Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2023 Feb 10;65(1):e1-e11.
doi: 10.4102/safp.v65i1.5634.

Comprehensive patient education and counselling for non-communicable diseases in primary care, Western Cape

Robert J Mash  1 , Joleen Cairncross
Affiliations

Comprehensive patient education and counselling for non-communicable diseases in primary care, Western Cape

Robert J Mash et al. S Afr Fam Pract (2004). .

Abstract

Background: Treatment of non-communicable diseases (NCD) requires patient education and counselling (PEC). Initiatives have focused on Group Empowerment and Training (GREAT) for diabetes and Brief behaviour change counselling (BBCC). However, the implementation of comprehensive PEC in primary care remains a challenge. The aim of this study was to explore how such PEC could be implemented.

Methods: This was a descriptive, exploratory, qualitative study at the end of the first year of a participatory action research project to implement comprehensive PEC for NCDs at two primary care facilities in the Western Cape. Focus group interviews were held with healthcare workers and reports from co-operative inquiry group meetings were used as qualitative data.

Results: Staff were trained in GREAT for diabetes and BBCC. There were problems with training appropriate staff and sufficient numbers and a need for ongoing support. Implementation was limited by poor internal sharing of information, staff turnover and leave, rotation of staff, lack of space and fears of disrupting the efficiency of service delivery. Facilities had to embed the initiatives into appointment systems and fast track patients who attended GREAT. For those patients that were exposed to PEC, there were reported benefits.

Conclusion: Group empowerment was feasible to introduce, while BBCC was more challenging as it required extra time in the consultation.Contribution: Implementation of PEC requires alternative approaches that do not extend consultations (such as GREAT and maybe digital solutions) as well as commitment to facility organisation for PEC from managers.

Keywords: behaviour change; counselling; diabetes; noncommunicable diseases; patient education; primary care.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no financial or personal relationships that may have inappropriately influenced them in writing this article.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Summary of key findings.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. World Health Organization . Noncommunicable diseases [homepage on the Internet]. [cited 2022 Jul 06]. Available from: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/noncommunicable-diseases
    1. Levitt NS, Steyn K, Dave J, Bradshaw D. Chronic noncommunicable diseases and HIV-AIDS on a collision course: Relevance for health care delivery, particularly in low-resource settings – Insights from South Africa. Am J Clin Nutr. 2011;94(6):1690S–1696S. 10.3945/ajcn.111.019075 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. StatsSA . Key findings: P0309.3 – Mortality and causes of death in South Africa: Findings from death notification, 2015 [homepage on the Internet]. 2018. [cited 2019 Mar 26]. Available from: http://www.statssa.gov.za/?page_id=1856&PPN=P0309.3&SCH=6987
    1. Western Cape Government: Health . Primary health care integrated audit report for non-communicable chronic diseases Cape Town district 2016/17. Cape Town: Department of Health; 2017.
    1. National Department of Health . National strategic plan for the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases, 2022–2027 [homepage on the Internet]. Pretoria; 2022. [cited 2022 Sept 19]. Available from: https://www.sancda.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/NCD-NSP-Final-For-C...

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources