Thesis (MFamMed)--Stellenbosch University, 2012. / INTRODUCTION: Access to health care, like childhood survival, often depends on where one lives. The infant mortality rate in rural South Africa (SA) is 52.6 per 1000 births, compared to 32.6 per 1000 births in urban areas. Furthermore, three of the four districts in SA with the highest HIV prevalence are rural. These being two commonly used health indicators, it is clear that rural populations have significantly poorer health outcomes than their urban counterparts. About half the world’s population live outside major urban centres, where health services and specialist medical services are concentrated. Rural SA are home to 43.6% of the population, but are served by only 12% of doctors and 19% of nurses. Of the 1200 medical students graduating in the country annually, only about 35 work in rural areas in the long term. There are 30 generalists and 30 specialists/100 000 people in urban areas, compared to an average of 13 generalists and two specialists/100 000 people in rural areas. The question arises whether the poorer access to particularly specialist services is a contributing factor towards poorer outcomes. Specialist outreach to rural communities is one way of improving access to care. In the Eden and Central-Karoo districts of the Western Cape of SA there are one level 2 (regional) hospital and ten level 1 (district) hospitals. All clinical disciplines reach out, with varying frequencies. On average, the four main district hospitals receive 17 specialist outreach visits per month; while the smaller district hospitals receive three specialist visits per month (Appendix 1). A typical outreach visit includes a problem ward round, outpatient session, theatre list for some surgical disciplines and formal/informal educational sessions. In principle, stakeholders agree that specialist outreach and support (O&S) to rural populations is necessary, as it improves access to specialized health care services. In practise however, there are factors that influence whether or not O&S reaches its goals. This in turn affects the sustainability of O&S projects. Understanding these factors would aid recommendations for a suitable model for O&S.

Since 1994 a number of health reforms took place in furthering democracy. These changes included the decentralisation of Primary Health Care Services. This study is a phenomenological research that chronicles the Primary Health Care decentralisation experiences in the Bophirima District of the North-West Province. Using a descriptive phenomenological orientation, the purpose of this study was to describe the experiences of participants associated with decentralisation in the Bophirima District. Also, to illustrate how the participants perceive these experiences in relation to Primary Health Care services. Furthermore, to provide scientific evidence regarding factors related to the decentralisation of PHC services in the Bophirima District. These and other issues remain of paramount importance given the current state of health care in the South Africa. This study took place in the outskirts of the semi-rural area of Bophirima and Central District in the North-West Province. The investigation followed qualitative research design that was descriptive, exploratory, contextual and phenomenological in nature. The sampling procedure involved non-probability purposive, sampling technique with a sample size of five participants. Data was collected by using an unstructured interview technique. The modified Giorgi method of analysis was used for qualitative data analysis. These are contained in Burns and Grove (2001:596) and Polit and Beck (2004:394) are fully explicated in Chapter Four. Guba model (in Babbie & Mouton, 2001:180) was utilised to ensure the trustworthiness of the study. Ethical requirements were considered throughout and these are reflected in chapter four of the thesis.Three forms of decentralisation: deconcentration, delegation and devolution were identified in the findings. The investigation further indicated that the integration of primary health care services was also underway at the time of decentralisation. This integration triggered different psychological and emotional states amongst research participants. Most importantly, the research revealed that the interest of leadership across three spheres of government played a key role in the decentralisation of PHCs and integration of PHCs, while highlighting the importance of community participation in health service delivery (CP). In conclusion, the decentralisation process was generally perceived as empowering although, nationally, leadership needs to be strengthened to support provinces and districts regarding major policy issues such decentralisation. Key recommendations were made and further research was suggested. / Health Studies / D. Litt. et Phil. (Health Studies)

