Awareness of the ward based outreach team and the services offered by the programme in the tshwane health district, South Africa

Background: The Ward Based Outreach Team (WBOT) is an organised team approach to a healthcare system based on theprinciples of epidemiology, primary health care, preventive medicine and health promotion. Globally, it has become a primary care response to many health challenges such as universal health coverage. The beneficiaries are community members, also referred to as households.Methods: The study assessed the awareness of the WBOT and the servicesoffered by the programme in the Tshwane health district of South Africa. This was a cross-sectional survey conducted in all seven sub-districts of the health district. The health district is further sub-divided into 150 health wards. Eighty-five health wards were randomly selected for the study. Using the sample size calculator, with a confidence interval of 5% and confidence level of 99%, the sample size of participants was 654. However, during the data collection process there was over-sampling of up to 764. Participants were recruited by convenience sampling. Data werecollected between October 12 and December 3, 2015, using a pre-piloted, structured questionnaire administered by 14 trained field workers. Results: The study obtained 6 288 responses from the 764 participants. The responses were grouped into two sections, 'Yes' and 'No'. A summary of the responses showed that the number of 'yes' responses, the number of participants who were aware of the WBOT and the services offered by the programme were higher than the number of participants who were unaware of the programme. The figures were 5 590 (88.8%) 'yes' responses and 698 (11.1%) 'no' responses.Conclusion: In summary, the awareness of the WBOT and the services offered by the programme in the Tshwane health district, South Africa is evaluated to be 88.8%

Community healthcare workers' satisfaction with ward-based outreach team services in Tshwane district, South Africa

Background: The incorporation of community healthcare worker (CHW) involvement in the management of patients is in line with the 2006 World Health Report, which advocates increased community participation and the systematic delegation of tasks to less specialised cadres. For CHWs to function optimally, satisfaction in their duties is paramount to promote quality healthcare. The health minister included ward-based outreach teams (WBOT) as part of the National Health Insurance. 1 CHWs form an important link between healthcare facilities and the communities. This study aimed to measure the satisfaction level of the CHWs with WBOT services in the Tshwane district of South Africa. Method: A cross-sectional study on CHWs was conducted in seven sub-districts. Data were obtained by trained data collectors using a piloted self-administered structured questionnaire from October 12 to November 3, 2015 in three local official languages. The study population of CHWs was 1 600. Using a 95% confidence level and 5% confidence interval, the sample size was 310. However, we over-sampled to 431 participants. Results: The mean age was 36 years (SD ± 9.46). The majority were females (82.1%); more than three-quarters (77%) had secondary education. The majority were satisfied with the WBOT services whereby 59.8% was the lowest score and 98.4% the highest score. Close to two-thirds (62%) were not satisfied with their monthly stipends. The majority of the younger members of the team (20­40 years) were not valued by their co-workers (70% or 181/255) [p= 0.03]. The overall satisfaction(n= 8593) was 73.4% (p< 0.001).Conclusion: Overall satisfaction of CHWs with WBOT is good news. Dissatisfaction regarding stipend/compensation must be addressed. CHWs should be valued and motivated