M.P.H., Faculty of health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, 2011 / Background: The hospital as an organisation employs many people who may be at risk for Injuries on Duty (IOD). Although IOD occur across the hospital and impact on staff morale and quality of care, no formal study has been conducted within the public hospitals in South Africa on the profile of employees who have sustained these injuries. This study was aimed at comprehensively describing the IOD and related factors at Klerksdorp/Tshepong/Potchefstroom (K/T/P) Hospital Complex in order to better understand and plan appropriate preventive strategies. Methodology: The study was based on a cross-sectional design involving retrospective record review obtained from the hospital information system. No primary data was collected. The study setting was K/T/P Hospital complex. All records of employees who sustained IOD during the study period were reviewed. Data was collected on relevant variables such as employee profile, type of IOD during the study period. Descriptive statistics was used to analyse the data. Results: The study found that the total number of IOD during this period was 152. The annual prevalence rate was 2.3% (Klerksdorp-Tshepong Hospital Complex) and 2.8% (Potchefstroom Hospital). . The category of employees who experienced injuries were administration (5.3%), support (18.8%), medical (34.9%), nursing (36.2%), professional (4.6%). The types of the injuries sustained were cut (8.6%), fall (19.7%), minor injuries (9.2%), needle prick (49.3%), patient related (1.3%), splash (11.8%). With regard to PEP costs, Klerksdorp Hospital incurred the highest costs of R31 231 34, followed by Potchefstroom Hospital with R23 714 83 and Tshepong Hospital with R19 305 57 during the study period

A Research report submitted to the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Medicine in Diagnostic Radiology. Johannesburg, 2012 / Background: There is a heavy reliance on registrars for afterhours CT reporting with a resultant unavoidable error rate. This study was done to determine this error rate. Material and Methods: A 2 month prospective study was undertaken. Provisional CT reports issued by the registrar on call were reviewed information relating to the errors made during the call were recorded and analyzed. Results: 1477 CT scans were performed with an overall error rate of 17.1%. A significant difference was found between trauma (15.8%) compared to non-trauma scans (19.2%). The difference between emergency scans (16.9%) and elective scans (22.6%) was not significant. Abdominopelvic scans elicited the highest error rate (33.9%). Increasing workload resulted in a significant increase in error rate. Missed findings were the most frequent errors (57.3%). Error rate decreased with increasing year of training.

To determine the level of self-assessed competence various registrars possessed in emergency skills as well as to identify any factors that may have contributed to their level of competence. Materials and Methods: Questionnaires were completed by registrars working in General Surgery, Internal Medicine, Psychiatry and Radiology in three academic hospitals in Johannesburg. Information regarding demographic data, educational background, work experience in emergency-related environments and resuscitation courses attended were collected. Registrars rated their level of perceived competence in a list of 25 emergency skills according to a ranking scale of 1 to 5. Results: A total number of 94 registrars participated in the study which amounted to an estimated response rate of 35%. General Surgery registrars had the highest mean competence scores of 3.7 and 3.9 for the respective basic and advanced skills groups. General Surgery and Internal Medicine registrars had the highest mean competence scores of 3.7 for the intermediate skills group. Psychiatry registrars had the lowest mean competence scores of 2.7, 2.4 and 1.5 in each of the skill groups. Registrars who had current certification in a PALS course had competence scores 0.6 units higher than others in both basic (p=0.027) and advanced (p=0.035) emergency skills. Conclusions: General Surgery and Internal Medicine registrars have a higher level of perceived competence in various emergency skills. The General Surgery group rated themselves the highest in levels of competence in the basic and advanced emergency skills groups. Current certification in BLS, ACLS, PALS and AMLS has a positive impact on registrars‟ self-perceived levels of competence in emergency skills. Registrars who had spent less time between community service and starting their specialist training had higher levels of self-perceived competence in intermediate and advanced emergency skills.

