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Determining the factors related to patients in the uMuziwabantu sub-district of KwaZulu-Natal bypassing primary health care facitilities in 2010 and accessing the district hospital as their point of first contact.

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Date

2011

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Abstract

Primary health care (PHC) is the first component of the health system that provides patients with first-level care. PHC must be supported by a strong referral system whereby PHC nurses can refer patients with conditions beyond their capabilities to medical officers for further management using referral letters. The medical officers also using referral letters refer stable patients back to the PHC clinics for follow up and management. The aim of study was to determine factors related to patients bypassing primary health care facilities and accessing the district hospital as point of first contact in the Umuziwabantu health sub-district of KwaZulu-Natal. This research investigates the referral patterns of patients as well as the factors affecting the referral patterns of patients between PHC facilities and the district hospital. The study was conducted at the Gateway Clinic of St Andrew’s Hospital and its outpatient department. The following groups were excluded from the study: any patients who arrived at the clinic with a referral letter from another facility, any children who were brought there by another child, and any who were unwilling to take part in the study. The researcher made use of open-ended and structured questions to interview 720 patients over a period of six months. The overall findings show that a large part of the Umuziwabantu sub-district is still served by mobile clinics. Since mobile clinics do not visit each point daily, patients from mobile points often go to the hospital for any health-related problems. There is the widespread perception that a hospital provides better service than a PHC clinic. The Local Government (LG) clinic only sees a limited number of patients. The main reasons given by patients for bypassing their local PHC clinics are: 1. Mobile clinic unavailability on that day; 2. The hospital is closer. 3. Patients are used to coming to the hospital. 4. Patients are doing things in town and then decide to combine this visit with hospital visit. Three-hundred-and-sixty-one patients had only minor ailments and a further 95 required chronic treatment which could have been dispensed at PHC clinics. Only 264 of patients surveyed should have been seen at the Hospital. Conclusions from the study were that patients would use their local PHC clinics if there were enough fixed clinics and the LG clinic had more staff to attend to more patients than the number they are currently attending. The clinic-upgrading programme needs to be improved and fast-tracked.

Description

Thesis (M.Med.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2011.

Keywords

Primary health care--KwaZulu-Natal--uMuziwabantu., Hospitals--KwaZulu-Natal--uMuziwabantu., Theses--Public health.

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