Understanding of 'generalist medical practice' in South African medical schools.

BACKGROUND: In South Africa, medical students are expected to have acquired a generalist competence in medical practice on completion of their training. However, what the students and their preceptors understand by 'generalist medical practice' has not been established in South African medical schools. AIM: This study aimed to explore what the students and their preceptors understood by 'generalist medical practice'. SETTING: Four South African medical schools: Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Walter Sisulu University and the University of the Witwatersrand. METHODS: The exploratory descriptive qualitative design was used. Sixteen focus group discussions (FGDs) and 27 one-on-one interviews were conducted among students and their preceptors, respectively. Participants were recruited through purposive sampling. The inductive and deductive data analysis methods were used. The MAXQDA 2020 (Analytics Pro) software was used to arrange data, yielding 2179 data segments. RESULTS: Ten themes were identified: (1) basic knowledge of medicine, (2) first point of contact with all patients regardless of their presenting problems, (3) broad field of common conditions prevalent in the community, (4) dealing with the undifferentiated patient without a diagnosis, (5) stabilising emergencies before referral, (6) continuity, (7) coordinated and (8) holistic patient care, necessitating nurturance of doctor-patient relationship, (9) health promotion and disease prevention, and (10) operating mainly in primary health care settings. CONCLUSION: The understanding of 'generalist medical practice' in accordance with internationally accepted principles augurs well in training undergraduate medical students on the subject. However, interdepartmental collaboration on the subject needs further exploration.Contribution: The study's findings can be used as a guide upon which the students' preceptors and their students can reflect during the training in generalist medical practice.

What do medical students and their clinical preceptors understand by primary health care in South Africa? A qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: The definition of Primary Health Care (PHC) issued by the World Health Organisation in 1978 indicated that essential health care should be made accessible to individuals and their communities close to where they live and work. In 1992 Starfield articulated the four pillars of PHC: the patient's first contact with healthcare, comprehensive care, coordinated care and continuous care. Using this literature guidance, this study sought to explore what undergraduate medical students and their clinical preceptors understood by PHC in four South African medical schools. METHODS: A qualitative study using the phenomenological design was conducted among undergraduate medical students and their clinical preceptors. The setting was four medical schools in South Africa (Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University, Walter Sisulu University and the University of KwaZulu-Natal and the Witwatersrand University). A total of 27 in-depth interviews were conducted among the clinical preceptors and 16 focus group discussions among the students who were in their clinical years of training (MBChB 4-6). Interviews were digitally recorded and transcribed verbatim, followed by thematic data analysis using the MAXQDA 2020 (Analytics Pro) software. RESULTS: Four themes were identified in which there were similarities between the students and their preceptors regarding their understanding of PHC: (1) PHC as the patient's first contact with the healthcare system; (2) comprehensive care; (3) coordination of care and (4) continuity of care. A further two themes were identified in which these two groups were not of similar understanding: (5) PHC as a level or an approach to healthcare and (6) the role of specialist clinical preceptors in PHC. CONCLUSIONS: Medical students and their clinical preceptors displayed an understanding of PHC in line with four pillars articulated by Starfield and the WHO definition of PHC. However, there remains areas of divergence, on which the medical schools should follow the guidance provided by the WHO and Starfield for a holistic understanding of PHC.

Healer-led vs. clinician-led training to improve personal protective equipment use among traditional healers in South Africa: a randomized controlled trial protocol.

There are estimated two million traditional healers in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), with more than 10% (200,000) working in South Africa. Traditional healers in SSA are frequently exposed to bloodborne pathogens through the widespread practice of traditional 'injections', in which the healers perform dozens of subcutaneous incisions to rub herbs directly into the bloodied tissue with their hands. Healers who report exposure to patient blood have a 2.2-fold higher risk of being HIV-positive than those who do not report exposure. We propose a randomized controlled trial (61 healers in the intervention group and 61 healers in the control group) in Mpumalanga Province. Healers will receive personal protective equipment (PPE) education and training, general HIV prevention education, and three educational outreach visits at the healer's place of practice to provide advice and support for PPE use and disposal. Healers in the control arm will be trained by health care providers, while participants in the intervention arm will receive training and outreach from a team of healers who were early adopters of PPE. We will evaluate intervention implementation using data from surveys, observation, and educational assessments. Implementation outcomes of interest include acceptability and feasibility of PPE use during clinical encounters and fidelity of PPE use during treatments that involve blood exposure. We will test our two intervention strategies to identify an optimal strategy for PPE education in a region with high HIV prevalence.