This work explored perceptions regarding the roles, norms and incentives influencing the performance of Clinical Officers (COs) in rural district hospitals in Kenya. In order to improve access to health care mainly in rural areas, COs are increasingly being used to perform tasks that were previously the preserve of physicians. The assumption underlying their use is that they are a viable option to doctors. Studies have shown with reference to HIV care and obstetric and gynaecological surgical tasks that COs’ performance is comparable to that of physicians. Other studies also show that the care offered by COs is cost effective when compared with the costs associated with physicians and obstetricians care. However, there is emerging work which shows that COs are not happy in their assigned role in the health system. These studies report CO’s dissatisfaction with the low remuneration, poor career progress and limited career options inherent their jobs as compared with those accorded to physicians. As revealed by a systematic review of mid-level worker literature, addressing these issues is at present difficult due to gaps in our understanding of CO functioning. The existence of these gaps is explained by the limited empirical work on COs in general. The aim of this thesis was to address this issue by exploring issues that affect their routine functioning in a typical rural hospital setting going beyond the fact that they are technically competent. To investigate these issues, a conceptual framework was adopted that explores the tension between what institutions demand and what individuals within them feel able to do. Qualitative methods comprising of interviews, participant observation, review of official policy and hospital level documents on COs, and review of hospital statistics were used. A comparative approach was adopted that sought to; (1) examine perceptions regarding influences on the performance of COs from a variety of sources (COs, doctors, nurses, supervisors, hospital managers, policy makers and policy documents); (2) compare perceptions of respondents based in three faith-based hospitals with those in three government facilities; and, (3), explore features of different work settings (outpatient department, specialist clinics and vertically supported clinics) within these hospitals that encouraged good CO performance. Preliminary findings were reported back to respondents in the six study hospitals. Analysis of the data showed three major issues. First, perceptions of CO roles are problematic despite an acknowledgement of the important function performed by COs in the health system. This is revealed by the variety of images regarding their roles that highlights the need for a redefinition of CO roles. An example of this is shown by the inconsistency between their importance as the ‘backbone of the health system’ versus the poor remuneration and career prospects that their position attracts. Second, there were differences in the norms of CO performance that have resulted in variations regarding what is expected of them. While there was much attention paid to norms of performance about technical aspects of work, less attention focussed on non-technical aspects of work. The adoption of a holistic approach to the notion of CO performance is needed that will enable facilities and the system to meet the needs of the CO which should prompt COs to reciprocate by working better. Third was the issue that there were minimal incentives were attached to COs work. In the public sector, there were some incentives but their availability depended on the work settings. For example, while COs in vertical clinics got training their colleagues in the outpatient department had few chances to get training opportunities. Faith-based hospitals did provide performance related bonuses that encouraged health workers to perform better although notably basic salaries in faith-based hospitals were no better than those given in the government sector. However, major incentives such as salary and promotions in the public sector are handled by the central government giving public sector hospital managers little opportunity to utilise such incentive mechanisms. Where hospital managers may have some leeway in implementing actions at the local level to improve performance, for example through improving CO recognition and working conditions, it was observed that public sector managers were generally less engaged in utilising such incentives. Therefore while it is important to consider and address system level factors that influence CO performance such as salaries and promotions, among others, facility managers would also appear to have some scope to improve performance. In discussing these issues, it is becoming clear that the assumption that COs are altruistic and will continue to work flawlessly in their assigned niche presents a naïve view of COs. This thesis shows that COs are also influenced by self–interest and find ways to overcome or work around any perceived barriers to their growth, some of which may work against the institution. This calls for a re-examination of who COs are, what they do and how they should be managed. Ways of resolving the tension that exists between COs and the health institution exist and can be derived from examining the coping mechanisms that COs have adopted to make their lives better. These coping mechanisms show areas that need attention. Further, there should be greater consideration of the important role that facility managers play in mediating and/or modifying system level influences by creating local environments suitable for better staff performance. Underlying all this is the fact that a long term view of COs is needed. The long term view must go beyond the notion of ‘substitute physician’ as Kenya has made huge investments in this cadre over the last 40 years or more and, with other countries, is likely to continue to rely on such a cadre for much clinical care. This thesis therefore concludes with recommendations that seek to address issues identified with the performance of COs in the Kenyan health system focusing on potential hospital level and system level solutions. Also included is a reflection of the relevance of findings for countries similar to Kenya that are currently using or seek to use COs as a physician substitute.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Umeå : Univ., 2005. / Härtill 5 uppsatser.

Thesis (M.H.A)--University of Michigan, 1961.

Thesis (M.H.A)--University of Michigan, 1961.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1972. / Vita. Typescript. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references.

Inaug. Diss. Recht Bern, 1995. / 2. Expl. Diss.-Ausg. Bibliogr.

Objetivo: Caracterizar o perfil de percepções e atitudes de médicos residentes frente às diferentes situações geradoras de incertezas na prática assistencial aos pacientes. Método: Estudo descritivo, comparativo e transversal. Amostra não aleatória de 90 residentes da instituição. O estudo foi conduzido entre abril e julho de 2013. Para a avaliação da percepção do enfrentamento da incerteza no cenário clínico foi realizada usando a escala \"Physician Reaction\'s to Uncertainty\", após realizados uma tradução transcultural para português do Brasil. A \"Physician Reaction\'s to Uncertainty\", contém 15 itens que são respondidos de acordo com a variante de escala de Likert de seis pontos (discorda completamente = 1; concorda plenamente = 6). Avaliamos os residentes de acordo com o gênero; idade, menores de 26 anos e 26 anos ou maiores; residentes de primeiro ano comparados com os segundo e terceiro anos e residentes clínicos comparados com os cirurgiões, ortopedistas e ginecologistas/obstetras. Resultados: As residentes mulheres mais jovens e os com menos tempo de treinamento (residentes do primeiro ano), tiveram uma pior percepção do enfrentamento da incerteza na atuação clínica quando comparados aos homens (p=0,002) aos >= 26 anos (p= 0,001) e com mais tempo de treinamento (p < 0,001). Não houve diferença entre os residentes clínicos comparados com os de ortopedia, cirurgia e ginecologia obstetrícia (p=0,792). Conclusões: Os médicos residentes mais jovens e com menor tempo de prática merecem um uma atenção especial para um melhor enfrentamento da incerteza na atuação clínica. São eles que apresentam as maiores dificuldades com o tema. Atuar junto a professores mais experientes e a inserção da formação humanística e filosófica podem ajudar aos colegas residentes com menos prática na medicina / Purpose: The aim of this study was to develop a characterization profile of the perceptions and attitudes of resident physicians in a general hospital in São Paulo, Brazil addressing the uncertainties related to the care of patients. Methods: Descriptive, comparative and cross-sectional study conducted from April to July 2013 with a convenience sample of 90 medical residents who completed the Physicians´ Reactions to Uncertainty (PRU) scale and provided demographic variables of gender, age and specialty. Results: Comparing the Physician´s Reaction to Uncertainty score, authors identified a significant difference between age, year of residence and gender. Physicians who were female, less than 26 years old and who were in their first year of residency and had greater clinical uncertainty than men (p=0.002), older residents (p= 0,001), those in their second and third year of residency (p < 0,001). There were no significant differences by medical speciality (p=0,792). Conclusion: Practical experience and age are important factors in clinical uncertainty in residence groups. The longer physicians are in practice, the less uncertainty they will experience. Ways to decrease the anxiety of and reluctance to disclose uncertainty to patient can include: 1) Practice together with experience doctors; 2) Clinical epidemiology; 3) knowledge of philosophy and 4) Humanistic teaching