Triple therapy: Three departments collaborating to train medical students in rural settings.

The primary healthcare (PHC) rotation places medical students in rural district hospitals for 4 weeks during their 4th or 5th year. This rotation is a collaboration among three academic units at Stellenbosch University's Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences. Learning activities during this rotation include participation in a longitudinal community-oriented primary care project, conducting rehabilitation-oriented home visits to persons with disabilities, and assessing and treating patients presenting with undifferentiated problems on an in- and outpatient basis. Working in rural contexts for a month affords students opportunities to foster meaningful relationships with the healthcare team, patients and the community, while learning about collaborative teamwork and communities. Critical reflections about the interprofessional care of patients and a community evaluation are key components of the students' learning and assessment. Demonstrating the importance of interprofessional collaboration in PHC, this integrated training model has received, and continues to receive, positive feedback from students and the clinicians involved. Attention to logistics and academic support plays a crucial role in ensuring optimal learning for students. An integrated approach that involves multiple academic units, various healthcare professions and communities is strongly recommended for those who are considering training students in rural PHC environments.

Longitudinal integrated clerkships from start to finish: A medical curriculum innovation.

Stellenbosch University embarked on a renewal of its MBChB programme guided by an updated set of core values developed by the multidisciplinary curriculum task team. These values acknowledged the important role of (among others) context and generalism in the development of our graduates as doctors of the future for South Africa. This report describes the overall direction of the renewed curriculum focusing on two of the innovative educational methods for Family Medicine and Primary Health Care training that enabled us to respond to these considerations. These innovations provide students with both early longitudinal clinical experience (now approximately 72 h per year for each of the first 3 years) and a final longitudinal capstone experience (36 weeks) outside the central tertiary teaching hospital. While the final year experience will run for the first time in 2027 (the first year launched in 2022), the initial experience has got off to a good start with students expressing the value that it brings to their integrated, holistic learning and their identity formation aligned with the mission statement of this renewed curriculum. These two curricular innovations were designed on sound educational principles, utilising contextually appropriate research and by aligning with the goals of the healthcare system in which our students would be trained. The first has created opportunities for students to develop a professional identity that is informed by a substantial and longitudinal primary healthcare experience.Contribution: The intention is to consolidate this in their final district-based experience under the supervision of specialist family physicians and generalist doctors.

Shifting perspectives: Unveiling the transformative potential of home visits to persons living with disability in rural settings for medical students.

PURPOSE: This study aims to examine the transformative learning experiences of medical students participating in home visits to persons living with disabilities in rural areas of South Africa, in order to explore the potential of such experiences to shape their beliefs about their professional development and clinical practice. METHODS: Qualitative data was collected from the students through written reflections and semi-structured interviews. The data were analyzed thematically using a phenomenological approach guided by Mezirow's theory of transformative learning. RESULTS: The findings reveal a three-stage process of transformative learning for the students. Firstly, students held predominantly negative views towards the learning activity, prior to the home visits. Secondly the role of critical reflection facilitated a change in students' perspectives. Finally, there was a change in perspective towards a predominantly positive valuing of the activity to their learning and approach to clinical practice. DISCUSSION: This study highlights the significance of incorporating home visits and structured critical reflection into undergraduate medical curricula. It underscores the need for further research in this area and contributes to the understanding of transformative learning in healthcare education. The findings emphasize the potential of community-based activities to shape inclusive practices and foster holistic patient care.

The politicians' perspectives on participation in mammographic screening: an interview-based study from a region in Sweden.

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer is the most common cancer type among women globally. To facilitate early detection, all 40-74-year-old female residents of Sweden are invited to participate in a population-based mammographic screening programme. Approximately 20% of all invited women decline the offer, and if this is due to systematic differences that can be adjusted, it can indicate inequity in healthcare. Assessment of and being updated about the health and healthcare of the residents are largely the responsibilities of the self-governed regions in Sweden. The understanding of the residents' health serves as a basis for decision making and priority setting. This study aims to describe how politicians representing a region in Sweden perceive women's participation in mammographic screening and the politicians' own possibility to promote such participation. METHODS: Qualitative thematic analysis was conducted on the data obtained from individual semi-structured interviews held in 2019. The interviewees comprised ten politicians (six women and four men, 38-71 years old) representing a sub-committee focusing on public health and healthcare issues. RESULTS: Two main themes have been identified: 1) expected actions and 2) expected conditions for acting, including a total of four sub-themes. According to the politicians, the expected actions, such as obtaining information and being updated about matters regarding mammographic screening, concern both the women invited to the screening and the politicians themselves. Additionally, for both the individual and the healthcare organisation, here represented by the politicians, expected actions entail a shared commitment to maintain health. The expected conditions for acting refer to the politician's awareness of the factors influencing the women's decision to undergo or refuse the screening and having the resources to enable taking actions to facilitate participation. CONCLUSIONS: Expected actions and expected conditions for acting are tightly connected and entail some form of prioritisation by the politicians. Setting the priorities can be based on information about the purpose of the screening and an understanding of social determinants' impacts on women's decision to refrain from mammographic screening, as well as available resources.

Non-participation in mammographic screening - experiences of women from a region in Sweden.

BACKGROUND: Understanding women's life conditions regarding their non-participation in different health-promoting and disease-preventing activities is important as it may draw attention to potential areas for improvement in the healthcare sector. Mammographic screening, a disease-preventing service, facilitates early detection of any potential malignancies and consequently prompts initiation of treatment. The reasons for non-participation in mammographic screening can be understood from different perspectives, such as socioeconomic and lifestyle-related determinants of health. This study aims to gain a deeper understanding of women's experiences and perceptions about non-participation in mammographic screening in a Swedish region with a single mammographic facility. METHODS: Data from individual semi-structured interviews, conducted in 2018 with eleven women between the ages of 48 and 73, were analysed by a qualitative content analysis. RESULTS: The findings reveal three main categories: 1) doubts regarding mammographic screening and its organisation, 2) sense and sensibility in the decision to refrain from mammographic screening, and 3) dependency and options. These three categories indicate aspects, such as the individual's life situation, accessibility to the offered service, and the flexibility of the healthcare system, that need to be considered to improve the organisation of mammographic screening. CONCLUSION: Listening to the women's voices regarding their experiences and perceptions about mammographic screening is important as individual characteristics and social circumstances interact with healthcare and affect the degree of participation.

Experiences and perceptions about undergoing mammographic screening: a qualitative study involving women from a county in Sweden.

PURPOSE:  An organized population-based mammographic screening programme aims for an early detection of potential breast abnormalities so that treatment can commence. Continuous participation and a high attendance rate are vital for an effective programme. It is important to understand the underlying reasons for participation in mammographic screening, should there be factors that are amendable within reason and could be adjusted. Therefore, the invited women are valuable sources of information. This study aimed at describing the experiences and perceptions about mammographic screening of women from three municipalities in a Swedish county. METHOD:  Six semi-structured focus-group discussions, each with four to five participants, were held. Content analysis was then conducted. RESULTS:  The screening procedure, such as staff professionalism, was covered. Other people's opinions and the woman's own understanding affected the women's decisions on whether or not to undergo the procedure. Structural conditions, such as travel time and financial issues, were sources of concern. However, the offer to perform mammographic screening was perceived with gratitude. CONCLUSIONS:  Structural conditions, risk and time perceptions, the screening procedure, attitudes towards undergoing it and appreciation of its benefit may influence the women's continuous willingness to be screened, which in turn may affect public and individual health.