Mapping South African allied health primary care clinical guideline activity : establishing a stakeholder reference sample
Date
2016-10-10
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
BioMed Central
Abstract
ENGLISH SUMMARY : Background: Little is known about allied health (AH) clinical practice guideline (CPG) activity in South Africa, and
particularly in relation to primary health care (PHC). This paper reports on a scoping study undertaken to establish a
reference framework, from which a comprehensive maximum variation sample could be selected. This was required
to underpin robust sampling for a qualitative study aimed at understanding South African primary care AH therapy
CPG activities. This paper builds on findings from the South African Guidelines Evaluation (Project SAGE) Flagship
grant.
Methods: South African government websites were searched for structures of departments and portfolios, and
available CPGs. Professional AH association websites were searched for CPGs, purposively-identified key informants
were interviewed, and CPGs previously identified for priority South African primary care conditions were critiqued
for AH therapy involvement.
Results: Key informants described potentially complex relationships between players who may be engaged in
South African AH CPGs, in both public and private sectors. There were disability/rehabilitation portfolios at national
and provincial governments, but no uniformity in provincial government organisation of, or support for, PHC AH
services. There were no AH primary care therapy CPGs on government websites, although there was ‘clinical guidance’
in various forms on professional association websites. Only two CPGs of priority South African PHC conditions included
mention of any AH therapy (physiotherapy for adult asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease).
Conclusion: A comprehensive and wide-reaching stakeholder reference framework would be required in order to
capture the heterogeneity of AH primary care CPG activity in South Africa. This should involve the voices of national
and purposively-selected provincial governments, academic institutions, consultants, public sector managers and
clinicians, private practitioners, professional associations, and private sector insurers. Provincial governments should be
selected to reflect heterogeneity in local economics, population demographics and availability of university AH training
programs. This investigation should aim to determine the areas of PHC in which AH are engaged.
Description
CITATION: Dizon, J. M., et al. 2016. Mapping South African allied health primary care clinical guideline activity: establishing a stakeholder reference sample. Health Research Policy and Systems, 14:77, doi:10.1186/s12961-016-0145-9.
The original publication is available at http://health-policy-systems.biomedcentral.com
The original publication is available at http://health-policy-systems.biomedcentral.com
Keywords
Primary health care -- South Africa, Allied health -- Practice, Medical protocols -- Planning
Citation
Dizon, J. M., et al. 2016. Mapping South African allied health primary care clinical guideline activity: establishing a stakeholder reference sample. Health Research Policy and Systems, 14:77, doi:10.1186/s12961-016-0145-9.