A report from the portfolio committee on welfare / UNICEF workshop on children and development

Honourable Cassiem Saloojee, MP chaired the workshop. He noted that the workshop was intended to provide an opportunity to assess several recent research studies related to children and development in South Africa. People who had been invited included MPs, members of NGOs and CBOs and government officials. A list of participants is attached

Do variations in the theatre team have an impact on the incidence of complications?

BACKGROUND: To examine whether variations in non-medical personnel influence the incidence of complications in a cataract theatre. METHODS: A retrospective Case-Control study was undertaken in a single-site, designated cataract theatre. Staffing variations within theatre were examined and the incidence of cataract complications was assessed. RESULTS: 100 complicated lists and 200 uncomplicated control lists were chosen. At least 7 nurses were present for every list. Mean experience of the nurses was 6.4 years for case lists and 6.5 years for control lists. Average scrub nurse experience in years was 7.6 years for complicated lists and 8.0 years for controls. 26% of complicated case lists were affected by unplanned leave and 17% in control lists. Odds ratio 1.7 (1.0 to 3.1) 95% CI. CONCLUSION: Unplanned leave can have a detrimental effect on the operating list. The impact of this may be modifiable with careful planning

Temporary techno-social gatherings? A (hacked) discussion about open practices

This paper is rooted in an experimental inquiry of issue-oriented temporary techno-social gatherings or TTGs, which are typically referred to as hackathons, workshops or pop-ups and employ rapid design and development practices to tackle technical challenges while engaging with social issues. Based on a collaboration between three digital practitioners (a producer, a researcher and a designer), qualitative and creative data was gathered across five different kinds of TTG events in London and in Tartu which were held in partnership with large institutions, including Art:Work at Tate Exchange within Tate Modern, the Mozilla Festival at Ravensbourne College and the 2017 Association of Internet Researchers conference hosted in Tartu. By analysing data using an open and discursive approach manifested in both text and visual formats, we reflect on the dynamic and generative characteristics of TTG gatherings while also arriving at our own conclusions as situated researchers and practitioners who are ourselves engaged in increasingly messy webs where new worlds of theory and practice are built

Bioprospecting the African Renaissance: The new value of muthi in South Africa

This article gives an overview of anthropological research on bioprospecting in general and of available literature related to bioprospecting particularly in South Africa. It points out how new insights on value regimes concerning plant-based medicines may be gained through further research and is meant to contribute to a critical discussion about the ethics of Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS). In South Africa, traditional healers, plant gatherers, petty traders, researchers and private investors are assembled around the issues of standardization and commercialization of knowledge about plants. This coincides with a nation-building project which promotes the revitalization of local knowledge within the so called African Renaissance. A social science analysis of the transformation of so called Traditional Medicine (TM) may shed light onto this renaissance by tracing social arenas in which different regimes of value are brought into conflict. When medicinal plants turn into assets in a national and global economy, they seem to be manipulated and transformed in relation to their capacity to promote health, their market value, and their potential to construct new ethics of development. In this context, the translation of socially and culturally situated local knowledge about muthi into global pharmaceuticals creates new forms of agency as well as new power differentials between the different actors involved

Second thoughts about implementing routine screening of cancer patients for distress

Recommendations for routine screening of cancer patients for distress lack evidence that screening improves patient outcomes. Settings contemplating screening should consider other options for using the same resources. This article reviews evidence relevant to decision making and calls attention to limits in using screening instruments cross-culturally and for triaging patients for receipt of services. Whether screening is the best option depends on the patient population, culture, and health system