. Data were analysed thematically.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of three themes were identified from the data analysis, namely participants' attitudes towards compliance with radiation safety standards; participants' subjective norms; and perceived behavioural control factors.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The study demonstrated radiographers' awareness and knowledge of patient radiation safety standards. However, compliance with the standards remained a personal decision as radiographers are not obliged to comply. Moreover, defective lead protective devices, the unavailability of the full scope of lead protective designs, the inappropriate design of the RD building and unauthorised staff making unjustified X-ray requests contributed to non-compliance.</p><p><strong>Contribution: </strong>The study highlighted a gap in compliance with patient radiation safety standards that requires attention from Eswatini's Ministry of Health (MOH).</p>","PeriodicalId":45721,"journal":{"name":"Health SA Gesondheid","volume":"29 ","pages":"2727"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2024-12-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11736565/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143013618","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Management guidelines for pregnant women living with epilepsy: An integrative literature review.","authors":"Sumeshni Birbal, Frasia Oosthuizen","doi":"10.4102/hsag.v29i0.2772","DOIUrl":"10.4102/hsag.v29i0.2772","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Epilepsy affects more than 50 million people worldwide, with a significant number of safety-related concerns arising in pregnant women. Precise management needs to include a vast array of stepwise protocols; however, no studies have been conducted to compare current South African guidelines to international norms.</p><p><strong>Aim: </strong>The aim of this integrative literature review was to identify discrepancies, if any, in the current protocols for treating pregnant women with epilepsy within the public sector of South Africa when measured against global standards.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>An integrative literature review was conducted using the Whittemore and Knafl method. The following databases and search engines were used: PubMed, EBSCOhost, Science Direct, Medscape, African Journals Online, Cochrane Library, Google scholar, Google and MedlinePlus. The study included qualitative literature from all levels of evidence from 2006 to 2023. The data were evaluated using the PRISMA flow chart and analysed using the Cooper method. On completion of critical appraisal, 22 articles met the inclusion criteria and were analysed thematically.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The review identified several areas that can be enhanced to improve patient management and outcomes such as therapeutic drug monitoring and targeted dosing, folic acid supplementation, the use of antepartum vitamin K, high-resolution ultrasounds, elimination of sodium valproate in women of childbearing potential, monotherapy and endorsing frequent obstetrician visits.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The study validated many differences between guidelines used in South Africa and internationally. Some of the prominent findings included areas focused on patient medication, screening, physician visits and pharmacovigilance.</p><p><strong>Contribution: </strong>The findings can be used to enhance and provide evidence-based recommendations in the areas that are not well developed within the current guidelines.</p>","PeriodicalId":45721,"journal":{"name":"Health SA Gesondheid","volume":"29 ","pages":"2772"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2024-12-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12242068/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144609913","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The effect of coronavirus disease 2019 vaccination on pregnant women: A scoping review.","authors":"Mildred M Malamule, Rodwell Gundo, Mavis Mulaudzi","doi":"10.4102/hsag.v29i0.2577","DOIUrl":"10.4102/hsag.v29i0.2577","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Globally, reports have shown that pregnant women refuse to receive the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine. This has posed a significant concern given the global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.</p><p><strong>Aim: </strong>This study aims to explore the current evidence on the effect of COVID-19 vaccination on pregnant women.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>A scoping review was conducted using Levac et al.'s five-stage framework. Relevant articles were searched in the Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus and EBSCOhost (CINAHL) databases. The identified articles were screened based on predetermined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Data from the selected articles were charted and summarised into meaningful units.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Twelve articles from developed countries were included in the review. Studies have reported that COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy is generally safe and does not increase the risk of pregnancy complications. There was no significant difference in delivery outcomes between vaccinated and unvaccinated women. Neonatal outcomes were not affected by the vaccination. However, one study identified a potential risk of spontaneous abortion between 6 and 9 weeks of gestation among vaccinated women.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Coronavirus disease 2019 vaccination is considered safe during pregnancy. While some studies have identified potential associations with certain conditions, the overall benefits of vaccination outweigh the risks. Continued monitoring of the safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines during pregnancy is recommended. Pregnant women should consult healthcare providers to make informed decisions regarding vaccination.