Patient-centred pharmacy: reflections from the patient-academic pharmacist interface

This month, the Pharmaceutical Society of South Africa (PSSA) pays tribute to a remarkable woman, who is willing to share her experiences with fellow pharmacists. Ros Dowse told her story at the South African Association of Hospital and Institutional Pharmacists and PSSA conferences, and will share it at the Academy conference as well. Ros, we are proud to be part of your "family", and are humbled by your courage and inner strength

Comprehension and acceptability of a patient information leaflet (PIL) for antiretroviral therapy:

The patient information leaflet (PIL) is recognised as playing a key role in informing patients about their medicines. The objectives of this research were to evaluate the readability and understanding of a PIL for the first-line ARV (antiretroviral) regimen available in the South African public health sector, and investigate its acceptability in the target Xhosa population. The study took place between August 2003 and July 2004. A PIL was designed for the antiretroviral regimen of stavudine, lamivudine and efavirenz, using established usability guidelines. South African legal requirements concerning PILs were incorporated and the PILs were available in both English and isiXhosa

Bruk av piktogrammer i kommunikasjon om legemidler.

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Health literacy test for limited literacy populations (HELT-LL): validation in South Africa

The majority of health literacy measures emanate from high-income countries and are inappropriate for use in limited literacy individuals who are usually excluded from participation in health literacy studies. There is currently no appropriate health literacy measure for the educationally diverse South African population. This study, which reports the validation of the Health Literacy Test for Limited Literacy individuals (HELT-LL), was conducted in primary health-care clinics with 210 isiXhosa-speaking patients with a maximum of 12 years of schooling. The HELT-LL has varied cognitive demands, assesses functional literacy skills as well as local burden of disease knowledge, and also includes self-reported questions

Community care worker perceptions of their roles in tuberculosis care and their information needs:

Community care workers (CCWs) inhabit a central role in the management of tuberculosis (TB) patients in South Africa. CCWs attend training courses, but training is not standardised at either the national or provincial level. To explore perceptions of CCWs of their role in TB care and TB information needs

Acceptance of ambulatory blood pressure monitoring in a semi-rural population in South Africa:

Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring is a valuable tool that helps in providing an insight into the diagnosis and management of hypertension; however, no evidence exists of its acceptance in the diverse South African population. We assessed the acceptance of an ambulatory blood pressure monitor in patients attending public sector primary health care (PHC) clinics. Five PHC clinics in the Makana subdistrict in the Eastern Cape

Outcome of illustrated information leaflet on correct usage of asthma-metered dose inhaler:

Research globally has shown that metered dose inhaler (MDI) technique is poor, with patient education and regular demonstration critical in maintaining correct use of inhalers. Patient information containing pictorial aids improves understanding of medicine usage; however, manufacturer leaflets illustrating MDI use may not be easily understood by low-literacy asthma patients. To develop and evaluate the outcome of a tailored, simplified leaflet on correct MDI technique in asthma patients with limited literacy skills

An illustrated booklet for reinforcing community healthworker knowledge of tuberculosis and facilitating patient counselling

Community health workers (CHWs) have facilitated the move to decentralise tuberculosis (TB) management, but lack access to information appropriate both for personal use and in patient interaction and education.To explore the impact of a pictorial-based TB booklet on reinforcing CHW knowledge and facilitating patient counselling. This study was conducted in local primary health care clinics and the Hospice in Grahamstown, Eastern Cape Province in South Africa.Quantitative and qualitative methods were used. A simple, 17-page, A5 booklet containing pictograms and simple text was designed in collaboration with CHWs who advised on preferred content. Its influence on knowledge was assessed in 31 CHWs using a 17-item questionnaire in a before-and-after study. The experiences of CHWs using the booklet were qualitatively explored using focus group discussions (FGD) and semi-structured interviews