African Journal of Primary Health Care & Family Medicine最新文献

{"title":"Effect of a structured teaching programme on mothers' knowledge and utilisation of oral rehydration solution.","authors":"Stephen Nanbur, Clement K Dongurum, Godwin Achema, Emmanuel Andy, Sopen Chunuan, Kumzhi P Ringkat, Kenai A Nanchak, Nanvyat Nannim","doi":"10.4102/phcfm.v17i1.4717","DOIUrl":"10.4102/phcfm.v17i1.4717","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong> Childhood diarrhoea is a major health problem in developing countries.</p><p><strong>Aim: </strong> The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of a structured teaching programme on mothers' knowledge and use of oral rehydration solution in the treatment of diarrhoea in children under 5 years of age.</p><p><strong>Setting: </strong> The study was conducted at Life-changing Eudaimonia Hospital, Jos, Nigeria.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong> A quasi-experimental research design was used, based on a pre- and post-test with one group. Seventy mothers of children under 5 years of age suffering from diarrhoea were recruited as subjects. However, two withdrew, resulting in a response rate of 97.1%. Data were collected by administering a pretest to the respondents and a post-test after a 3-h structured teaching programme on the preparation and utilisation of oral rehydration solution in the treatment of diarrhoea.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong> The t-test analysis revealed that the mean knowledge and utilisation of oral rehydration solution in the treatment of diarrhoea significantly increased, with paired t-values of 3.528 (p = 0.001) and 20.382 (p  0.001) respectively.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong> We concluded that the structured teaching programme significantly improved mothers' knowledge and utilisation of oral rehydration solution in the management of diarrhoea in children under 5 years of age at Life-changing Eudaimonia Hospital, Jos.Contribution: Based on the findings of this study, we suggest that policy makers should develop programmes that support education campaigns on oral rehydration therapy among family caregivers, especially in rural areas with poor access to health care.</p>","PeriodicalId":47037,"journal":{"name":"African Journal of Primary Health Care & Family Medicine","volume":"17 1","pages":"e1-e5"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2025-05-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12135766/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144209874","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":"Use of integrated services in antenatal care: A case study of Mabvuku Polyclinic, Zimbabwe.","authors":"Gamuchirai P Gwaza, Danai T Zhou, Annette Plüddemann, Carl Heneghan","doi":"10.4102/phcfm.v17i1.4847","DOIUrl":"10.4102/phcfm.v17i1.4847","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong> The integration of diagnostic services presents a critical opportunity to improve health outcomes in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), potentially averting up to 1 million premature deaths annually. Antenatal care provides a critical platform for diagnosing multiple diseases in an integrated manner.</p><p><strong>Aim: </strong> This study explored the experiences of healthcare providers and pregnant women using integrated diagnostic services at a primary care facility in Zimbabwe.</p><p><strong>Setting: </strong> A qualitative case study was conducted at Mabvuku Polyclinic in Harare, Zimbabwe.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong> Using purposive sampling, 14 healthcare workers and 22 pregnant women participated in interviews. Observations and semi-structured interviews were recorded, transcribed and analysed using NVivo software. Thematic analysis was applied to identify key themes related to access, patient-provider interactions and systemic barriers.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong> According to the interviewees' reports, challenges such as limited resources, medical equipment and staff hinder efforts to integrate diagnostic services. The women strongly preferred integrated diagnosis, even if it meant enduring long waiting times, and valued the convenience of receiving all necessary services in a single visit. The study highlighted the hidden socio-economic barriers to 'free' healthcare and underscored the importance of addressing systemic inefficiencies.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong> The insights gained from this study are transferable and contribute to the understanding of integrated diagnostic services in maternal healthcare contexts.Contribution: They offer practical recommendations for improving service delivery and health outcomes in similar settings.</p>","PeriodicalId":47037,"journal":{"name":"African Journal of Primary Health Care & Family Medicine","volume":"17 1","pages":"e1-e13"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2025-05-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12135723/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144209896","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":"Factors influencing late antenatal booking in Tshwane District: Pregnant women's perceptions.","authors":"Kagiso P Tukisi, Vuyo D Dlakude, Sakhile I Hlatshwayo, Fezeka Dlamini","doi":"10.4102/phcfm.v17i1.4870","DOIUrl":"10.4102/phcfm.v17i1.4870","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong> Antenatal care (ANC) is a branch of primary health care service universally accessible for promoting positive maternal and neonatal outcomes globally. Pregnant women are encouraged to initiate ANC as soon as pregnancy is diagnosed. Early ANC allows a series of diagnostic procedures and investigations to exclude early, potential and actual pregnancy risks. However, the rate of late initiation of ANC remains high.