South Africa is in the grip of a novel coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19). Primary care providers are in the frontline. COVID-19 is spread primarily by respiratory droplets contaminating surfaces and ...hands that then transmit the virus to another person's respiratory system. The incubation period is 2-9 days and the majority of cases are mild. The most common symptoms are fever, cough and shortness of breath. Older people and those with cardiopulmonary co-morbidities or immunological deficiency will be more at risk of severe disease. If people meet the case definition, the primary care provider should immediately adopt infection prevention and control measures. Diagnosis is made by a RT-PCR test using respiratory secretions, usually nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal swabs. Mild cases can be managed at home with self-isolation, symptomatic treatment and follow-up if the disease worsens. Contact tracing is very important. Observed case fatality is between 0.5% and 4%, but may be overestimated as mild cases are not always counted. Primary care providers must give clear, accurate and consistent messages on infection prevention and control in communities and homes.
The Deputy Minister of Health, Dr J Phaahla, opened our 22nd National Family Practitioners Conference1 with a plenary address and discussion on National Health Insurance (NHI). The NHI Bill2 is now ...before Parliament and there is much debate in the media regarding its pros and cons. Much of the media attention is skeptical and even derogatory with headlines such as “why South Africa’s plans for universal healthcare are pie in the sky”
Low and middle-income countries have a greater share of the cervical cancer burden, but lower screening coverage, compared to high-income countries. Moreover, screening uptake and disease outcomes ...are generally worse in rural areas as well as in the HIV positive population. Efforts directed at increasing the screening rates are important in order to decrease cancer-related morbidity and mortality. This study aimed to explore the barriers to women with HIV accessing cervical cancer screening in Kgatleng district, Botswana.
A phenomenological qualitative study utilising semi-structured interviews with fourteen HIV positive women, selected by purposive sampling. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and the 5-steps of the framework method, assisted by Atlas-ti software, was used for qualitative data analysis.
Contextual factors included distance, public transport issues and work commitments. Health system factors highlighted unavailability of results, inconsistent appointment systems, long queues and equipment shortages and poor patient-centred communication skills, particularly skills in explanation and planning. Patient factors identified were lack of knowledge of cervical cancer, benefits of screening, effectiveness of treatment, as well as personal fears and misconceptions.
Cervical cancer screening was poorly accessed due to a weak primary care system, insufficient health promotion and information as well as poor communication skills. These issues could be partly addressed by considering alternative technology and one-stop models of testing and treating.
SAAFP moving forward Mash, Bob
South African family practice,
10/2018, Letnik:
60, Številka:
5
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
I hope that you were one of the more than 200 people that attended the 21st National Family Practitioners Conference1 in Cape Town at the end of August 2018. Participants enjoyed a range of inspiring ...plenary speakers who focused on key topics on the “circle of life”. We expect that videos of several of the plenary talks will soon be available as CPD activities in the SA Academy of Family Physician’s eCPD2 offerings.
PDF
