Bibliography: leaves 554-636. Examines aspects of teaching medical students communication skills at a time when they are entering their clinical years. Integrates reports of 12 data-gathering exercises centred on medical student communication skills with the international literature, and with the author's reflections as an experienced educator and G.P. Recommends that communication skills training in a general practice setting should be a crucial factor in all future training of medical students.

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Duquesne University, 2009. / Title from document title page. Abstract included in electronic submission form. Includes bibliographical references (p. 86-113) and index.

Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree in Masters of Technology in Chiropractic, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2018. / Background: There have been an increased number of patients using complementary alternative medicine (CAM), including chiropractic care. All population age groups are utilising chiropractic treatment for various ailments. Research has shown that general practitioners have limited knowledge and perception about chiropractic in many countries. Their perception towards other health care professionals is important, particularly in their role as gatekeepers in the health care system. The current perception in Zimbabwe is thought to be no referral of patients between general practitioners and chiropractors and a low degree of knowledge amongst general practitioners about chiropractic. Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the knowledge, utilisation and perceptions of general practitioners in Harare, Zimbabwe. Objectives: • To establish the knowledge about chiropractic amongst general practitioners in Harare, Zimbabwe. • To determine perceived role and utilisation of chiropractic by general practitioners in Harare, Zimbabwe. • To determine the relationships, if any, between knowledge, perception, and utilisation of chiropractic by general practitioners in Harare, Zimbabwe. Methods: The study was a descriptive, quantitative, cross-sectional study using a structured questionnaire adapted from similar studies. The questionnaire was validated by means of a focus group discussion. The survey was conducted on a random sample of 72 general practitioners practising in the Avenues area of Harare, Zimbabwe. A single stage sampling techniques was used to select participants from a list of 88 registered general practitioners from the Medical and Dental Practitioners Council of Zimbabwe who met the inclusion criteria. Questionnaires were provided to general practitioners who were in private practice in the Avenues area of Harare, Zimbabwe at the time of the study by the researcher. The data collected was analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS)® 2.4 (IBM, Armonk, NY. USA) software at a statistical significance of p<0.05. Pearson’s correlation was used to assess the relationship between continuous variables, while the t test was used to copmare the mean scores between independent binary variables. Results: Many of the participants had some kind of knowledge regarding chiropractic modalities, areas of chiropractic specialisation but only a few had adequate knowledge and a good perception of it. General practitioners who were knowledgeable about chiropractic tended to have a positive perception and were more likely to refer patients to a chiropractor. A response rate of 54.5 percent was achieved. Most of the respondents tended to be in the age group of 35-54 and most were female (54.2 percent). Over 90 percent of the participants referred patients with musculoskeletal complaints to physiotherapists while only 16.67 percent referred to chiropractors. More than 65 percent of the participants responded that they knew something about chiropractic, and of these almost 50 percent obtained their information from the media. Over 80 percent of the participants who knew something about chiropractic thought that extremities, neuro-musculoskeletal system, rehabilitation and sports injuries were areas chiropractors can specialise in. Almost all the participants who knew something about chiropractic were aware of adjustments or manipluation of joints as modalities of chiropractic treatment. Majority (75.8 percent) of the participants who knew something about chiropractic thought that chiropractic could help selected conditions, while only 3 percent felt it was not effective and 21.2 percent felt they were not informed enough to comment. GP’s surveyed considered chronic back pain (91 percent), sports trauma (85 percent), shoulder/knee problems (79 percent), arthritis (76 percent), back and pelvic problems during pregnancy (70 percent), nerve root entrapment (70 percent) and carpal tunnel syndromme (70 percent) as some of the appropriate conditions for chiropractors to treat. Forty two percent of the GP’s referred patients to chiropractors mostly on both the patient’s request and their own judgment. The main reason for not referring patients to chiropractors cited by most (70 percent) of the GPs was limited knowledge about chiropractic care. There was a statistically significant and moderately high positive correlation between knowledge and perception scores (r=0.668). This study suggests that GP’s who have a higher degree of knowledge about chiropractic tend to have a positive perception of chiropractic. There was a non-significant difference in knowledge between those who refer patients and those who do not (p=0.425). In this study knowlegde about chiropractic did not significantly influence referral to chiropractors. There was however a statistically significant difference in perception between those who refer patients and those who do not (p=0.006). The perceptions were higher in those who refer patients compared to those who do not refer patients. Perceptions were found to determine utilisation rather than knowledge even though there was a correlation between the two. / M

Thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Master of Technology: Design in the Faculty of Informatics and Design at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology 2014 / If a patient arrives at a general practice whether with a scheduled appointment or at random during office hours, the general practitioner should be able to assist the patient’s with direct access to the patient folder which is stored at the office. What this research study focuses on is the accessing of patient information when the general practitioner is not at the office (usually after working hours). The research study takes place within the Durbanville suburb of Cape Town, South Africa. Interaction design is used as a framework to develop a solution by using smartphone technology.

