Establishing a neuropsychiatry clinic at Tygerberg hospital

CITATION: La Cock, C. et al. 1999. Establishing a neuropsychiatry clinic at Tygerberg hospital. South African Medical Journal, 89(6):653-660.The original publication is available at http://www.samj.org.zaObjective. Neuropsychiatry is a neglected subspecialty in South Africa. The aim of this study was to assess the need for neuropsychiatry clinics by evaluating a recently established unit in South Africa and testing opinions of heads of academic psychiatry departments. Design. Three separate aspects were investigated. First, a retrospective analysis of patient records from the University of Stellenbosch neuropsychiatry and neuropsychology clinic (USNNC) was undertaken. Second, interviews were conducted with the clinical staff of the clinic, and third, questionnaires were sent to all heads of psychiatry departments in South Africa. Setting. USNNC, situated at Tygerberg Hospital. Subjects. Patients attending the USNNC, clinicians of the USNNC and heads of academic psychiatry departments in South Africa. Main outcome measures. Patients were assessed by means of a standard clinical assessment procedure and a multi-axial diagnosis was made according to the criteria of the Diagnostic nod Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV), 4th ed. A semi-structured interview was conducted with the USNNC clinical staff to assess their opinions regarding the clinical importance of such a specialised clinic, possibilities for training, opportunities for research and possible improvements that could be made. The staff included a psychiatrist, a psychologist, an occupational therapist, a neurologist and a nuclear physician. An adapted questionnaire was used to assess the attitudes of heads of psychiatry departments in South Africa toward neuropsychiatry. Results. Mild neurocognitive disorder was the most common DSM-IV diagnosis. Head injuries were the most common Axis III disorder. According to USNNC clinicians, a multidisciplinary neuropsychiatric clinic provides for improved diagnosis and management of these disorders, as well as providing excellent training opportunities for psychiatry registrars and students of related disciplines. Heads of departments of psychiatry in South Africa had a clear understanding of the entity of neuropsychiatry but were divided on the question of fostering neuropsychiatry as a subspecialty. Most were confident that their graduates acquire the necessary clinical skills to evaluate and treat common neuropsychiatric disorders. Conclusions. Mild cognitive impairment, often due to head trauma, is most appropriately managed within a multidisciplinary setting. Such a facility provides good training opportunities for students in various disciplines. Much-needed research on treatment outcomes and cognitive rehabilitation can be undertaken in this setting. Improved communication between psychiatry departments in South Africa should lead to a pooling of resources and the provision of a better service to neuropsychiatric patients.Publisher’s versio

GUI 4D - The Role and the Impact of Visual, Multimedia and Multilingual User Interfaces in ICT Applications and Services for Users Coming from the Bottom of the Pyramid - First Concepts, Prototypes and Experiences

Graphical User Interfaces (GUI) are discussed in the context of being used by users coming from the "bottom of the pyramid" to interact with and to run ICT (Information and Communication Technologies) applications for real life usage in their developing world. These interfaces are called "GUI4D" (Graphical User Interfaces for Development). GUI 4D methodologies are a key aspect in enabling the users in the bottom of the pyramid to become part - within their own needs and capabilities - of integrated value/business chains, and also in finally closing both the digital and the social gap. They are presented and discussed here first from a technical and from an implementation point of view and considerations are also given on how the corresponding requirements, constraints and specifications are developed and used for GUI 4D implementations. Several examples, case studies and use cases from ongoing research projects, from existing pilots and prototypes and from related initiatives in Africa are presented. Some analysis of system adoption and the perceived benefits from using GUI 4D's are then given and discussed. The chapter concludes with a brief consideration of target applications and markets for GUI 4D's in the developing world, taking into consideration the dependencies and needs between the established and the informal economy in these countries. An extensive set of references used or related to the subject is given at the end of the chapter

Research in Africa for Africa? Probing the Effect and Credibility of Research Done by Foreigners for Africa

Part 2: ICT4D for the Indigenous, by the Indigenous and of the IndigenousInternational audienceThis paper probes research being carried out by researchers foreign to Africa. From an assessment of decennia of research, we address the many and varied ways in which the work of foreign researchers, often from countries with unresolved colonial baggage, cast their normalising shadows over African realities. From experiences in Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe, among others, through the exposit of the complex and expansive array of influences and coloniality, we paint a picture how foreign researchers benefit from enshrined and ongoing practices that dominate research scenes. These practices depreciate African research and development done by Africans, in Africa for utilisation in Africa. We propose the need to mainstream decoloniality and communiversity as to affect the primacy of African researchers researching in, on and for Africa