</p><p><strong>Aim: </strong> To explore and describe factors influencing late antenatal booking based on pregnant women's perceptions in selected antenatal clinics in the Tshwane district.</p><p><strong>Setting: </strong> The study took place at the two selected facilities rendering ANC to the public in Tshwane district.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong> A qualitative, explorative, descriptive and contextual research design was followed, and 10 purposively sampled pregnant women attended semi-structured interviews. Collaizi's descriptive method was used to analyse and organise data into themes and categories.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong> Although the participants had some awareness of ANC and the benefits attached, there were hindrances to the early seeking of ANC. The participants brought to light the factors that hinder early seeking of ANC under three themes: Theme 1 listed the patient-related factors; Theme 2 detailed ANC routine factors; and lastly, Theme 3 described midwives-related factors.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong> The information dissemination methods of reproductive health and childbirth need to be revisited to ensure awareness and increase uptake of the ANC services.Contribution: The study findings have the potential to guide policymakers in addressing the factors that hinder the uptake of ANC as perceived by pregnant women - the primary consumers of the service. Additionally, the uptake of ANC may contribute to a decline in maternal and neonatal mortalities.</p>","PeriodicalId":47037,"journal":{"name":"African Journal of Primary Health Care & Family Medicine","volume":"17 1","pages":"e1-e10"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2025-05-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12135770/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144209876","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":"Phenomenology for primary care researchers.","authors":"Robert Mash, Febisola Ajudua, Sebaka Malope, Doreen Kaura","doi":"10.4102/phcfm.v17i2.4946","DOIUrl":"10.4102/phcfm.v17i2.4946","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Primary care researchers often turn to qualitative methodologies to explore people's perspectives and experiences. Phenomenology is appropriate when the focus is on lived experiences, rather than ideas, beliefs, opinions or perceptions. Phenomenology has its roots in German philosophy and the social sciences, and doctoral students as well as researchers in the health sciences may struggle to understand the paradigm and apply it practically. This article attempts to make sense of the paradigm and two of its key threads, namely descriptive and interpretive phenomenology. The key principles of both approaches and the practical methodological steps are outlined. In addition, examples are given, and the two approaches are compared. Finally, the article discusses trustworthiness and quality criteria in phenomenology.</p>","PeriodicalId":47037,"journal":{"name":"African Journal of Primary Health Care & Family Medicine","volume":"17 2","pages":"e1-e6"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2025-05-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12135725/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144209897","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":"National Health Insurance - knowledge, attitude and perceptions of speech-language therapists.","authors":"Nomfundo Njilo, Andrew J Ross","doi":"10.4102/phcfm.v17i1.4835","DOIUrl":"10.4102/phcfm.v17i1.4835","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong> The South African government signed the National Health Insurance (NHI) Bill into effect on 15th of May 2024 to ensure that all citizens have access to high-quality healthcare, regardless of their financial situation. While this initiative will impact all healthcare professionals, there is limited information on how speech-language therapists (SLTs) perceive its implementation in South Africa.</p><p><strong>Aim: </strong> The study aimed to explore the knowledge, attitudes and perceptions of SLTs in the public and private healthcare sectors related to service provision regarding the implementation of the NHI.</p><p><strong>Setting: </strong> This study was conducted virtually via Zoom (Zoom Video Communication, San Jose, California, United States) and Teams (Microsoft Teams, 2017) with SLTs in their respective settings in South Africa.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong> The descriptive, qualitative research design involved virtual semi-structured interviews with 10 SLTs. NVivo software (QSR International, Victoria, Australia) was used to analyse the data, as guided by Tesch's content analysis method.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong> Eleven sub-themes emerged related to the three themes of knowledge (4 sub-themes), attitudes (4 sub-themes) and perceived impact (3 sub-themes) of NHI implementation on SLT services.