In the context of South Africa, what we do know is that huge amount of healthcare data does exist and that they are consciously and unconsciously scattered in bits and pieces across facilities within the country. This has directly or indirectly resulted to underutilisation of data, which affects service delivery to the community. For example, many…

Background: Nurses have a critical role to play in the delivery of sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services to adolescents and young people. Nurses' interactions with adolescents and young people can shape sexual and reproductive behaviours and outcomes, including willingness to access and engage with healthcare services. However, little…

Simulated standardized patients (SPs) are trained individuals who pose incognito as people seeking treatment in a health care setting. With the method's increasing use and popularity, we propose some standards to adapt the method to contextual considerations of feasibility, and we discuss current issues with the SP method and the experience of…

The global COVID-19 pandemic has added considerable complexity to the education and training of health care professionals as well as patient care. Literature suggests that e-Learning and mobile health (mHealth) technologies have great potential, but research studies are sparse, especially in low- to middle-income countries. The paper presents…

Purpose: The study explored whether an asynchronous short online course in mental health well-being and resilience for healthcare workers (HCWs) showed improved self-reported results among participants during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Design/methodology/approach: A descriptive cross-sectional study evaluated the course outcomes…

Background: In 2012, the South African government initiated the Integrated School Health Policy (ISHP) to serve as a national guideline on providing school health and support services from key stakeholders such as the Department of Health (DoH), Department of Basic Education (DBE) and Department of Social Development (DSD). However, despite the…

In South Africa, the mother-infant relationship is often conceptualized using international frameworks. Yet, contextual knowledge of mother-infant bonding is essential, as a strong mother-infant bond enhances a mother's capacity to care for her infant, and is associated with many positive child development outcomes. Community health workers work…

The importance of knowledge sharing in healthcare organisations cannot be overemphasised. This is mainly due to the dynamic and sensitive nature of knowledge within the healthcare sector that can assist in caring for the patients and other administrative operations. The absence of knowledge sharing and retention practice in healthcare…

Community health workers possess valuable insight into the experiences of South Africa's children and caregivers. However, their knowledge is often overlooked in efforts to understand local realities, inform interventions, and develop relevant policies. This study aimed to explore community health workers' perspectives of the first 1000 days of…

This research study aimed to explore the experiences of caregivers of children through the early hearing detection and intervention (EHDI) process in the public health care sector in South Africa. A qualitative research design was employed. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 8 caregivers from 3 different levels of service delivery in…

This conceptual, reflective article explores recent innovations in mental health service provision at a large urban, residential university in South Africa during the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to the pandemic, mental health services at this university were generally offered through face-to-face consultations, with secondary offerings in the form of…

Children in low-income communities are at risk for developmental delays and sensory losses. mHealth screening tools enable community health workers to detect developmental delays and sensory losses. This study aims to describe a combined (developmental and sensory -- hearing and vision) mHealth-supported screening programme conducted by community…

Children and young people are vulnerable to developing mental health problems. In South Africa, this vulnerability is compounded by contextual risk factors such as community violence and poverty. However, mental health services are scarce and costly, which precludes access for many. Universal school-based mental health programmes can prevent the…

Home-based care facilities provide basic healthcare services to people too sick or frail to access formal clinics and hospitals. These facilities produce 'healthcare risk waste' which must be managed responsibly, and it is the work of Environmental Health Practitioners working within municipalities to ensure that the waste produced by home-based…

Community health workers have been shown to be an effective way to improve health outcomes in under-resourced contexts like South Africa. Community health workers can support health and well-being through supporting mother-infant bonding, which is associated with a wide range of benefits. The bond between mother and infant is critical for infants'…