Martin Bac - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Martin Bac

Research paper thumbnail of Changing priorities in maternal and perinatal health in Gert Sibande District, South Africa

South African Medical Journal, 2019

Research paper thumbnail of Students’ perceptions of the instructional quality of district hospital-based training

African Journal of Primary Health Care & Family Medicine, 2016

Research paper thumbnail of Rural district hospitals--essential cogs in the district health system--and primary healthcare re-engineering

South African medical journal = Suid-Afrikaanse tydskrif vir geneeskunde, 2015

The re-engineering of primary healthcare (PHC) is regarded as an essential precursor to the imple... more The re-engineering of primary healthcare (PHC) is regarded as an essential precursor to the implementation of National Health Insurance in South Africa, but improvements in the provision of PHC services have been patchy. The authors contend that the role of well- functioning rural district hospitals as a hub from which PHC services can be most efficiently managed has been underestimated, and that the management of district hospitals and PHC clinics need to be co-located at the level of the rural district hospital, to allow for proper integration of care and effective healthcare provision.

Research paper thumbnail of Making a difference" - Medical students' opportunities for transformational change in health care and learning through quality improvement projects

BMC medical education, 2016

Quality improvement is increasingly becoming an essential aspect of the medical curriculum, with ... more Quality improvement is increasingly becoming an essential aspect of the medical curriculum, with the intention of improving the health care system to provide better health care. The aim of this study was to explore undergraduate medical students' experiences of their involvement in quality improvement projects during a district health rotation. Student group reports from rotations in learning centres of the University of Pretoria in Mpumalanga Province, South Africa were analysed for the period 2012 to 2015. Interviews were conducted with health care providers at four learning centres in 2013. Three main themes were identified: (1) 'Situated learning', describing students' exposure to the discrepancies between ideal and reality in a real-life situation and how they learned to deal with complex situations, individually and as student group; (2) 'Facing dilemmas', describing how students were challenged about the non-ideal reality; (3) 'Making a difference&...

Research paper thumbnail of Rural district hospitals – essential cogs in the district health system – and primary healthcare re-engineering

South African Medical Journal, 2015

The re-engineering of primary healthcare (PHC) is regarded as an essential precursor to the imple... more The re-engineering of primary healthcare (PHC) is regarded as an essential precursor to the implementation of National Health Insurance in South Africa, but improvements in the provision of PHC services have been patchy. The authors contend that the role of well- functioning rural district hospitals as a hub from which PHC services can be most efficiently managed has been underestimated, and that the management of district hospitals and PHC clinics need to be co-located at the level of the rural district hospital, to allow for proper integration of care and effective healthcare provision.

Research paper thumbnail of Medical education and the quality improvement spiral: A case study from Mpumalanga, South Africa

African Journal of Primary Health Care & Family Medicine, 2015

The short timeframe of medical students' rotations is not always conducive to successful, in-dept... more The short timeframe of medical students' rotations is not always conducive to successful, in-depth quality-improvement projects requiring a more longitudinal approach.

Research paper thumbnail of Combating Protein-Energy-Malnutrition in a Rural/ Peri-Urban Southern African Black Population

The Journal of the Royal Society for the Promotion of Health, 1991

PROTEIN-ENERGY-malnutrition (PEM) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in young children i... more PROTEIN-ENERGY-malnutrition (PEM) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in young children in Africa. In South Africa, in 1987, to help combating and preventing PEM in the rural black population, the Gold Fields Nutrition Unit was inaugurated at the Medical University of Southern Africa. In 1987-9, 442 patients (rural/peri-urban) plus their mothers or child carers were admitted, and 406 attended as outpatients. Average age was 15.4 +/- 7.6 months, weight 7.0 +/- 1.6kg, stay in hospital, 12 +/- 10.8 days, and daily weight gain during treatment was 31 +/- 48g. Mothers mainly were young and unmarried. Primary causative factors were infections, ignorance, and insufficiency of food. Since results from rehabilitation are usually poor, mothers and carers were taught how best to prepare meals using local foodstuffs. The interventions included teaching and demonstrations of how to grow vegetables, maintain an orchard, a fowl-run, and improve kitchen and laundry facilities. In 1990, in a follow-up of 73 patients, no deaths had occurred within a 12 month period. This far better than usual outcome is being furthered by setting up satellite nutrition clinics.

Research paper thumbnail of The clinical associate curriculum - the learning theory underpinning the BCMP programme at the University of Pretoria

African Journal of Health Professions Education, 2012

The Bachelor of Clinical Medical Practice (BCMP) is a new degree at the University of Pretoria (U... more The Bachelor of Clinical Medical Practice (BCMP) is a new degree at the University of Pretoria (UP), designed to create a new category of mid-level medical workers, namely clinical associates. UP produced its first 44 graduates in 2011. The BCMP created the opportunity to innovate learning and teaching through designing, monitoring and evaluating the transformation of the curriculum as action research.

