Emerging practice models for family medicine 4
Track 28
| Friday, October 27, 2023 |
| 2:00 PM - 3:35 PM |
| Meeting Room E3.10 |
Speaker
A/Prof Klaus von Pressentin
Head: Division Of Family Medicine
University of Cape Town
Measuring the core primary care functions – engaging with lessons learnt from the African PCAT experience
2:00 PM - 3:35 PMSummary
In 2022 the World Health Organization (WHO) proposed a new framework for the measurement of primary healthcare performance. At the heart of primary care delivery are the core functions of first-contact access, continuity, coordination, comprehensiveness and person-centredness. The WHO proposes that these core functions should be evaluated by facility-based patient surveys and exit interviews. In the African context, several countries (South Africa, Uganda, Kenya, and Malawi) have now successfully adapted and validated the Primary Care Assessment Tool (PCAT) so that it can measure the core primary care functions in this way, and guide improvement in primary care.
We are a group of African researchers connected to the Primafamed network (Primary Care and Family Medicine Network for Sub-Saharan Africa), who have built local evidence of the value of the PCAT in our respective countries. We are convinced that our discipline of family medicine should play a central role in expanding primary care measurement and improvement capability in the different WONCA world regions, particularly in similar low- and middle-income countries. The PCAT can be adapted as the preferred tool to measure the core primary care functions.
The speakers will outline:
• The background and principles of using the PCAT instrument;
• The experience of using the PCAT in applied research in South Africa, Uganda, Kenya and Malawi;
• The contribution of family doctors, primary care team members and user voices to strengthen primary care as informed by the PCAT findings;
• The possible role of the PCAT in applied research and practice improvement through regional family doctor networks.
This will be followed by a discussion on the applicability of the PCAT to different contexts: its use in research and performance evaluation to strengthen PHC.
We are a group of African researchers connected to the Primafamed network (Primary Care and Family Medicine Network for Sub-Saharan Africa), who have built local evidence of the value of the PCAT in our respective countries. We are convinced that our discipline of family medicine should play a central role in expanding primary care measurement and improvement capability in the different WONCA world regions, particularly in similar low- and middle-income countries. The PCAT can be adapted as the preferred tool to measure the core primary care functions.
The speakers will outline:
• The background and principles of using the PCAT instrument;
• The experience of using the PCAT in applied research in South Africa, Uganda, Kenya and Malawi;
• The contribution of family doctors, primary care team members and user voices to strengthen primary care as informed by the PCAT findings;
• The possible role of the PCAT in applied research and practice improvement through regional family doctor networks.
This will be followed by a discussion on the applicability of the PCAT to different contexts: its use in research and performance evaluation to strengthen PHC.
Takeaways
1. A deeper understanding of the PCAT instrument,
2. Its implementation on the African continent,
3. And its applicability to their own contexts to measure the core primary care functions.
2. Its implementation on the African continent,
3. And its applicability to their own contexts to measure the core primary care functions.
Biography
Klaus von Pressentin is an academic, primary care researcher, educator and clinician based in Cape Town, South Africa. He is the head of the Division of Family Medicine at the University of Cape Town. He completed his PhD in 2017 which evaluated the impact of family physicians within the district health system of South Africa. His research focuses on primary care service strengthening (including chronic conditions and palliative care in primary care), human resources for health, as well as health professions education. He teaches primary care research methods, leadership development, clinical governance, evidence-based practice, and consultation skills. His current volunteer activities include serving as the Editor-in-Chief of the South African Family Practice Journal, serving on the Council of the College of Family Physicians of South Africa and serving on the Education and Training committee of the South African Academy of Family Physicians.