Malaria is a major public health problem in under developed countries especially countries undergoing war or conflict due to breakdown of health system and exposure of the vulnerable population through displacement. The knowledge, practice and attitude (KAP) of community members have direct influences on malaria preventive measures. A quantitative, explorative and descriptive study was conducted among rural communities of Mundri East County using interview schedules to ascertain malaria related knowledge, practices and attitude and the common factors hindering the malaria control measures at house hold level. Data were collected from 68 respondents from the randomly selected household through personal interviews using a pre-tested interview schedule which was analysed using the SPSS version 15 computer soft ware program. Most of the respondents demonstrated some understanding of malaria as a disease, its transmission, prevention and treatment, although there is a need to improve this through the preferable and acceptable community channels as well as the methods of accessing the modern and scientifically proved and acceptable methods. Given the relatively moderate acceptability of malaria control measures used by the participants in Mundri East County, there is need to conduct further research on the practical implemented measure including the local herbs used for preventive and treatment of malaria Understanding the factors that inhibits or promotes the malaria control measures at community level is necessary for better planning and implementation of malaria intervention programme, which keeps complex and sensitive matters such as educational background, religious and cultural beliefs, and political affiliations in mind. / Health Studies / M.A. (Public Health)

Thesis (MTech (Information Technology))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2016. / The delivery of healthcare services should be of a high standard for everyone. For people in the location of Mantunzeleni this is not the case as there are still challenges that they go through in order to gain access to sufficient healthcare services. The location consists of four villages and the other nine which surround the four, in total this makes thirteen villages that are served by one clinic. These villages are divided by forest, rivers and mountains, people have to cross these and walk long distances to get to the clinic. Gaining access to basic healthcare services in rural areas has never been easy, hence this study seeks to understand the role telehealth could play to help improve the situation. It has been reported in the literature that telehealth has potential to address some of the problems experienced by healthcare service providers located in the rural areas. Research questions were posed to address the problem of limited access to healthcare services of under-served communities in rural areas. The study adopted an interpretive approach to understand how the people using healthcare services in the setting attach meaning to their experiences of the healthcare service. The study therefore seeks to understand how telehealth could improve healthcare service delivery through the participants’ views, perceptions and experiences. The research strategy for this study is a single case study without attempting to generalise the findings. Qualitative data was gathered using unstructured interviews, observations and co-design methods. The current state of telehealth and challenges of healthcare services in rural under-served communities was established through a review of relevant literature. It was important to actively involve the respondents in the research process for them to feel a sense of ownership. Data was analysed using a thematic analysis. The findings revealed the challenges currently hampering the delivery of healthcare in the research setting include poor infrastructure, high cost, the shortage of medical professionals, travelling distance, time management and lack of communication about the services. It was also revealed the role telehealth could play a role to improve access to healthcare and the findings indicate that the nurses feel that extending the healthcare service to include alternative access methods to health information, education and expertise could lead to a sense of appreciation, knowledge gain, dealing with distance problems and improved referrals, cost saving to improve healthcare service delivery.

