African Journal of Primary Health Care & Family Medicine

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BACKGROUND:  Nurses in primary health care settings are key stakeholders in the diagnosis and management of hypertensive patients. Unfortunately, the working conditions of nurses predispose them to stress, long hours of work, shift duties and unhealthy diets, which are drivers of hypertension. Yet nurses are often overlooked in health screening exercises, primarily because they are assumed to be informed and 'healthy'. AIM:  This study examined the prevalence, awareness, control and determinants of hypertension among professional primary health care nurses in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa...

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BACKGROUND:  South Africa is planning to implement the National Health Insurance (NHI) scheme in the near future. The NHI is intended to improve the accessibility of quality health care services for all South African citizens. For the NHI to achieve this objective, an electronic health record (EHR) system to register and track patients who visit different health care providers will have to be developed. AIM:  To identify critical success factors for the implementation of EHRs in South Africa's public health care sector...

BACKGROUND:  Irrespective of the provision of an integrated school health policy, the school health nurses continue to experience multiple challenges regarding the provisioning of school health service delivery. AIM:  The aim of this paper was to explore and describe the experiences of school health nurses regarding school health service delivery in the Tshwane district. SETTING:  Schools in the Tshwane district in Pretoria were used in the study...

BACKGROUND:  Diabetes self-management education (DSME) is a key component of diabetes care aimed at delaying complications. Unlike usual care, DSME is a more structured educational approach provided by trained, certified diabetes educators (CDE). In Kenya, many diabetic patients are yet to receive this integral component of care. At the family medicine clinic of the Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH), Nairobi, the case is no different; most patients lack education by CDE. AIM:  This study sought to assess effects of DSME in comparison to usual diabetes care by family physicians...

BACKGROUND:  There has presumably been an increase in cases of sexual assault in Nigeria; however, accurate data on the characteristics of the survivors and perpetrators are not readily available in most cases. AIM:  To report the pattern and characteristics of sexual assault perpetrators and survivors managed at the Mirabel Centre, Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja - a three-year review. METHODS:  A retrospective audit carried out in the sexual assault referral centre (SARC) - Mirabel Centre, LASUTH, Lagos State, Nigeria...

BACKGROUND:  The World Health Organization aims to reduce tuberculosis (TB) mortality rate from 15% in 2015 to 6.5% by 2025. AIM:  This study determined the profile of TB and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) co-infected patients who died in Mahalapye District, Botswana, while on anti-TB medication and the factors that contributed to such outcome. SETTING:  The study was conducted in the Mahalapye Health District in Botswana. METHODS:  This was a cross-sectional study that reviewed patient records from the Mahalapye District Health Management Team Electronic Tuberculosis Register from January 2013 to December 2015...

BACKGROUND:  South Africa's prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) programme has undergone rapid changes in the last two decades. Initially, the provision of single antiretroviral therapy was based on eligibility criteria in the year 2001, which later changed to combination therapy. This was aimed at preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV. Since 2015, all pregnant women were eligible for antiretroviral treatment regardless of their CD4 count...

BACKGROUND:  Gender inequality and men's perceived sexual and economic superiority over women are central to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. The farming community in which the participants in the study live operates along such patriarchal lines, with the men making the important decisions for their families. AIM:  To explore and describe the role of gender in the spread of HIV and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) among farmworkers in South Africa...

BACKGROUND:  Swaziland, like many other developing countries, lacks appropriate eye health services, particularly for children. AIM:  To determine the knowledge and practices of parents about child eye health care in the public sector in Swaziland. SETTING:  The setting for this study was Swaziland. METHODS:  A descriptive study involving cross-sectional sampling methodology and quantitative analysis was employed with 173 randomly selected parents whose children attended public schools in Swaziland...

Contexte: L'épidémie du virus de l'immunodéficience humaine au Mozambique est un problème grave de santé publique et le Ministère de la Santé a étendu le traitement antirétroviral à tous les districts du pays. Cependant, on constate un nombre élevé d'abandon du traitement encore insuffisamment évalué. L'Organisation Mondiale de la Santé recommande que les tradipraticiens de santé collaborent avec les systèmes nationaux de santé dans les pays en développement, pour combattre cette épidémie, mais il existe peu d'actions dans ce domaine à ce jour...

BACKGROUND:  Ectopic pregnancy (EP) is a life-threatening condition; at Odi Hospital, approximately 7-10 EPs are managed weekly. Our study is the first to assess the management of this life-threatening condition at Odi Hospital. AIM:  This study aimed to determine the incidence of EP and to assess the profile of women who presented with EP at Odi District Hospital from 01 January 2010 to 31 December 2014. SETTING:  The study was conducted at Odi District Hospital, located in Mabopane, a township in Gauteng province, 45 km north of Tshwane, South Africa (SA)...

Over a five-month period, clinicians in Tana River County Kenya observed an increasing number of patients presenting to health facilities with a common collection of symptoms including fevers, joint pains and gum hypertrophy. After initial investigative and management strategies failed to reveal a diagnosis, patients were empirically commenced on ascorbic acid for presumed scurvy. This strategy resulted in the rapid resolution of symptoms in 65 patients within two weeks.

BACKGROUND:  With the shift of paediatric antiretroviral therapy (ART) from tertiary to primary health care, there has been a need to train clinicians working in primary health care facilities to support adherence to treatment. An adherence simulation exercise was included in a course on paediatric human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and tuberculosis (TB) to stimulate health care providers' awareness and generate empathy of complex paediatric adherence practices. AIM:  The aim of this study was to describe the experience of clinicians completing the simulation exercise and to assess whether enhancing their empathy with patients and treatment supporters would improve their perceived clinical and counselling skills...

BACKGROUND:  Global estimates suggest there are almost 19 million visually impaired children worldwide, most of whom reside in poor countries, with the major cause being treatable. AIM:  To determine the barriers to accessing childhood eye care services and to develop an eye care plan for children in South Darfur State, Sudan. SETTING:  The study took place in South Darfur State, Sudan. METHODS:  The classical Delphi technique was used to build consensus on a list of statements, which were generated based on the themes established by the experts, as well as on an extensive literature review...