Legislative landscape for traditional health practitioners in Southern African development community countries: a scoping review.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Globally, contemporary legislation surrounding traditional health practitioners (THPs) is limited. This is also true for the member states of the Southern African Development Community (SADC). The main aim of this study is to map and review THP-related legislation among SADC countries. In order to limit the scope of the review, the emphasis is on defining THPs in terms of legal documents. METHODS: This scoping review follows the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews methods. Two independent reviewers reviewed applicable legal definitions of THPs by searching the Southern African Legal Information Institute (SAFLII) database in April 2018 for legislation and bills. To identify additional legislation applicable in countries not listed on SAFLII and/or further relevant SADC legislation, the search engines, Google and PubMed, were used in August 2018 and results were reviewed by two independent reviewers. Full texts of available policy and legal documents were screened to identify policies and legislation relating to the regulation of THPs. Legislation was deemed relevant if it was a draft of or promulgated legislation relating to THPs. RESULTS: Four of 14 Southern African countries have legislation relating to THPs. Three countries, namely South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe, have acknowledged the roles and importance of THPs in healthcare delivery by creating a council to register and formalise practices, although they have not operationalised nor registered and defined THPs. In contrast, Tanzania has established a definition couched in terms that acknowledge the context-specific and situational knowledge of THPs, while also outlining methods and the importance of local recognition. Tanzanian legislation; thus, provides a definition of THP that specifically operationalises THPs, whereas legislation in South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe allocates the power to a council to decide or recognise who a THP is; this council can prescribe procedures to be followed for the registration of a THP. CONCLUSIONS: This review highlights the differences and similarities between the various policies and legislation pertaining to THPs in SADC countries. Legislation regarding THPs is available in four of the 14 SADC countries. While South Africa, Tanzania, Namibia and Zimbabwe have legislation that provides guidance as to THP recognition, registration and practices, THPs continue to be loosely defined in most of these countries. Not having an exact definition for THPs may hamper the promotion and inclusion of THPs in national health systems, but it may also be something that is unavoidable given the tensions between lived practices and rigid legalistic frameworks.

Are out-of-school adolescents at higher risk of adverse health outcomes? Evidence from 9 diverse settings in sub-Saharan Africa.

OBJECTIVES: We analysed mutually comparable surveys on adolescent attitudes and behaviours from nine sites in seven sub-Saharan African countries, to determine the relationship between school enrolment and adolescent health outcomes. METHODS: Data from the Africa Research, Implementation Science, and Education Network cross-sectional adolescent health surveys were used to examine the associations of current school enrolment, self-reported general health and four major adolescent health domains: (i) sexual and reproductive health; (ii) nutrition and non-communicable diseases; (iii) mental health, violence and injury; and (iv) healthcare utilisation. We used multivariable Poisson regression models to calculate relative risk ratios with 95% confidence intervals (CI), controlling for demographic and socio-economic characteristics. We assessed heterogeneity by gender and study site. RESULTS: Across 7829 adolescents aged 10-19, 70.5% were in school at the time of interview. In-school adolescents were 14.3% more likely (95% CI: 6-22) to report that their life is going well; 51.2% less likely (95% CI: 45-67) to report ever having had sexual intercourse; 32.6% more likely (95% CI: 9-61) to report unmet need for health care; and 30.1% less likely (95% CI: 15-43) to report having visited a traditional healer. School enrolment was not significantly associated with malnutrition, low mood, violence or injury. Substantial heterogeneity was identified between genders for sexual and reproductive health, and in-school adolescents were particularly less likely to report adverse health outcomes in settings with high average school enrolment. CONCLUSIONS: School enrolment is strongly associated with sexual and reproductive health and healthcare utilisation outcomes across nine sites in sub-Saharan Africa. Keeping adolescents in school may improve key health outcomes, something that can be explored through future longitudinal, mixed-methods, and (quasi-)experimental studies.