Orientador: Maria Cristina Faber Boog / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Ciencias Medicas / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-09T02:01:18Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Alves_HaydaJosiane_M.pdf: 2355220 bytes, checksum: 7eba3c83b150bee451d80785b0d3e041 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2007 / Resumo: O estudo foi desenvolvido na linha de pesquisa ¿Trabalho-Saúde-Educação¿, como parte de um projeto do Grupo A3EN ¿ Grupo de Apoio, Aprimoramento e Atualização em Educação Nutricional, tendo como objetivo estudar as práticas e representações sobre alimentação entre fruticultores meeiros, entendendo-as como um processo social, importante na determinação das condições de saúde de uma população. Foi empregada a abordagem qualitativa, por meio de entrevistas não estruturadas, focalizadas. Para análise do conteúdo simbólico utilizou-se a teoria das representações sociais de Moscovici. Os saberes objetivos e subjetivos vinculados ao contexto rural constroem o comportamento alimentar das famílias, dando origem a práticas e representações que influenciam o consumo de alimentos, especialmente de frutas, o cotidiano alimentar na esfera doméstica, o conceito de alimentação saudável, a forma de apropriação da alimentação escolar e as relações do grupo com o setor saúde e com as redes de apoio social. Os homens gerenciam a renda doméstica e realizam a compra de alimentos. O cotidiano alimentar das famílias é condicionado à monotonia alimentar. As verduras e legumes são classificados como alimentos não essenciais. A realização de hortas e a partilha desses alimentos está relacionada a determinadas normas de convivência do campo. As frutas estão mais ligadas à esfera do trabalho na lavoura do que a elementos que as aproximem ao conceito de comida, expresso nas representações: não alimenta; garante a sobrevivência do trabalho familiar no campo representando o sustento familiar. Apesar das frutas cultivadas serem consumidas rotineiramente, frutas são consideradas ¿comida¿ apenas quando compradas. As famílias se percebem como ¿remediadas¿ em relação à condição social, tendo em vista o amparo das redes de apoio social, esta situação as exclui da categoria ¿pobre de verdade¿. O conceito de pobreza está relacionado à garantia de alimentação. Entre os conceitos de alimentação saudável estão: não é algo ligado à rotina; não é essencial; é um objeto de diferenciação social, pois é composta por alimentos especiais, não consumidos diariamente; é uma comida de que se gosta; é uma comida que não faz mal à saúde. O Bolsa Família foi o programa social mais freqüentemente citado, porém, a sua oferta está relacionada ao caráter de sujeição ao programa. As preparações salgadas são mais valorizadas na alimentação escolar por reproduzirem o universo simbólico dos valores vinculados aos alimentos na esfera doméstica. As políticas públicas de saúde e estratégias de intervenção em alimentação em zona rural devem considerar tanto as práticas cotidianas desenvolvidas pela comunidade quanto a subjetividade a elas vinculada / Abstract: This study was developed in the "Work-Health-Education" line of research, as part of a project of the A3EN Group - Group of Support, Improvement and Updates in Nutrition Education, having as its objective the study of the practices and representations related to food among sharecropper fruit producers, understanding them as a social process, important in determining the health conditions of a population. The qualitative approach was used, through non-structured but focused interviews. For the analysis of the symbolic content, Moscovici's theory of social representations was used. The objective and subjective knowledge linked to the rural context constructs the food habits of the families, giving rise to practices and representations that influence the consumption of foods, especially fruit, the everyday domestic eating habits, the concept of healthy eating, the attitude to school meals and the relationship of the group with the health sector and social support networks. The men manage domestic income and the purchase of foodstuffs. The everyday eating habits of the families is conditioned to monotony. Vegetables and legumes are classified as non-essential foods. The keeping of vegetable gardens and the sharing of these foods is related to certain norms of communal living in the country. Fruits are more associated with the world of work in the fields than with elements that approach the concept of food, a process linked with their representations: they are not feeding; they guarantee the survival of family work in the fields representing the upkeep of the family. Even though the fruit grown is consumed regularly, fruit is considered "food" only when bought. The families see themselves as "remedied" in relation to social condition, considering the work of the social support networks, this situation excludes them from the category of "really poor". The concept of poverty is related to the guarantee of food. Among the concepts of healthy food are: it is not something linked to their routine; it is not essential; it is an object of social differentiation, as it is composed of special foods, not consumed daily; it is a food that you like; it is a food that is not bad for one's health. The "Bolsa Família" (Family Benefit) was the most frequently mentioned social programme, however, its availability is related to the form of being subjected to the programme. Salty foods are most valued in school meals as they reproduce the universe symbolizing the values linked to the foods in the domestic sphere. Public health policies and strategies of food intervention in the rural area should consider not only the daily practices developed by the community but also the subjectivity they are linked with / Mestrado / Enfermagem e Trabalho / Mestre em Enfermagem

