ArticleSouth African family practice : official journal of the South African Academy of Family Practice/Primary Care2020
The attitude and perceptions of doctors at Letaba Hospital towards family medicine: A qualitative study.
Article in South African family practice : official journal of the South African Academy of Family Practice/Primary Care, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
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2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Benefits, challenges, and the way forward: medical specialists' perception on family physician integration in healthcare system in Tanzania.BMC primary care · 2026Article
- Factors affecting family medicine programmes in Sub-Saharan Africa: a narrative review of recent literature.Ghana medical journal · 2022Review
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5 authors.
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Abstract
backgroundIt was noted that family medicine (FM) was not used properly by doctors at Letaba Hospital. Anecdotally, misconceptions and misunderstandings about FM were reported. An exploration was recommended to understand the perceptions and attitudes of doctors at Letaba Hospital with regard to FM. Identifying doctors' misconceptions and the possible reasons for mistaken beliefs about FM by other specialists could offer possible solutions.
methodsA qualitative study was conducted that attempted to identify the perceptions of doctors about FM and to explore their attitudes towards this specialty.
resultsThe primary findings indicate more positive than negative perceptions of other disciplines towards FM. The participants viewed FM as the centre of the healthcare system, with prevention being its core business. This includes a holistic approach, the continuity of care, being community-based, and receiving recognition as a specialty. Family medicine was described by various medical personnel as making a positive contribution to the healthcare system. They note the role of FM discipline in district hospitals, its support of primary health- care and its ability to fill the gaps in the healthcare system, including surgical skills. The few negative perceptions that were identified mostly related to the status of FM as a specialty and doctors' level of surgical ability. Based on individual interviews, 11 themes were extracted and a 'wheel' model was created, depicting the core values of the FM discipline.
conclusionThe study concluded that most participants have a positive perception of the role of FM, similar to the views of the senior staff in the discipline itself. The concerns from most participants are in the area of preventative medicine, which has not been given enough priority in South Africa and where doctors are expected to rapidly attend to long queues and manage casualties. There was also concern of a perceived lack of surgical skills.
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