OBJECTIFS: Nous avons analysé des enquêtes mutuellement comparables sur les attitudes et les comportements d'adolescents dans neuf sites dans sept pays d'Afrique subsaharienne, afin de déterminer la relation entre la scolarisation et les résultats de la santé des adolescents. MÉTHODES: Des données provenant d'enquêtes transversales sur la santé des adolescents menées par le Réseau Africain de Recherche, d'Implémentation, de Science et d'Education ont été utilisées pour examiner les associations existant entre la scolarisation, l'état de santé général autodéclaré et les quatre principaux domaines de la santé des adolescents: (i) santé sexuelle et reproductive ; (ii) nutrition et maladies non transmissibles; (iii) santé mentale, violence et blessures et (iv) utilisation des soins de santé. Nous avons utilisé des modèles de régression multivariée de Poisson pour calculer les rapports de risque relatifs avec des intervalles de confiance (IC) à 95%, en tenant compte des caractéristiques démographiques et socioéconomiques. Nous avons évalué l'hétérogénéité par sexe et par site d'étude. RÉSULTATS: Sur 7.829 adolescents âgés de 10 à 19 ans, 70,5% étaient à l'école au moment de l'enquête. Les adolescents scolarisés étaient 14,3% (IC95%: 6-22) plus susceptibles de déclarer que leur vie se passait bien, 51,2% (IC95%: 45-67) moins susceptibles de déclarer avoir déjà eu des rapports sexuels, 32,6% (IC95%: 39-91) plus susceptibles de signaler un besoin de soins de santé non satisfait et 30,1% (IC95%: 15-43) moins susceptibles de déclarer avoir rendu visite à un guérisseur traditionnel. La scolarisation n'était pas associée de manière significative à la malnutrition, à la mauvaise humeur, à la violence ou aux blessures. Une hétérogénéité substantielle a été identifiée entre les sexes pour la santé sexuelle et reproductive, et les adolescents scolarisés étaient particulièrement moins susceptibles de faire état de résultats défavorables pour la santé dans les milieux où la moyenne de scolarisation était élevée. CONCLUSIONS: La scolarisation est fortement associée aux résultats en matière de santé sexuelle et reproductive et d'utilisation des soins de santé dans neuf sites en Afrique subsaharienne. Garder les adolescents à l'école peut améliorer les principaux résultats de santé, ce qui peut être exploré dans le cadre de futures études longitudinales.

Traditional health practitioners' management of HIV/AIDS in rural South Africa in the era of widespread antiretroviral therapy.

BACKGROUND: Traditional health practitioners (THPs) have been identified as a key local resource in the fight against human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) in South Africa. However, their approaches to the treatment of people living with HIV (PLHIV) have been met with scepticism by some biomedical practitioners amid increasing access to antiretroviral therapy (ART). OBJECTIVE: In light of this ambivalence, this study aims to document and identify treatment approaches of THPs to the management of illness among PLHIV in the current era of widespread access to ART. METHODS: The study was conducted as part of a larger trial of Treatment as Prevention (TasP) in rural northern Kwa-Zulu Natal, intended to treat PLHIV regardless of CD4 count. Nine THPs were enrolled using purposive and snowballing techniques. Repeat group discussions, triangulated with community walks and photovoice techniques, were conducted. A thematic analysis approach was used to analyse the data. RESULTS: Eight of the nine THPs had received training in biomedical aspects of HIV. THPs showed a multilayered decision-making process in managing illness among PLHIV, influenced by the attributes and choices of the THPs. THPs assessed and managed illness among PLHIV based on THP training in HIV/AIDS, THP type, as well as knowledge and experience in the traditional healing practice. Management of illness depended on the patients' report of their HIV status or willingness to test for HIV. CONCLUSIONS: THPs' approaches to illness in PLHIV appear to be shifting in light of increasing exposure to HIV/AIDS-related information. Importantly, disclosure of HIV status plays a major role in THPs' management of illness among PLHIV, as well as linkage to HIV testing and care for their patients. Therefore, THPs can potentially enhance the success of ART for PLHIV when HIV status is known.