Background Primary care practices in the United States (US) are currently constrained in their ability to deliver high quality care due to population aging, insurance expansion, and an increasing prevalence of chronically ill patients. The nurse practitioner (NP) workforce plays a critical role in meeting the growing demands for primary care, particularly in rural and underserved areas. NPs are also more likely to deliver care to clinically and socially complex populations such as high-need high-cost (HNHC) patients. HNHC patients are adults who suffer from multiple chronic conditions and experience additional functional, behavioral, or socioeconomic needs. Despite comprising only 5% of the US population, HNHC patients account for nearly half of total health care expenditures and over 90% of Medicare expenditures. HNHC patients with behavioral health diagnoses such as depression or substance abuse face heightened challenges managing their conditions and consequentially have higher preventable spending and emergency department (ED) utilization compared to the overall HNHC population. Significant policy attention has been placed on enhancing primary care practices as a strategy to improve outcomes and reduce costs in HNHC patients. Structural capabilities are features of primary care practices (e.g., after-hours care or care coordination) which are needed to deliver high quality primary care and chronic disease management. Yet, to date little research has been done on structural capabilities in primary care practices where NPs deliver care to HNHC patients. The overall purpose of this dissertation is to understand how to enhance primary care delivery and structural capabilities to improve outcomes for HNHC patients. We have achieved the following specific aims: (1) Establish a clear definition of HNHC patients, (2) Identify existing primary care and payment models used among HNHC patients and evaluate their impact on ED utilization and costs, (3) Evaluate structural capabilities in NP primary care practices located in Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs), and (4) Analyze the association between NP practice structural capabilities and ED utilization among HNHC patients with behavioral health conditions. Dissertation Chapters and Key Findings Chapter One includes an introduction to the landscape of current primary care delivery, the role of the NP workforce in expanding access, and the unique challenges of delivering care to HNHC patients. This chapter also discusses the conceptual framework guiding the dissertation, the specific aims of each study, and how each study will fill a gap in the literature. Chapter Two (Aim 1) consists of a concept analysis of HNHC patients using the Walker and Avant framework. Three subgroups of HNHC patients were identified: adults over the age of 65 who suffer from multiple chronic conditions with functional or behavioral health needs, the frail elderly, and patients under 65 years old with a serious mental health condition or disability. Antecedents that predispose an individual to becoming a HNHC patient include challenges accessing timely care, low socioeconomic status, or unmet needs. Persistent high spending occurs as a result of poorly managed chronic diseases leading to acute exacerbations, preventable health service utilization, and fragmented care between the acute and primary care settings. Chapter Three (Aim 2) is a systematic review of studies conducted from 2000-2020 on primary care and payment models used with HNHC patients. About half of the primary care models evaluated in the systematic review (11 out of 21 studies) showed no significant difference in ED utilization among HNHC patients. Care coordination and care management (15 out of 21 studies) demonstrated both positive and negative associations with ED utilization and costs. Primary care models that demonstrated significant reductions in ED utilization had shared features, including frequent follow-up, multidisciplinary team-based care, enhanced access, and care coordination. Chapter Four (Aim 3) includes a cross-sectional study of NP survey data from 2018-2019 on practice structural capabilities linked with data on primary care shortages (i.e., HPSA designation). Bivariate analyses and multivariable regression models were used to compare NP characteristics and structural capabilities in HSPA practices compared to non-HPSA practices. The majority of NPs in our sample (61%) delivered care in HPSA practices. NP practices located in HPSAs were significantly more likely to deliver care coordination compared to non-HPSA practices. We found no significant difference in prevalence of registries, after-hours care, or shared communication systems. Chapter Five (Aim 4) is a study of cross-sectional NP survey data from 2018-2019 on practice structural capabilities linked with Medicare Part A and Part B claims to identify HNHC patients and ED utilization. Multivariable Poisson models were used to estimate the association between ED utilization and structural capabilities in practices serving HNHC patients with behavioral health conditions including depression, alcohol use, and substance use disorder. Care coordination was associated with decreased rates of ED utilization among the overall HNHC population and those with alcohol use, but not among HNHC patients with depression or substance use disorders. Shared communication systems were associated with decreased rates of all-cause and preventable ED utilization among HNHC patients with alcohol use and substance use disorders. Chapter 6 is a summary of findings across studies in this dissertation and will present the strengths, limitations, and contributions to science. This chapter will also discuss implications for policy, practice, and directions for future research. Conclusion HNHC patients face complex and wide-ranging medical, social, and behavioral health needs resulting in poor clinical outcomes and high costs. Enhancing primary care is an urgent goal for policymakers to improve disease management while reducing overall costs of care. Findings from these studies demonstrate that NPs practice in underserved areas and are significantly more likely to deliver care coordination in HPSA practices and to HNHC patients with behavioral health conditions. Care coordination has the potential to increase effectiveness of primary care delivery by tailoring models to target specific HNHC patients. Shared communication systems also show promise for improving primary care delivery and reducing ED utilization among HNHC patients with alcohol use and substance use disorders. Future research should continue to explore how structural capabilities may enable NPs to deliver timely, high quality, cost-effective primary care for HNHC patients.

