10 research outputs found
Patient Satisfaction with Primary Health Care Services in a Selected District Municipality of the Eastern Cape of South Africa
Growth and weight status in treatment-naïve 12-16 year old adolescents with Alcohol Use Disorders in Cape Town, South Africa
The original publication is available at http://www.nutritionj.com/Publication of this article was funded by the Stellenbosch University Open Access Fund.Abstract: Background Heavy alcohol consumption during adolescence has many known harmful health and social consequences and is strongly associated with numerous health risk behaviours. The consequences of heavy alcohol use during adolescence on nutritional status, specifically growth and weight status are largely unknown at this time. Methods Substance use, anthropometric indices of growth and weight, dietary energy intake and physical activity in heavy drinking adolescents (meeting DSM-IV criteria for alcohol use disorders) and matched light/non-drinking control adolescents were assessed. Results Lifetime alcohol dose, measured in standard drinks of alcohol, was orders of magnitude higher in adolescents with alcohol use disorders (AUDs) compared to controls. The AUDs group was selected to represent relatively 'pure' AUDs, with minimal other drug use and no psychiatric diagnoses. The growth and weight status of adolescents with AUDs were generally comparable to that of controls, and is in line with the growth and weight status of the South African adolescent population. A greater proportion of overweight/obese females was found in both groups, with this percentage tending to be greater, although not significantly so, in the AUDs group. Adolescent females with AUDs had increased odds of being overweight/obese compared to controls, after adjustment for smoking, physical activity and energy intake. Conclusion Anthropometric indices of growth and weight status of participants in the Control and AUD groups were generally comparable. Female adolescents with AUDs may have an increased risk of being overweight/obese compared to adolescent females without AUDs. The presence of an AUD in our adolescent sample was associated with higher energy intake. Longitudinal studies are needed to elucidate the effects of heavy alcohol use on energy balance, growth and weight status in adolescents as they age. Nonetheless, the current study contributes to our understanding of the impacts of heavy alcohol consumption on important aspects of adolescent development.Publishers' versio
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Patient satisfaction survey: Kouga sub district
Commissioned by the Eastern Cape Department of Health, Kouga sub district, FebruaryThe objective of this study was to conduct a patient satisfaction survey in 12 selected facilities in Kouga Sub District. Facilities were selected from the municipal areas of Sundays River Valley, KouKamma, and Kouga. Respondents were generally satisfied on most domains except for a few items under Service Standards domain. There is room to improve these areas and to maintain
areas that are working well
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An assessment of factors influencing levels of patient satisfaction in Kouga primary health care facilities in Cacadu district (Eastern Cape Province) in 2009
Paper/poster presented at the sixth PHASA Conference, East London, 29 November - 1 Decembe
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Patient satisfaction with primary health care services in a selected district municipality of the Eastern Cape of South Africa
Traditionally, decisions about health services were made on the basis of health-provider and health authorities' views on what is in the best interest of the patient. This was based on a view that members of the general public lack the technical knowledge to make fully informed decisions themselves. Currently, the use of patient satisfaction surveys (PSS) in developing countries is advancing. Professionals have recognized that a systematic and consumer oriented perspective toward patient viewpoints about the level of care can result in feedback useful for promoting higher quality standards of patient care. Patient satisfaction surveys are seen as a means of determining patients' views on primary health care. These surveys are increasingly being promoted as a means of understanding health care service quality and the demand for these services in developing countries for various reasons. First, they highlight those aspects of care that need improvement in a health care setting (Ajayi, Olumide & Oyediran 2005; Muhondwa et al. 2008; Newman et al. 1998). Second, they are simple, quick and inexpensive to administer. Third, they are critical for developing measures to increase the utilization of PHC services. Fourth, they can help to educate medical staff about their achievements as well as their failures, assisting them to be more responsive to their patients' needs. Fifth, they allow managerial judgment to be exercised from a position of knowledge rather than guesswork in the important task of managing public expectations and resources (Glick 2009). The South African government also endorses the centrality of consumers in service delivery. The White Paper on Transforming Public Services of 1997 (Department of Public Service and Administration 1997) and the Department of Health's policy on quality in health care (Department of Health 2007) state that public services need to respond to customers' needs,
wants and expectations. Feedback from consumers is required in terms of experiences of health services quality of care received. Feedback from customers will not only improve 86 Modern Approaches To Quality Control knowledge of decision makers, but will also facilitate more improved prioritization, improved strategic resource allocation and improved value for money. It will also serve as a platform for providing better services to citizens. Against this background, a patient satisfaction survey with PHC services was conducted in a selected district of the Eastern Cape.