</p><p><strong>Contribution: </strong>The findings of this review may assist in alleviating anxiety and reducing vaccine hesitancy among pregnant women.</p>","PeriodicalId":45721,"journal":{"name":"Health SA Gesondheid","volume":"29 ","pages":"2577"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2024-12-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11736543/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143013755","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Pulmonary embolism diagnosis with D-dimer levels and computed tomography.","authors":"Rochelle A Kruger, Jeanetta du Plessis, Henra Muller","doi":"10.4102/hsag.v29i0.2620","DOIUrl":"10.4102/hsag.v29i0.2620","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Pulmonary embolism (PE), a common heart and blood vessel disease, causes complications such as haemodynamic instability and cardiovascular mortality. Timely diagnosis and treatment are imperative for managing this potentially life-threatening condition.</p><p><strong>Aim: </strong>The aim of this study was to establish the relationship between an elevated D-dimer level and a positive computed tomography pulmonary angiogram (CTPA), which could confirm PE in patients with chest pain and suspected PE.</p><p><strong>Setting: </strong>Data were collected at a private diagnostic radiology practice located in Bloemfontein, South Africa.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Data were retrospectively collected from the Picture Archiving and Communications System (PACS).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Of the sampled patients (<i>n</i> = 1219), only 16.7% were diagnosed with PE after CTPA. Approximately 14% of the D-dimer-positive patient group were diagnosed with PE and, in the D-dimer-negative patient group, approximately 20% of the patients were diagnosed with PE. Of the patients sampled, 86% were not diagnosed with PE despite having increased D-dimer values. No specific trends in the relation between elevated D-dimer levels and a positive PE diagnosis could be identified at the significance level of 0.05; a Chi-square test of independence indicated (χ² [1, <i>N</i> = 995] = 1.84, <i>p</i> = 0.175).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>No strong relationship between elevated D-dimer levels in the blood and a positive yield of PE after CTPA; was found hence, clinical decision rules for PE workups need refining, especially to limit unnecessary CTPA referrals in this setting.</p><p><strong>Contribution: </strong>The findings suggest that PE workup at the private practice should be revised to improve the quality of service.</p>","PeriodicalId":45721,"journal":{"name":"Health SA Gesondheid","volume":"29 ","pages":"2620"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2024-12-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12242041/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144609914","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The use of traditional and complementary medicine by cancer patients in SSA: A scoping review.","authors":"Ammaarah Sheik Adam, Varsha Bangalee, Frasia Oosthuizen","doi":"10.4102/hsag.v29i0.2743","DOIUrl":"10.4102/hsag.v29i0.2743","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The rate of traditional and complementary medicine (T&CM) use is increasing worldwide, including among cancer patients who are often willing to try alternate therapies. Despite T&CM popularity in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), there are limited data on its use with conventional treatments.</p><p><strong>Aim: </strong>This scoping review aims to describe the prevalence of use, reasons for use, most common types of T&CM used, patient satisfaction with T&CM and disclosure of T&CM use to physicians among cancer patients in SSA.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A systematic literature search was conducted for articles published from 2013 to 2022 across four databases: PubMed, ScienceDirect, Google Scholar and EBSCOhost. A scoping review approach was used to map relevant literature. Forty-six articles were assessed based on their titles and abstracts. After full-text screening, 10 articles were included.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Average T&CM use was calculated to be 66.7%. Reasons for T&CM use included: to improve psychological well-being, boost the body's immunity and provide symptomatic relief. An average of 21.2% of T&CM users informed their physician. Nine articles addressed patient satisfaction with T&CM. An average of 39.1% of patients reported general T&CM satisfaction.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The use of T&CM is common among cancer patients. It is important for healthcare providers to expand their knowledge in order to counsel patients and avoid potential hazards when combining T&CM with conventional treatments.</p><p><strong>Contribution: </strong>These findings highlight commonly used T&CM and provide insight on the portion of cancer patients informing their doctors about T&CM use. This information will help understand the attitude cancer patients have towards T&CM.</p>","PeriodicalId":45721,"journal":{"name":"Health SA Gesondheid","volume":"29 ","pages":"2743"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2024-12-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11736571/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143013807","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Development of strategies to enhance recordkeeping during intrapartum care in Limpopo province: A Delphi technique.","authors":"Phogole C Maesela, Johanna M Mathibe-Neke","doi":"10.4102/hsag.v29i0.2645","DOIUrl":"10.4102/hsag.v29i0.2645","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>South Africa is experiencing increased medico-legal litigations in maternity services arising from poor recordkeeping. To enhance the quality of recordkeeping and reduce the lawsuits, the strategies were developed and validated by maternal healthcare experts.