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong> The study highlights SLTs' knowledge, gaps and concerns about the impact of NHI implementation on their profession, emphasising the personal and professional areas that need to be addressed for its successful rollout.Contribution: Understanding SLTs' opinions will help address their concerns during the planning stages of integrating them into the NHI. This will lead to an equitable distribution of sufficient practitioners and ensure that many people benefit from its implementation.</p>","PeriodicalId":47037,"journal":{"name":"African Journal of Primary Health Care & Family Medicine","volume":"17 1","pages":"e1-e8"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2025-05-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12135732/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144209894","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":"Thirty-five years of family medicine training and development in Uganda.","authors":"Innocent K Besigye, Brenda Tusubira, Michael Mulowooza, Fred Ndoboli","doi":"10.4102/phcfm.v17i1.4915","DOIUrl":"10.4102/phcfm.v17i1.4915","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In Uganda, family medicine training was started in 1989 to train an all-round generalist able to provide comprehensive care at a district hospital. Since then, the training programme has undergone several changes to cater for the needs of communities in a changing world. Very low numbers of applicants and poor understanding of the discipline have been a persistent challenge. Availability of non-family physician champions, family physician role models and collaborative networks are key to development of family medicine.</p>","PeriodicalId":47037,"journal":{"name":"African Journal of Primary Health Care & Family Medicine","volume":"17 1","pages":"e1-e3"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2025-05-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12135734/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144209895","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":"Comparison of patient reported dry eye symptoms as evaluated by the ocular surface disease index and symptom assessment.","authors":"Solani D Mathebula, Percy R Khosa, Mmathabo M Maleswene","doi":"10.4102/phcfm.v17i1.4861","DOIUrl":"10.4102/phcfm.v17i1.4861","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong> Dry eye disease (DED) is a growing public health problem because of excessive time spent on digital devices as a risk factor. The diagnosis of DED should not only be based on the objective clinical measures but also on symptoms reported by patients. Clinicians should not rely on establishing symptoms using open verbal questioning during the case history but should quantify patient symptoms using a validated questionnaire.</p><p><strong>Aim: </strong> To compare the patient-reported symptoms of DED as assessed using the Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) and Symptom Assessment in Dry Eye (SANDE).</p><p><strong>Setting: </strong> An optometry clinic.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong> Ocular Surface Disease Index and SANDE questionnaires were administered to 40 participants. Participants completed all questionnaires in a non-randomised order. The correlation between the questionnaires' scores was determined and the Bland-Altman plot was used to assess the agreement between the two questionnaires.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong> The mean scores for OSDI and SANDE were 37.85 ± 23.79 and 38.83 ± 26.39, respectively. The Spearman correlation between the two questionnaires was 0.7, p  0.01. The mean difference between OSDI and SANDE was -0.97 (95% Confidence Interval [CI]: [-7.04 to 5.09]). The Bland-Altman analysis between OSDI and SANDE showed a mean clinical difference (bias) of -0.98.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong> The SANDE questionnaire can be used as a dry eye symptom assessment as it is highly correlated to the OSDI questionnaire.Contribution: Because the OSDI and SANDE questionnaires showed a significant correlation and negligible score differences, this suggests that the SANDE questionnaire has the potential to provide clinicians with a short and quick measure of DED symptoms.</p>","PeriodicalId":47037,"journal":{"name":"African Journal of Primary Health Care & Family Medicine","volume":"17 1","pages":"e1-e7"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2025-05-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12135706/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144209873","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":"Integrating mental health and non-communicable disease care: A WONCA advocacy project report.","authors":"Stephen T Engmann, Prince Ampofo, Christopher Dowrick","doi":"10.4102/phcfm.v17i1.4875","DOIUrl":"10.4102/phcfm.v17i1.4875","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The integration of mental health into the management of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) is crucial, particularly in low-resource settings like Ghana. This is a report of an integrated care project in primary care for the management of patients with hypertension and type 2 diabetes mellitus. This quality improvement project involved screening, providing information and education about common warning signs for mental health problems, and available