Low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) experience a high disease burden for epilepsy, a chronic neurological condition.The authors evaluate the cost-effectiveness of community health workers (CHWs) to improve adherence to medication for epilepsy in South... Africa. They found that utilizing CHWs to improve medication adherence was cost-effective.
more
sthma prevalence is increasing worldwide, and surveys indicate that most patients in developed and developing countries, including South Africa, do not receive optimal care and are therefore not wel...l controlled. Standard management guidelines adapted to in-country realities are important to support optimal care. The South African Thoracic Society (SATS) first published a guideline for the management of chronic persistent asthma in 1992, which has subsequently been revised several times.
The main aim of the present document was to revise and update SATS’ statement on the suggested management of chronic asthma, based on the need to promote optimal care and control of asthma, together with the incorporation of new concepts and drug developments. This revised document reinforces optimal care and incorporates the following primary objectives to achieve the recent advances in asthma care:
• continued emphasis on the use of inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) as the foundation of asthma treatment
• to reduce the reliance on short-acting beta-2 agonist (SABA) monotherapy for asthma symptoms
• to incorporate the evidence and strategy for the use of the combination of an ICS and formoterol for acute symptom relief (instead of a SABA)
• to incorporate the evidence and strategy for the use of as-needed ICS-long-acting beta agonists (LABA) for patients with infrequent symptoms or ‘mild’ asthma
• to incorporate the evidence and strategy for the use of a long-acting muscarinic antagonist (LAMA) in combination with ICS-LABA; and
• to incorporate the evidence and strategy for the use of and management with a biologic therapy in severe asthma.
more
4th edition. A manual for clinics, community health centers and district hospitals
This guideline is intended to provide recommendations to applicants wishing to submit applications for the registration of medicines. It represents the Medicines Control Council’s current thinking on the safety, quality and efficacy of medicines.
HRH SA 2030 | Draft HR Strategy for the Health Sector: 2012/13 – 2016/17 Consultation Document
HRH Strategy for the Health Sector: 2012/13 – 2016/17
What We Know, What We Don’t Know, and What We Need to Do
Cervical cancer, along with maternal deaths, has been identified as a national priority in
South Africa as well as other Sub-Saharan African count...ries. Cervical cancer is the
second most common cancer among women in South Africa, after breast cancer. Due
to limited access to prevention, early diagnosis and treatment, cervical cancer is often
fatal.
more
Background: Traumatic stress may arise from various incidents often leading to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The lifetime prevalence of PTSD is estimated at 1% – 2% in Western Europe, 6% – 9% in North America and at just over 10% in countries exposed to long-term
violence. In ...s="attribute-to-highlight medbox">South Africa, the lifetime prevalence for PTSD in the general population is estimated at 2.3%.
Aim: To examine the prevalence of posttraumatic stress symptomatology and related psychological functioning in a community sample of adolescents.
Setting: Low-socioeconomic communities in KwaZulu-Natal.
more