</p><p><strong>Aim: </strong>The study is aimed to develop and validate strategies for recordkeeping during intrapartum care in Limpopo province.</p><p><strong>Setting: </strong>The study was conducted in seven hospitals located in Sekhukhune District, Limpopo province.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The hospitals were purposefully selected to participate in this study. A sequential explanatory mixed-method design was applied. For the quantitative phase, the maternity case records were reviewed for completeness. Statistician assisted in translation of the checklist into statistical package for social science (SPSS) program. The data analysis included descriptive and inferential statistics. The qualitative phase, focus group discussions and in-depth interviews were conducted with midwives and doctors to describe and determine their perceptions and experiences of recordkeeping during intrapartum. A co-coder was engaged in qualitative data analysis. The findings of quantitative and qualitative phases were integrated to develop the strategies for recordkeeping. A two-rounds Delphi technique was employed to validate the strategies by engaging maternal healthcare experts.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Ten (10) strategies to enhance recordkeeping were developed and validated by the experts.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The proposed strategies were operationalised into interventions with the aim to improve recordkeeping.</p><p><strong>Contribution: </strong>The strategies aim to improve the quality-of-service provision during intrapartum care and reduce or culminate legal claims in Limpopo province.</p>","PeriodicalId":45721,"journal":{"name":"Health SA Gesondheid","volume":"29 ","pages":"2645"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2024-11-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11621868/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142796216","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Challenges in accessing patient-centered care and patient empowerment in selected Ghanaian hospitals.","authors":"Ruby V Kodom, Robert T Netangaheni","doi":"10.4102/hsag.v29i0.2623","DOIUrl":"10.4102/hsag.v29i0.2623","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Patient-centred care (PCC) and patient empowerment (PE) are crucial for better healthcare outcomes, in lower-middle-income countries like Ghana, which continues to encounter many challenges.</p><p><strong>Aim: </strong>The study sought to determine the factors affecting the implementation of PCC and PE in Ghana through the voices of patients and healthcare providers.</p><p><strong>Setting: </strong>The study is based in Ghana, West Africa, and includes three healthcare facilities representing primary, secondary and tertiary care.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A qualitative exploratory descriptive research design was employed to investigate the study's objective by engaging healthcare workers and patients in selected facilities through purposive sampling. While 33 healthcare service providers participated in in-depth interviews, focus group discussions were held with four patient groups. The collected data were analysed thematically to identify key themes and insights.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The analysis revealed three overarching themes: organisational-, individual-, and environmental-level factors influencing PCC and PE. Findings presented under 10 sub-themes show that resource constraints and staff shortages hinder PCC, while patient agency and communication impact PE. In addition, the ability to pay and geographical barriers further hinder access to patient-centred services, affecting overall healthcare delivery.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The findings from this study emphasise that without system-wide interventions to address these issues - including improving resource allocation, enhancing communication, and reducing geographical and financial barriers - achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC) by 2030 remains highly aspirational.</p><p><strong>Contribution: </strong>The contribution of the study is inherent in the relevance of contextual findings towards improving health service delivery.</p>","PeriodicalId":45721,"journal":{"name":"Health SA Gesondheid","volume":"29 ","pages":"2623"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2024-11-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11621904/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142796157","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Stakeholders' perspectives on competency-based education program in Africa: A qualitative study.","authors":"Barbara M Dube, Ntombifikile G Mtshali","doi":"10.4102/hsag.v29i0.2416","DOIUrl":"10.4102/hsag.v29i0.2416","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Competency-based education (CBE) is adopted to reform health professionals' education. The goal is to produce graduates who are not only competent in their fields but also equipped with the necessary social accountability skills for safe practice.</p><p><strong>Aim: </strong>The study aimed to explore nursing education stakeholders' perspectives on competency-based primary healthcare (PHC)-oriented nursing education programmes in the South African context.</p><p><strong>Setting: </strong>The setting for this study was a higher education institution in South Africa.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A descriptive qualitative method was used in this study. After taking ethical clearance from the university ethics committee, data were purposively collected and theoretically sampled from 40 participants through focus group discussion, individual interviews and document analysis.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The data findings reported categories that emerged from this study, which include the attributes of a competency-based PHC-oriented programme and the outcomes of a competency-based PHC-oriented programme.