Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36548691›Full record

ArticleTropical medicine and infectious disease2022

Promoting Awareness of the Role of the District Clinical Specialist Team in the Amathole District, South Africa: A Valuable Specialty in Improving Healthcare Access and Quality.

Oyebola G Oyebanji, Thubelihle Mathole, Debra Jackson

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Tropical medicine and infectious disease, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Oyebola G OyebanjiSchool of Public Health, University of the Western Cape, Cape Town 7535, South Africa.
Thubelihle MatholeSchool of Public Health, University of the Western Cape, Cape Town 7535, South Africa.
Debra JacksonSchool of Public Health, University of the Western Cape, Cape Town 7535, South Africa.ORCID 0000-0003-3307-632X

Funding

The Belgian Directorate-General for Development Cooperation, through its Framework Agreement with the Institute for Tropical Medicine FA4 DGD-ITM 2017- 2020
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionThis study explored the understanding of healthcare professionals on the role of the District Clinical Specialist Team (DCST) and how the team works together with the district personnel at different management levels to improve and strengthen the Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV (PMTCT) programme performance across four sub-districts in the Amathole district of the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa.

methodsAn interpretive qualitative case study was used to understand the role played by the DCST in improving PMTCT programme performance in the district. We used a purposive sampling method to select eight participants involved in providing technical assistance to support the implementation of the quality improvement programme. We conducted in-depth interviews with all the participants; all were females in their mid-forties. Data were analysed thematically by identifying themes and reporting patterns within the data.

findingsMost interviewees were females in their mid-forties and had been at their respective facilities for at least five years. The findings were discussed based on three themes: capacity building, programme performance oversight and monitoring, and technical support. The DCST significantly enhances the staff's clinical skills, knowledge, and work performance to care for and manage the mother and baby pair. In addition, the DCST plays a vital role in providing programme oversight and complements the technical support provided by the Department of Health (DoH) managers and the quality improvement programme support by the South to South (S2S) team aimed at improving and achieving the PMTCT programme's desired outcomes. The DCST also provided additional support for data verification to identify gaps in the PMTCT programme.

conclusionThe role of DCST is essential in improving the quality and service provision of the PMTCT programme and is critical to assist the team at different levels in addressing challenges encountered and training and mentoring the needs of the staff. In addition, DCST's responsibilities cannot be fully achieved without a good working relationship with the quality improvement and district health teams because they work better together to ensure that the programme is performing optimally. TAKE-HOME MESSAGE: This study showed that the District Clinical Specialist Team is vital for improving the quality and service provision of the PMTCT programme and it is essential for addressing challenges encountered by healthcare facilities and the staff providing PMTCT services.

Indexed as

District Clinical Specialist TeamHIVPMTCTquality improvementSouth Africa

Identifiers

PMID36548691
PMCPMC9781523

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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.