The fast queue service point: The analysis of the quality of care for primary health care users in ethekwini district, kwazulu-natal

16^th Clinical Nursing & Nurse Education Conference

November 21-22, 2016 Melbourne, Australia

DG Sokhela

Durban University of Technology, South Africa

Keynote: J Nurs Care

Abstract :

This mixed methods study assessed the functioning and processes of the Fast Queue Service Point in order to analyse the quality of care rendered in primary health care (PHC) facilities in the eThekwini district of the KwaZulu-Natal Province in South Africa. The Fast Queue Service Point provides service in PHC facilities for health care users requiring short consultations. Congestion of PHC facilities is a result of increased access to PHC services with the introduction of free PHC services. This congestion was aggravated by the decentralization of services from hospitals to PHC level such as the introduction on Nurse Initiated Management of Anti-Retroviral Therapy (NIMART). In 2010, the National Core Standards (NCS) for health establishments were formulated further to the PHC Service package, to address issues of quality. An explanatory sequential mixed method study design was used and data collection was conducted in two phases; the quantitative data collection phase consisting of two subsets of observations namely, and; the retrospective record review and structured observations of the Fast Queue Service Point process. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22 was used to analyse data. During the second phase semi-structured interviews were conducted with PHC staff members to describe their experiences of the Fast Queue Service Point and to clarify issues from the quantitative phase. Although health care users received sufficient care, there were important care items that had been inadequately performed or were not done at all. These included discussing side effects of medications and or immunizations and the management thereof. Children�s weights were not interpreted an important aspect for children under five years of age. There was also lack of supportive supervision with shortage of resources. Too many time-consuming written records were required to compile accurate statistics. A framework for continuous quality improvement was developed from the results of the study.

Biography :

Dr Dudu Gloria Sokhela is a B Tech Primary Health Care (PHC) lecturer at the Durban University of Technology’s (DUT) Department of Nursing, South Africa. Trained as a General Nurse in 1979, and Midwife in 1982. Obtained B Cur Degree at UNISA with majors in Nursing Education and Nursing Management in 1998. Specialised in PHC obtaining a Diploma in Clinical Nursing Science Health Assessment Treatment and Care in 2001 and a Master’s Degree in 2011. Graduated with a Doctoral degree in 2016 at DUT. A Qualitative PHC Researcher. Has published in accredited journals and supervises Masters and doctoral students.

Email: dudus@dut.ac.za