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>In the context of this study, the concept of CBE was portrayed as a programme with strong social accountability that aims at addressing priority health needs surrounding communities and ensuring that the health needs of the community are met while providing health delivery service to communities in their natural environment.</p><p><strong>Contribution: </strong>These findings add to the growing evidence base around CBE as an approach to strengthen PHC-oriented health services in low- and middle-income countries, a key aspect of which is providing service within communities. This enables the accessibility of quality healthcare closer to where people live and work to achieve Sustainable Development Goal number three.</p>","PeriodicalId":45721,"journal":{"name":"Health SA Gesondheid","volume":"29 ","pages":"2416"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2024-11-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11621902/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142796251","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The experiences of women diagnosed with uterine fibroids in the Kingdom of Eswatini.","authors":"Vuyisile J Ginindza, Fortunate S Shabalala, Bonisile S Nsibandze, Makandwe Nyirenda, Themba G Ginindza","doi":"10.4102/hsag.v29i0.2724","DOIUrl":"10.4102/hsag.v29i0.2724","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Uterine fibroids (UFs) are benign uterine growths that significantly impact women's daily activities, quality of life, fertility and expenditure.</p><p><strong>Aim: </strong>This study aimed to provide in-depth insights into the lived experiences of women diagnosed with UFs.</p><p><strong>Setting: </strong>The study was conducted in Eswatini health facilities across the four geographic regions.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>An explorative qualitative design was used; participants with confirmed UFs diagnoses or surgery related to UFs were purposively recruited for focus group discussions. Data collection was guided by the revised Wilson and Cleary model of health-related quality of life (HRQOL), which was iteratively analysed using Braun and Clark's thematic analysis framework.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Sixty participants with confirmed UFs diagnoses or surgery related to UFs were included in this study. Five themes emerged: awareness of the disease, symptoms experienced, treatment and care, perceptions and beliefs and health-seeking behaviour. Most participants experienced physical symptoms, abdominal pain and vaginal bleeding. Among the emotional and psychological consequences experienced by the majority of participants were fear, worry, tension and (perceived) disrupted body image. The majority of the participants lacked knowledge of UFs, and their perceptions and health-seeking behaviour differed.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Findings showed that most participants experienced physical, psychological, emotional and social challenges.</p><p><strong>Contribution: </strong>These experiences were influenced by lack of knowledge, symptoms experienced, poor treatment and care and perceptions and beliefs about UFs. Health education, client involvement, early diagnosis and effective treatment are recommended to improve the experiences of UFs.</p>","PeriodicalId":45721,"journal":{"name":"Health SA Gesondheid","volume":"29 ","pages":"2724"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2024-11-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11621918/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142796355","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Considering patient-centred care and patient empowerment as essential to quality health care delivery in Ghana.","authors":"Ruby V Kodom, Robert T Netangaheni","doi":"10.4102/hsag.v29i0.2608","DOIUrl":"10.4102/hsag.v29i0.2608","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Rising cases of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), poor health choices, mistrust of the health system, self-medication, resistance of diseases to medication and dissatisfaction with the service experience serve as red flags on the path to Universal Health Coverage (UHC).</p><p><strong>Aim: </strong>This study explored the importance of patient-centred care (PCC) and patient empowerment (PE) within the context of healthcare service delivery in Ghana.</p><p><strong>Setting: </strong>The study considered PCC and PE from the perspective of three public healthcare facilities within the Greater Accra region.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The researcher adopted a qualitative exploratory research approach. The study employed purposive sampling for the selection of healthcare facilities and healthcare providers. Convenience sampling was applied to select patient participants. A total of 33 in-depth interviews and 4 focus group discussions (FGDs) were conducted across the three sampled facilities as part of the data collection process.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Healthcare providers and patients unanimously view quality as essential for effective healthcare delivery. The application of the capacitating role of PE and PCC is inexact and largely left to subjective interpretation.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The Ministry of Health (MOH) has recognised that patient experiences, a key indicator of care quality, have often been suboptimal and is actively working to address these weaknesses.</p><p><strong>Contribution: </strong>This study supports the call for health systems to remain committed to efforts to achieve UHC, with a focus on PCC and PE.</p>","PeriodicalId":45721,"journal":{"name":"Health SA Gesondheid","volume":"29 ","pages":"2608"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2024-11-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11621872/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142796172","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}