Evidence map›Paper›PMID 27380845›Full record

ArticleAfrican journal of primary health care & family medicine2016

An exploratory study of the need for curriculum review of Master of Public Health Degree at a Rural-based University in South Africa.

Takalani G Tshitangano

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in African journal of primary health care & family medicine, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact, top 93% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed, 2 citations in OpenAlex.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

1 author at 1 institution in 1 country.

Takalani G TshitanganoDepartment of Public Health, University of Venda. takalani.tshitangano@univen.ac.za.
University of Venda · ZA

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundMaster of Public Health (MPH) training programmes were developed worldwide in response to the crisis in human resources for health.

aimTo determine whether the MPH programme at the selected rural-based university in South Africa enabled students to achieve the MPH core competencies relevant for Lower Middle Income Countries.

settingThe study was carried out at a rural-based University in South Africa. The target population was the 2011 first-year cohort of MPH students who by the beginning of 2014 had just completed their coursework. METHODOLOGY: A quantitative cross-sectional descriptive research design was adapted. Eighty-five students were randomly selected to participate in the study. A structured questionnaire comprising seven competency clusters was developed. The selected students completed a self-administered questionnaire. Only those students who signed consent forms participated in this study. The questionnaire was tested for construct validity and reliability using 10 students with similar characteristics to those sampled for the study. Microsoft Excel software was used to analyse the data descriptively in terms of frequency and percentages.

resultsThe students were confident of their competencies regarding public health science skills. Amongst these were analytical assessment, communication, community and intersectorial competencies as well as ethics. However, the students lacked confidence in contextsensitive issues, planning and management, research and development, and leadership competencies. Yet the latter is the backbone of public health practice. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION: There is a need for revamping public health curricula. In this respect, a follow-up study that builds a deeper understanding of the subject is needed.

Indexed as

CurriculumEducation, GraduateEducation, Public Health ProfessionalRural PopulationUniversitiesCross-Sectional StudiesHumansSouth AfricaSurveys and Questionnaires

Identifiers

PMID27380845
PMCPMC4913383
OpenAlexW2395052097

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.