Research paper thumbnail of Changing priorities in maternal and perinatal health in Gert Sibande District, South Africa

South African Medical Journal, 2019

Research paper thumbnail of Students’ perceptions of the instructional quality of district hospital-based training

African Journal of Primary Health Care & Family Medicine, 2016

Research paper thumbnail of Rural district hospitals--essential cogs in the district health system--and primary healthcare re-engineering

South African medical journal = Suid-Afrikaanse tydskrif vir geneeskunde, 2015

The re-engineering of primary healthcare (PHC) is regarded as an essential precursor to the imple... more The re-engineering of primary healthcare (PHC) is regarded as an essential precursor to the implementation of National Health Insurance in South Africa, but improvements in the provision of PHC services have been patchy. The authors contend that the role of well- functioning rural district hospitals as a hub from which PHC services can be most efficiently managed has been underestimated, and that the management of district hospitals and PHC clinics need to be co-located at the level of the rural district hospital, to allow for proper integration of care and effective healthcare provision.

Research paper thumbnail of Making a difference" - Medical students' opportunities for transformational change in health care and learning through quality improvement projects

BMC medical education, 2016

Quality improvement is increasingly becoming an essential aspect of the medical curriculum, with ... more Quality improvement is increasingly becoming an essential aspect of the medical curriculum, with the intention of improving the health care system to provide better health care. The aim of this study was to explore undergraduate medical students' experiences of their involvement in quality improvement projects during a district health rotation. Student group reports from rotations in learning centres of the University of Pretoria in Mpumalanga Province, South Africa were analysed for the period 2012 to 2015. Interviews were conducted with health care providers at four learning centres in 2013. Three main themes were identified: (1) 'Situated learning', describing students' exposure to the discrepancies between ideal and reality in a real-life situation and how they learned to deal with complex situations, individually and as student group; (2) 'Facing dilemmas', describing how students were challenged about the non-ideal reality; (3) 'Making a difference&...

Research paper thumbnail of Rural district hospitals – essential cogs in the district health system – and primary healthcare re-engineering

South African Medical Journal, 2015

The re-engineering of primary healthcare (PHC) is regarded as an essential precursor to the imple... more The re-engineering of primary healthcare (PHC) is regarded as an essential precursor to the implementation of National Health Insurance in South Africa, but improvements in the provision of PHC services have been patchy. The authors contend that the role of well- functioning rural district hospitals as a hub from which PHC services can be most efficiently managed has been underestimated, and that the management of district hospitals and PHC clinics need to be co-located at the level of the rural district hospital, to allow for proper integration of care and effective healthcare provision.

Research paper thumbnail of Medical education and the quality improvement spiral: A case study from Mpumalanga, South Africa

African Journal of Primary Health Care & Family Medicine, 2015

The short timeframe of medical students' rotations is not always conducive to successful, in-dept... more The short timeframe of medical students' rotations is not always conducive to successful, in-depth quality-improvement projects requiring a more longitudinal approach.

Research paper thumbnail of Combating Protein-Energy-Malnutrition in a Rural/ Peri-Urban Southern African Black Population

The Journal of the Royal Society for the Promotion of Health, 1991

PROTEIN-ENERGY-malnutrition (PEM) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in young children i... more PROTEIN-ENERGY-malnutrition (PEM) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in young children in Africa. In South Africa, in 1987, to help combating and preventing PEM in the rural black population, the Gold Fields Nutrition Unit was inaugurated at the Medical University of Southern Africa. In 1987-9, 442 patients (rural/peri-urban) plus their mothers or child carers were admitted, and 406 attended as outpatients. Average age was 15.4 +/- 7.6 months, weight 7.0 +/- 1.6kg, stay in hospital, 12 +/- 10.8 days, and daily weight gain during treatment was 31 +/- 48g. Mothers mainly were young and unmarried. Primary causative factors were infections, ignorance, and insufficiency of food. Since results from rehabilitation are usually poor, mothers and carers were taught how best to prepare meals using local foodstuffs. The interventions included teaching and demonstrations of how to grow vegetables, maintain an orchard, a fowl-run, and improve kitchen and laundry facilities. In 1990, in a follow-up of 73 patients, no deaths had occurred within a 12 month period. This far better than usual outcome is being furthered by setting up satellite nutrition clinics.

Research paper thumbnail of The clinical associate curriculum - the learning theory underpinning the BCMP programme at the University of Pretoria

African Journal of Health Professions Education, 2012

The Bachelor of Clinical Medical Practice (BCMP) is a new degree at the University of Pretoria (U... more The Bachelor of Clinical Medical Practice (BCMP) is a new degree at the University of Pretoria (UP), designed to create a new category of mid-level medical workers, namely clinical associates. UP produced its first 44 graduates in 2011. The BCMP created the opportunity to innovate learning and teaching through designing, monitoring and evaluating the transformation of the curriculum as action research.