Traditional healers, faith healers and medical practitioners: the contribution of medical pluralism to bottlenecks along the cascade of care for HIV/AIDS in Eastern and Southern Africa.

OBJECTIVES: There are concerns that medical pluralism may delay patients' progression through the HIV cascade-of-care. However, the pathways of impact through which medical pluralism influence the care of people living with HIV (PLHIV) in African settings remain unclear. We sought to establish the manifestation of medical pluralism among PLHIV, and explore mechanisms through which medical pluralism contributes bottlenecks along the HIV care cascade. METHODS: We conducted a multicountry exploratory qualitative study in seven health and demographic surveillance sites in six eastern and southern African countries: Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Zimbabwe and South Africa. We interviewed 258 PLHIV at different stages of the HIV cascade-of-care, 48 family members of deceased PLHIV and 53 HIV healthcare workers. Interviews were conducted using shared standardised topic guides, and data managed through NVIVO 8/10/11. We conducted a thematic analysis of healthcare pathways and bottlenecks related to medical pluralism. RESULTS: Medical pluralism, manifesting across traditional, faith-based and biomedical health-worlds, contributed to the care cascade bottlenecks for PLHIV through three pathways of impact. First, access to HIV treatment was delayed through the nature of health-related beliefs, knowledge and patient journeys. Second, HIV treatment was interrupted by availability of alternative options, perceived failed treatment and exploitation of PLHIV by opportunistic traders and healers. Lastly, the mixing of biomedical healthcare providers and treatment with traditional and faith-based options fuelled tensions driven by fear of drug-to-drug interactions and mistrust between providers operating in different health-worlds. CONCLUSION: Medical pluralism contributes to delays and interruptions of care along the HIV cascade, and mistrust between health providers. Region-wide interventions and policies are urgently needed in sub-Saharan Africa to minimise potential harm and consequences of medical pluralism for PLHIV. The role of sociocultural beliefs in mediating bottlenecks necessitate adoption of culture-sensitive approaches intervention designs and policy reforms appropriate to the context of sub-Saharan Africa.

The role of traditional health practitioners in Rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa: generic or mode specific?

BACKGROUND: Traditional health practitioners (THPs) play a vital role in the health care of the majority of the South African population and elsewhere on the African continent. However, many studies have challenged the role of THPs in health care. Concerns raised in the literature include the rationale, safety and effectiveness of traditional health practices and methods, as well as what informs them. This paper explores the processes followed in becoming a traditional healer and how these processes are related to THP roles. METHODS: A qualitative research design was adopted, using four repeat group discussions with nine THPs, as part of a larger qualitative study conducted within the HIV Treatment as Prevention trial in rural South Africa. THPs were sampled through the local THP association and snowballing techniques. Data collection approaches included photo-voice and community walks. The role identity theory and content analysis were used to explore the data following transcription and translation. RESULTS: In the context of rural Northern KwaZulu-Natal, three types of THPs were identified: 1) Isangoma (diviner); 2) Inyanga (one who focuses on traditional medical remedies) and 3) Umthandazi (faith healer). Findings revealed that THPs are called by ancestors to become healers and/or go through an intensive process of learning about traditional medicines including plant, animal or mineral substances to provide health care. Some THPs identified themselves primarily as one type of healer, while most occupied multiple healing categories, that is, they practiced across different healing types. Our study also demonstrates that THPs fulfil roles that are not specific to the type of healer they are, these include services that go beyond the uses of herbs for physical illnesses or divination. CONCLUSIONS: THPs serve roles which include, but are not limited to, being custodians of traditional African religion and customs, educators about culture, counsellors, mediators and spiritual protectors. THPs' mode specific roles are influenced by the processes by which they become healers. However, whichever type of healer they identified as, most THPs used similar, generic methods and practices to focus on the physical, spiritual, cultural, psychological, emotional and social elements of illness.