Perceptions of the impact of an advanced training programme on the management skills of health professionals in Gauteng, South Africa

Background. South Africa's health sector spans the private and the public sectors. Within the sectors, health managers take on strategic leadership roles without formal training in management or leadership ­ a trend more common in the public sector than the private sector. Health managers are selected based on their clinical skills rather than their leadership or management skills.Objective. To compare self-rated competencies in management and leadership before and after training of the participants; to assess participants' experience of the training programme; and to evaluate the management and leadership skills of the participants after training.Methods. A cross-sectional, descriptive analytical method and 360° interviewing were used in this study. Participants were evaluated ~18 months after completion of the training programme. A 360° evaluation (360° E) of six of the 12 leadership/management competencies was done with the supervisors, colleagues, and subordinates of the participants.Results. All participants rated themselves as improved in 12 managerial and leadership competencies. The 360° E affirmed five of these competencies as improved, with the ability to create and implement a marketing plan rating poorly.Conclusion. Training in management leads to improvement in both leadership and managerial skills of health professionals

Teaching and Assessing Consultation Skills : an Evaluation of a South African workshop on using the Leicester Assessment Package

Background: Alcohol is the most important substance of abuse in South Africa. There are; however; reports of an increase in the use of other drugs among adolescents. The aim of this study was to assess the use of alcohol and other drugs of abuse and their association with physical or sexual abuse in three urban high schools in Mthatha. MethodThe Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT); embedded in a broader questionnaire; was used as a screening tool to assess primary and secondary objectives among the student population (N = 1 424) attending school on a given day at three urban high schools in Mthatha (a cut-off point of 8 was selected).Results: Of the 266 (18.6) students who tested AUDIT positive; 63 (4.42) were female and 203 (14.26) were male (P less than 0.01). AUDIT-positive students between the ages of 15 and 17 years represent 10.18 of the total number of students tested. A total of 169 (11.87) students showed symptoms of dependence; while 355 students (24.93) reported drug-related problems in their families. Two hundred and twenty-five (15.8) of the students admitted using dagga (cannabis) at some point; while 69 (4.85) had used mandrax and 64 (4.49) had used cocaine. A total of 149 (10.46) students had been victims of physical abuse and 91 (6.39) of sexual abuse. Sexual and physical abuses were statistically significantly correlated with alcohol-related problems.Conclusions: Alcohol was the most commonly abused drug in the screened group; followed by cannabis; mandrax and cocaine. Sexually or physically abused students were at a higher risk of developing a substance-related problem