Distinct dimensions of quality vary in importance depending on the context in which quality assurance effort takes place. Working through the process of quality assurance and continuous quality improvement may create an environment for transforming the health services and achieving positive health outcome goals. Substantial improvements have been observed in the coverage and access to health service delivery in Ethiopia. However, the quality of care has been lagging behind. The purpose of this study was to develop guidelines for care to enhance quality health services at Gindabarat District, Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia. The study followed a mixed method approach. The participants were purposively included in the study based on their availability, from a total of 7 government health facilities from the Gindabarat District. Self-administered questionnaires and interviews were used to collect data from samples of 127 health care workers and 29 health facilities managers, respectively. Collected data were analysed using SPSS Version 24 and ATLAS TI 8 respectively. The results revealed barriers towards quality health services delivery which were lack of equipment and supplies (inadequacy of blocks, materials, medical equipment; lack of sustainable supplies of drugs); inadequate human resources (low retention of skilled staff; absence of focal person assigned for quality improvement; shortages of health workers); absence of standard operating procedures (protocols, guidelines and manuals); and dissatisfaction of health care providers with services provided at the District. Based on the results, guidelines were developed to enhance quality health care delivery. The reccommendations were aimed at improvement approaches at all levels of health service delivery. / Health Studies / D.Litt. et Phil. (Health Studies)

MPM / Department of Public Health / The dawn of democracy in 1994 saw huge strides in the adjustment of various statutory instruments that aimed at opening the systems to all South Africans particularly the previously excluded groups. Health care system was one of the ear marked areas by the South African government for post-apartheid transformation. Resultantly, access to health care was declared a right and incorporated into the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa 1996. Numerous legislative and practical steps towards achieving access to health care for all have been made with notable results. However, due the apartheid spatial planning which persuaded separate development left some sections of the community remote and with no infrastructure to support health care delivery. As a result, this has made the realization of the health care for all dreams elusive. Reportedly, the most affected communities were mainly homelands which were largely rural and townships. Despite notable improvements in the delivery of health care services across the Republic, there are still major challenges faced in this sector mainly in the rural areas and townships. Therefore, the study was set to investigate and evaluate the state of health care service delivery in rural Ndengeza Township. The study employed both qualitative and quantitative method following a descriptive design (cross-sectional) and data was collected using a self-administered questionnaire and interview questions. The results revealed that transport, staff-patient relationship, unavailability of medication and medical staff were the major challenges of health care service delivery in rural areas. The respondents alluded that to improve health service delivery in the area, there is need to make available basic medication and trained medical personnel. It is believed, by the participants, that adding the number of staff will go a long way in changing the negative perceptions such as long queues, unavailability of critical services and unprincipled professionals that the public have of the local health care centers / NRF

A quantitative, explorative, descriptive contextual study was conducted to determine to what extent the malaria control measures proposed by the Tanzanian government had been implemented by parents of children between the ages 0-5 years who lived in Bukumbi village. Structured interviews were conducted with 40 parents of children who had been admitted for malaria treatment during 2007, and the data analysed by computer. Although respondents had a basic knowledge of preventive measures they did not implement actions preventing the anopheles mosquitoes’ breeding in this tropical area. The vicious cycle of poverty, malaria episodes and lack of proper malaria health education hampered the implementation of control measures such as the spraying of houses with insecticides. Although the government of Tanzania subsidises insecticide treated bed nets the respondents did not maintain these nets and did not renew the insecticide treatment of these nets. The incidence of malaria is unlikely to decline in the Bukumbi village unless all identified factors are addressed. / Health Studies / M.A.

Public demands have forced countries to explore new ways of rendering primary health care to reach the poor who are not within reach of the modern health care systems. New categories of health care personnel, like lay health workers emerged. There are vast differences in the roles of these lay health workers as was revealed with an extensive literature search. The phenomenology qualitative research method was used to investigate perceptions of farm lay health workers regarding their roles in rural areas. A convenience, non-random sample (N=5) was used for focus group discussions and in-depth interviews to collect data. The latter revealed five main themes associated with the role of farm lay health workers: (1) community link; (2) carer; (3) community developer; (4) counsellor and (5) role model. Guidelines were formulated to enhance the role of lay health workers in the rural Western Cape Province and to improve the quality of care to rural communities / Health Studies / M.A. (Health Studies)