Various healthcare professionals require pharmacology as part of their education, though invariably the nature of the pharmacological competencies will be dependent on the scope of practice of said professional. Unfortunately, there is a large base of evidence to suggest that such competencies are often not adequately developed, for example, due to misaligned curricula, inappropriate andragogy being used, or decontextualised learning. The potential thus exists for healthcare professionals to enter the workforce without having developed the necessary pharmacological competencies to contribute adequately to the healthcare sector when medicine is involved, thus affecting the quality of healthcare or their professional development. Furthermore, the scope of practice of many healthcare professionals is evolving, necessitating a renewed view of their pharmacological needs. The research team focuses on determining the pharmacological competencies needed by healthcare professionals, including professional-specific areas of interest as listed below and displayed in the figure.

 

Dietitians: Evaluation of food-drug interaction competencies

Food-drug interactions can have clinically significant repercussions for pharmacotherapy, either by benefiting or hindering it. Many well-described food-drug interactions, such as those between tyramine-containing food and monoamine oxidase inhibitors, vitamin K-containing foods and warfarin, and potassium-containing foods and digoxin, can lead to treatment failure or a burden of adverse effects that complicate achieving therapeutic clinical outcomes. Dietitians, working within the domain of medical nutrition therapy, are well-positioned to educate patients on such interactions, and prevent or treat such interactions when clinically needed. However, limited information is available to showcase that these competencies are adequately developed, with research suggesting potential lack of knowledge in the domain, or contextual complexities that hinder patient education. Within the research focus, the team investigates factors that influence the development and application of food-drug interaction competencies, ranging from knowledge to patient education.

Collaborators:  Ms Natascha Olivier (Private Practice)

 

Applicable research levels: Social, regulatory, and clinical sciences research at BSc.Hons, MSc or PhD level

Minimum skillsets at MSc and PhD levels: Coding and thematic analysis in qualitative research; focus group and/or semi-structured interviews (at PhD level)

Students: Remofilwe Morudu (BSc.Hons candidate); Nonhlanhla Mbonani (MSc candidate)

 

Resources:
Publications: Nonhlanhla Mbonani (2024)

 

Nurses: Evaluation of the South African recommendations for nurse neuropsychiatric prescribing

Mental healthcare remains a global challenge, particularly in communities that are often stigmatised. In South Africa, the mental healthcare sector is under strain due to, among others, limited funding, perceptual challenges related to mental health, a shortage of mental healthcare specialists, and limited access to neuropsychiatric prescribing when called for. Certain communities, such as those living with HIV, are often at a higher risk of mental health disorders, which is why the National Strategic Action Plan for HIV, TB and STIs 2023 to 2028 have recommended that, among others, nurses be capacitated to provide more mental healthcare services, which includes neuropsychiatric prescribing of commonly diagnosed conditions (Sub-objective 1.7.2). For such a recommendation to come to pass, much more information is needed to determine whether it will be feasible within our country, ranging from alterations to nursing education frameworks, mental healthcare policies, and public healthcare sector change management. Within the research focus, the team investigates the recommendations proposed by the Strategic Action Plan by evaluating perceptions of mental healthcare specialists (including nurses), the change management needed within the public healthcare sector, and the curricular aspects that will need to be altered.

Collaborators: Prof Fhumulani Mulaudzi (Nursing, University of Pretoria); Prof Neissan Besharati (Gordon Institute of Business; SCIPP); Dr Ronelle Jansen (Nursing, University of the Free State); Ms Mari Prinsloo (Nursing, University of the Free State);

 

 

Applicable research levels: Social, regulatory and clinical sciences research at BSc.Hons, MSc or PhD level

Minimum skillsets at MSc and PhD levels: Coding and thematic analysis in qualitative research; focus group and/or semi-structured interviews (at PhD level)

Students: Phiwokuhle Mthethwa (BSc.Hons candidate); Mavisha Naidoo (MSc candidate); Basetsana Maphanga (PhD candidate); Shirié van Rooyen (PhD candidate)

 

Physiotherapists: Expansion of scope of practice to include non-medical prescribing

Physiotherapists make use of physical therapy to prevent, treat or manage various ailments, and are often placed in an environment where pharmacotherapeutic intervention is called for (or already in place). However, physiotherapists are not prescribers at present and thus should pharmacotherapy be needed, patients may need to source prescriptions from medical doctors due to it being a higher scheduled medication, or to make use of medical aid benefits more explicitly. Such approaches unfortunately increase the cost to the patient, and also perturbs the service delivery pipeline. Additionally, physiotherapists may be positioned more appropriately to advise which medication would be appropriate within the context of the patient’s ailment. Due to these reasons, among others, the Board for Physiotherapy, Podiatry and Biokinetics of the Health Professions Council of South Africa has been working towards an expansion of scope of practice to include non-medical prescribing of physiotherapy-relevant medications. Although this may benefit the physiotherapy role and increase service delivery, as shown in countries like the United Kingdom, contextually relevant research is needed to determine how to appropriately implement such non-medical prescribing within our country. Within the research focus, the team investigates the regulatory and curricular alterations needed for the implementation of non-medical prescription, as well as perceptual analyses of stakeholders that are affected by such a change in scope of practice.

Collaborators: Dr Desmond Mathye (Physiotherapy, University of Pretoria; HPCSA)

 

Applicable research levels: Social, regulatory and clinical sciences research at BSc.Hons, MSc or PhD level

Minimum skillsets at MSc and PhD levels: Coding and thematic analysis in qualitative research; focus group and/or semi-structured interviews (at PhD level) 

Students: Jonathan Bartie (MSc candidate)

 

Resources:
Publications: Tsungirirai Kakono (2023) 

 

Associated healthcare practitioners and scientists: Competency framework development

Competency frameworks help delineate the educational needs and outcomes required by graduates to achieve their responsibilities within their world-of-work. Within healthcare professions, alignment to the scope of practice is necessary to ensure that individuals are able to achieve what are legally ascribed to their professions. As the world changes due to modernisation, alterations to national health concerns, expanding scopes of practice and other multifactorial reasons, it is necessary to ensure that guidelines are available to support clear curriculum design to capacitate healthcare practitioners and scientists with the core competencies required for them to adapt in the environment, and support quality health outcomes. In the sub-theme of this research focus area, competency frameworks are being developed for lactation specialists towards understanding the complexity of medicine in breast milk, and for project managers within the evolving clinical trial research space.

Collaborators: Prof Ute Feucht (Paediatrics and Child Health, University of Pretoria); Dr Morné Strydom (Pharmacology, University of Pretoria)

 

Applicable research levels: Social, regulatory and clinical sciences research at BSc.Hons, MSc or PhD level

Minimum skillsets at MSc and PhD levels: Coding and thematic analysis in qualitative research; focus group and/or semi-structured interviews (at PhD level) 

Students: Martha Mulunga (BSc.Hons candidate); Henk Badenhorst (PhD candidate); Obaidiyah Mustapha (PhD candidate)