ArticleAfrican journal of primary health care & family medicine2021
The contribution of family physicians to surgical capacity at district hospitals in South Africa.
Article in African journal of primary health care & family medicine, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.
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Who cites it
7 citing papers in PubMed.
- Family physician deployment in South Africa's district health system: A cross-sectional study.South African family practice : official journal of the South African Academy of Family Practice/Primary Care · 2026Article
- Investment in family medicine to improve health outcomes in sub-Saharan Africa.African journal of primary health care & family medicine · 2025Article
- Optimising clinical governance and risk management in resource-limited hospitals: A family medicine model.African journal of primary health care & family medicine · 2025Article
- Identifying research gaps and priorities for African family medicine and primary health care.African journal of primary health care & family medicine · 2024Article
- Evidence of learning in workplace-based assessments in a Family Medicine Training Programme.South African family practice : official journal of the South African Academy of Family Practice/Primary Care · 2024Article
- The contribution of family physicians to African health systems.African journal of primary health care & family medicine · 2022Article
- The contribution of family physicians to district health services in South Africa: A national position paper by the South African Academy of Family Physicians.South African family practice : official journal of the South African Academy of Family Practice/Primary Care · 2022Article
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The World Health Organization states that essential, cost-effective surgical care should be delivered at district hospitals. In South Africa significant skills gap exist at district hospitals, particularly in the area of surgery and anaesthesia. These small to moderate sized hospitals are too small to support a range of full time specialists even if they could be recruited and were cost-effective. Family physicians (FPs) are trained in the clinical skills required for district hospitals and primary health care. Clinical associates have also been introduced to perform procedures at district hospitals. This report illustrates the contribution of a FP to surgical care at Zithulele Hospital in the Eastern Cape. Family physicians not only bring the necessary clinical skills set but also increase the confidence and capacity of the whole team. Outreach and support by surgeons, as well as continuing professional development, are important. Surgical and anaesthetic skills must be developed together. Family physicians also bring leadership and clinical governance skills that ensure the inputs to support surgery, such as equipment and information systems are available. The contribution of FPs to surgery and district hospitals is overlooked in both policy and practice. Human resources for health policy should recognise their contribution and increase the numbers available and FP posts at district hospitals. There is also a need to update the package of emergency and essential surgical procedures in policy.
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Registered trials
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