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No abstract available.Background South African speech-language therapists are the only health professionals charged with dysphagia rehabilitation. However, registered nurses and doctors are often initial healthcare contact points for post-stroke dysphagia. Notwithstanding service concerns, they do indeed identify and manage post-stroke dysphagia. However, little is known about specifically what they do during these initial clinical encounters. Objective To explore how doctors and registered nurses, on initial clinical contact, identify and manage post-stroke dysphagia. Method A quantitative descriptive survey design, with non-probability, purposive sampling, was used. Twenty-one registered nurses and four doctors at a private South African hospital self-administered a questionnaire. click here Univariate analyses were completed by calculating frequency distributions of nurses’ and doctors’ identification and management practices. Results Most (86%) did not use a formal screening tool. Indicators screened informally included presence of droolost-stroke patients.Background Treatment of cancer with cisplatin can result in hearing loss. Given the increasing burden of cancer in Africa, appropriate and timely identification, intervention and management of hearing loss in affected patients is of paramount importance. Objectives This study describes the perspectives and practices of healthcare professionals in relation to cisplatin-associated ototoxicity at an institution treating patients diagnosed with cancer. Method A concurrent triangulation study design was used to collect quantitative data from seven oncologists, nine nurses and 13 pharmacists using self-administered questionnaires, and qualitative data from four audiologists through semi-structured interviews for this hospital-based study, conducted in South Africa. Results Levels of awareness of cisplatin-associated ototoxicity varied with only 33% of the nursing personnel being aware in comparison to the oncologists and pharmacists. Oncologists were identified as the main custodians for providing information to patients. Whilst 82% of the participants considered the audiologist to be part of the oncology team, there was no provision for ototoxicity monitoring in the chemotherapy protocols, nor any ototoxicity-monitoring programme in place. There was no evidence that knowledge of cisplatin-associated ototoxicity translated into an appropriate management strategy for such patients. Conclusion Healthcare personnel overseeing the care and management of cancer patients need to improve their awareness of ototoxicity and refer timeously for audiological evaluation. Audiologists require greater awareness of monitoring programmes to appropriately implement and manage such programmes within a cancer platform and be part of a multidisciplinary team.Background The Community Oriented Substance Use Programme (COSUP) is the first publicly funded, community-based programmatic response to the use of illegal substances in South Africa. It is founded on a systems thinking, public health and clinical care harm reduction approach. Aim To describe the critical components, key issues and accomplishments in the initiation and delivery of evidence-based, community-oriented, substance-use health and care services. Setting The Community Oriented Substance Use Programme is implemented by the University of Pretoria in four of seven Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality regions. Methods Quantitative and qualitative data were extracted and triangulated from plans, reports, minutes and other documents. Results Between 2016 and 2019, COSUP engaged in national and local policy and guidelines development. In Tshwane, it created practical working relations with 169 organisations and institutions and set up 17 service sites. These provide counselling, linkage to care and opioid substitution therapy services to 1513 adults (median age of 30 years), most of whom are male (90%), with similar proportions of clients who smoke (51%) or inject (49%) heroin. It also offers needle and syringe services (approximately 17 000 needles distributed/month) and has built human resource capacity in harm reduction among staff, clients and personnel in partner organisations. Conclusion The Community Oriented Substance Use Programme offers an evidence-based, public-health informed, feasible alternative to an abstinence-based approach to substance use. However, to translate the programme’s achievements into sustainable outcomes at scale requires health system integration; generalist, patient-centred care; affordable medication in a comprehensive package of harm reduction services; multisectoral partnerships; systematic, continuous capacity development; financial investment; and sustained political commitment.Background Primary care needs research to generate evidence relevant to community needs; however, there is a lack of research engagement among primary care physicians, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. Improved research mentorship for family physicians (FPs) can help address prevailing knowledge and practice gaps in primary care research.Workshop process During the 6th annual Africa Regional Conference of the World Organization of Family Doctors (WONCA), we conducted three workshops on research mentorship for African FPs. Two workshops (one online and one onsite at the pre-conference) were geared towards the young doctors’ movement of WONCA Africa. The third was onsite during the main conference. Following a brief presentation on the concept of research mentorship and known gaps, participants broke into small groups and discussed additional gaps, solutions and anticipated readiness for implementing these solutions. We used a content analysis to summarise key concepts and had participants to review the findings.Workshop findings Identified gaps related to mentees’ difficulty initiating and maintaining mentorship relationships and an overall shortage of capable and willing mentors. Organisational solutions focused on capacity building and creating a culture of mentorship. Interpersonal solutions focused on reducing the power distance and increasing reflectivity and feedback. Increasing the use of research networks and both peer and online mentorship were advocated. Barriers to readiness included resource constraints and competing priorities. Conclusion A multi-level approach is needed to address the gaps in research mentorship for African FPs. Identified solutions hold potential for supporting the research engagement needed to improve the population health across Africa.