On 1 April 2004, history was made in South Africa when the national government began its anti-retroviral rollout in Gauteng. This was in accordance with the government`s Operational Plan for the Comprehensive Treatment and Care for HIV/AIDS, a plan with the aim to curb the growth in the number of people infected with HIV/AIDS (a number estimated at 5 million), as well as provide treatment for those already infected.
The Harriet Shezi Clinic, Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital`s paediatric unit, specialises in treating children suffering from HIV/AIDS. Doctors working at the Harriet Shezi Clinic realised that the anti-retroviral rollout would result in an increase in the number of patients receiving treatment, and that in order to provide the best medical care possible, the future processes within the Harriet Shezi Clinic would need to be defined.
Read on to find out how BSG worked collaboratively with medical practitioners at the Harriet Shezi Clinic to ensure that the administration of anti-retroviral drugs is carried out efficiently.
Anti-retroviral rollout
Early 2004, the national government announced that it would be providing anti-retroviral drugs at accredited treatment sites throughout South Africa, starting in Gauteng. The date for the anti-retroviral rollout in Gauteng was scheduled for 1 April 2004, and would involve 5 hospitals: Johannesburg General Hospital, Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital, Coronation Community Hospital, Kalafong Hospital, and Helen Joseph Hospital.
BSG began working with a team of doctors at the Harriet Shezi Clinic in Soweto with the aim of compiling an operational model. At the very outset, several concerns were voiced:
* Duplication of roles and responsibilities within the clinic, as well as uncertainty regarding one`s responsibilities.
* A lack of training material available for training purposes.
After several weeks of detailed process modelling, an operational model documenting the future patient administration and treatment processes at the Harriet Shezi Clinic was completed. This operational model tracks the progress of a patient from the moment the patient books his/her first appointment to the resulting monitoring examinations (whether or not the patient has been prescribed anti-retroviral drugs). In addition, the roles and responsibilities of the staff members at the Harriet Shezi Clinic were defined. Six key roles were identified during subsequent data gathering sessions: Doctor, Primary Health Care Nurse, Social Worker, Peer Counsellor, Pharmacist, and Clerk.
BSG then took the roles and responsibilities, as they were defined in the operational model, and commenced work on training documentation for each of the roles within the Harriet Shezi Clinic. Included in the training documentation are posters and presentations that specify the exact tasks that each role-player has to carry out during each of the processes. It is Harriet Shezi Clinic`s intention to use these training materials as well as the documented processes to train staff members at the Zola Clinic as part of the Harriet Shezi Clinic`s pilot training project.
Conclusion
BSG has added value by providing the Harriet Shezi Clinic with documentation that is:
* Generic - The training documentation as well as the processes are generic in nature so that they can be used in other clinics/hospitals.
* Adaptable - Even though the Harriet Shezi Clinic treats only paediatrics, the documentation focuses on both paediatrics and adults so that it can be used in clinics where adults are treated.
* Practical - The training documentation can be used on a day-to-day basis, with the hope that the posters that have been designed will be permanently on display in the clinic.
* Easy to understand - The training documentation was designed with the aim of it being easy to understand while at the same time providing essential information.
In addition, by embarking on a project in an industry that is completely new to BSG, BSG has demonstrated its ability to excel in any industry. Dr Stephen Heitner, a paediatric doctor at the Harriet Shezi Clinic and a member of the Wits Paediatric HIV Working Group, says: "BSG managed to apply their business sense in a novel way with outstanding results. The individuals were able to grasp concepts presented to them, in medical terminology, grapple with the logic and flow of a clinical scenario, and translate the events into a clear concise system. Using their corporate-based technology, they were able to channel our own thought processes and create a product with infinite practical implications."
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