This research study explores in general the nature of a private general medical practice [PGMP] and whether analysis of the PGMP as a social system can lead the Group Dynamics Practitioner towards developing interventions that will enhance group effectiveness in the PGMP support staff group. The main assumption is that, through the application of a framework of analysis based on that of G. C. Homans and the AGIL functional prerequisites developed by T. Parsons, a structured analysis of the external and internal variables that impact on the PGMP as a social system can be undertaken. The findings of the analysis would lead to the formulation of interventions that would improve the performance effectiveness of the PGMP as a social system. Following a two-questionnaire survey of 17 practices that provided demographic information as well as soft skills training needs, a single PGMP was identified for the case study. Data pertaining to the group as a social system were collected, and by using direct observation, content analysis and a sociometric test, the practice support staff sub-system, being the main focus of this research, could be analysed. By linking the findings to the elements of the framework of analysis, areas of ineffective group functioning could be identified and interventions suggested. This research indicates that the choice of soft skills is associated with the nature and size of the practice, as well as the dynamics of the sociometric patterns characteristic of the relations within the practice support staff subsystem; that while some practice support staff have preferences for sociometric task and socio-emotional relations outside their work clusters, these seem to serve as a buffer against clique forming, thus enhancing the function of integration within the social system as a whole; and that the physical practice layout, and the interaction dynamics that it creates, tend to hinder integration between the members of the practice support staff group, as a social subsystem.

The practice of midwifery by those other than physicians is illegal in Canada and despite recommendations of nursing, medical and consumer groups, no trials evaluating the effectiveness of the nurse-midwife as a member of the modern obstetrical team have occurred here. To demonstrate a nurse-midwifery model, four nurse-midwives provided primary care to forty-seven childbearing women and their families over a twenty-two month period in a maternity teaching hospital. This clinic presented a unique opportunity for comparing the prenatal care provided by nurse-midwives with that of general practitioners who attended deliveries in the same setting. Utilizing a retrospective chart audit, case control study design, the nurse-midwife cases (NM cases) were each matched to two general practitioner controls (GP controls) through the use of the hospital's prenatal data base. The matching characteristics included low risk status, date of delivery, age, parity, gravidity, previous pregnancy losses and census tract income. Prenatal criteria that had been developed and tested in "The Burlington Randomized Clinical Trial of the Nurse Practitioner" for assessing the quality of care were reviewed and updated for this study. With these criteria two blinded abstractors audited the prenatal record forms of all the subjects and scored them as either "superior", "adequate" or "inadequate". Seventy-seven percent of the records of the NM cases received a "superior" score, where as 60% of the GP controls' records received an "inadequate" score [mathematical formula omitted] Overall, the general practitioners' records indicated more erratic care than those of the nurse-midwives. Although the physicians met most of the initial assessment criteria, they failed to meet the criteria that evaluated the ongoing routine assessment process by recording an inadequate number of prenatal visits (36%), or by omitting urine test results (38$) and blood pressure readings (21%). No differences were found in variables relating to labour and delivery with the exception of the incidence of episiotomies. The results indicate that nurse-midwives as part of an obstetrical team are able to provide safe prenatal care to a low risk population in a Canadian urban context, and that their records are thorough and more consistent than those of general practitioners. / Medicine, Faculty of / Population and Public Health (SPPH), School of / Graduate

Thesis (MEdPsych (Educational Psychology))--University of Stellenbosch, 2006. / Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a common disorder affecting 4% to 5% of South African children. Recent studies revealed that 30% to 70% of children continue to experience problems related to ADHD in adulthood. Adults are becoming increasingly more aware of adult ADHD as a result of public awareness campaigns in the media. Their first line of action is to visit their family physician, but the question arises whether these practitioners are ready to take on the patients with ADHD. The aims of this study were to determine the familiarity, attitudes and practices of general practitioners in South Africa with regard ADHD in both children and adults and whether there are differences in children and adults with regard to depression and generalised anxiety disorders as comorbid disorders. The study also briefly explored the training models of general practitioners in South Africa. The research questions are addressed by means of a survey approach, using quantitative measures. An email message with a cover letter, explaining the purpose of the research project, provided a link to a Web-based questionnaire. It was broadcast to 6704 general practitioners on the database of the company MEDpages, who managed the broadcast. A questionnaire attached to an e-mail message was sent to all Departments of Family Health at universities in the country to obtain information with regard to the training models of general practitioners. This was followed up with structured telephone interviews if no response was received. The questionnaire was completed by 229 respondents. The data were statistically analysed using Statistica Version 7.0. The results revealed a significant need among general practitioners to increase their knowledge base with regard to ADHD, more so with regard to adults. Their knowledge and training with regard to depression and generalised anxiety disorders were significantly more extensive with regard to adults as opposed to children. Training with regard to ADHD in adults was almost non-existent. It was recommended that the limited knowledge base of general practitioners with regard to ADHD should be addressed by adapting the curriculum of undergraduate medical students and providing opportunities for continued medical education that focus on the diagnosis and management of ADHD in both children and adults. General practitioners should acknowledge the educational psychologist as an equal partner within a multi-disciplinary team

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Melbourne, Dept. of General Practice and Centre for Health and Society, 2007. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 252-278).

Abstract not available

Thesis (Ph.D.) -- La Trobe University, 2003. Submitted to the School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 341-378).