health personnel from whom patients can seek help. This practice quality improvement project was executed in a primary care hospital in Ghana under the World Organization of Family Doctors (WONCA) Integrating Care Leadership and Advocacy Programme. Adult patients with hypertension and/or type 2 diabetes mellitus were screened using the 4-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-4) tool for anxiety and depression. The project screened 205 patients, of which 39 (19%) were found to have either anxiety and/or depression and were managed appropriately. The findings underscore the importance of integrating mental health care into the management of non-communicable diseases. Additionally, integration is essential to enhancing access to appropriate interventions and decreasing fragmentation in the delivery of care. This approach improves access to comprehensive care, reduces treatment fragmentation, lowers healthcare costs, fosters better patient satisfaction through holistic treatment, and reduces the stigma associated with mental health issues. This paper gives support to the feasibility of this integration in primary care settings. Several benefits have been demonstrated, showing the necessity of such integration in primary care settings, and advocating for policy with detailed guidelines for integrating mental health into non-communicable disease care in Ghana.</p>","PeriodicalId":47037,"journal":{"name":"African Journal of Primary Health Care & Family Medicine","volume":"17 1","pages":"e1-e3"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2025-05-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12135712/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144209878","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":"Ending nuclear weapons, before they end us.","authors":"Kamran Abbasi, Parveen Ali, Virginia Barbour, Marion Birch, Inga Blum, Peter Doherty, Andy Haines, Ira Helfand, Richard Horton, Kati Juva, Jose F Lapena, Robert Mash, Olga Mironova, Arun Mitra, Carlos Monteiro, Elena N Naumova, David Onazi, Tilman Ruff, Peush Sahni, James Tumwine, Carlos Umaña, Paul Yonga, Chris Zielinski","doi":"10.4102/phcfm.v17i1.5016","DOIUrl":"10.4102/phcfm.v17i1.5016","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":47037,"journal":{"name":"African Journal of Primary Health Care & Family Medicine","volume":"17 1","pages":"e1-e3"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2025-05-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12135735/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144209875","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":"Iron supplementation in children to prevent deficiency and anaemia: A qualitative synthesis.","authors":"Denny Mabetha, Idriss I Kallon, Marianne Visser, Celeste Naude, Willem Odendaal, Amanda S Brand, Sara Cooper","doi":"10.4102/phcfm.v17i1.4825","DOIUrl":"10.4102/phcfm.v17i1.4825","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong> Iron deficiency anaemia in young children is a major problem globally, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends preventive oral iron supplements to reduce the prevalence of iron deficiency and anaemia in high-prevalence settings.</p><p><strong>Aim: </strong> To conduct a qualitative evidence synthesis exploring the factors influencing the acceptability, feasibility and equity of preventive oral iron supplementation in young children for the Global Evidence, Local Adaptation (GELA) project, which supports the development of evidence-informed, locally relevant guideline recommendations in three sub-Saharan countries.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong> We searched MEDLINE, Epistemonikos, CINAHL and PsycInfo from inception to 07 July 2023 for eligible studies. We synthesised the data using thematic analysis and assessed the methodological quality of the studies (using an adaptation of the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme tool) and confidence in the review findings (using GRADE-CERQual).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong> We included six studies, five from LMICs. Findings indicated knowledge and perceptions about iron supplementation, as well as relationships with intervention providers, can have a beneficial or detrimental influence on caregiver acceptance (moderate to high confidence); caregiver acceptance may be negatively affected by a lack of reliable information but can potentially be enhanced through community-based education (moderate confidence); healthcare workers' knowledge, resources and support may improve the feasibility of intervention provision (moderate confidence) and socio-economic challenges around access to the intervention may adversely affect equity (low confidence).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong> A complex interplay of contextual factors may impact the provision and uptake of preventive oral iron supplementation in young children.Contribution: This work provides insights into how preventative oral iron supplementation might be contextually tailored.</p>","PeriodicalId":47037,"journal":{"name":"African Journal of Primary Health Care & Family Medicine","volume":"17 1","pages":"e1-e14"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2025-05-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12135739/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144209893","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}