SETTING Despite the prioritisation of TB, HIV and STI programmes in South Africa, service targets are not achieved, have had little effect, and the magnitude of the epidemics continues to escalate. Objective. To report on a participatory quality improvement intervention designed to evaluate these priority programmes in primary health care (PHC) clinics in a rural district in KwaZulu-Natal. ME...

STUDY OBJECTIVES To determine whether access to high-quality stroke care is affected by the age or gender of the patient or by weekend admission. DESIGN Data were collected as part of the National Sentinel Audit of stroke in 2004, both on the organisation of in-patient stroke care and the process of care to hospitals managing stroke patients. SETTING Two hundred and forty-six hospitals from...

Introduction During the past decade, demands for eVective quality assessment in primary health care have increased considerably. “The third revolution of medical care” has seen a move towards more rigorous assessment of clinical interventions and increasing calls for more accountability. Although most agree that quality improvement is important there are many views about the best approach to qu...

Abstract Background Psychotropic medications are frequently prescribed for long-term care residents, even though the risks outweigh benefits. A draft tool was developed self-audit of appropriateness psychotropic non-cognitive symptoms people with dementia in Residential-Care Facilities (RCF). Prior to national use, audit tool, manual and training required piloting. Methods The case notes ten re...