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1. Priority Health Programmes and Knowledge Management

Study

Aims and objectives

Refinement of the SA National Health Research Database as a web-based research tool

• Maintain an up-to-date database of existing and ongoing health research in South Africa
• Continue to define trends in health research and gaps for the National Health Research Directorate and National Health Research Committee
• Establish a tool for Provincial Health Research Committees to track provincial research

Providing support to National and Provincial Health Research Committees in providing effective coordination of health research and help to build appropriate health research capacity

• Assist National and Provincial Health Research Committees to determine health research priorities
• Audit committees to obtain up-to-date information on capacity and needs
• Assist in developing a database to track research in the province concerned
• Identify training needs and suitable training where the required

Data Verification of TB recording system with a view to informing improvements to the electronic TB register

• Undertake two participatory district level data verification studies per quarter as well as one operational research study per quarter
• document on weaknesses in the logical design of the ETR

An investigation of the burden of TB disease in children less than 15 years old.

• Review data in the ETR, to quantify the burden of TB of all types in children, classified according to type (new or retreatment), site (pulmonary or extra-pulmonary) and drug susceptibility (susceptible, multi- or extremely drug resistant), and if possible, establish the prevalence and/or incidence of these.
• Review of clinic-based records to establish the outcomes of children with TB.

An investigation into the practice and management of MDR TB suspects

• Undertake a qualitative study, based on interviews with nurses at clinics in selected districts.
• Describe how patients who do not smear convert at 2 months are managed, with specific reference to drug treatment and education received
• Explore the infection control practices the patients put in place at their homes.

An assessment of the provision of HIV voluntary counselling and testing (VCT) for patients with TB.

• Quantify the uptake of VCT by TB patients, in relation to the manner in which VCT is provided using data generated from clinics supported by TASC TB,
• Assess the extent of standardisation of the provision of VCT by qualitative interviews with staff at selected clinics supported by TASC TB.

Evaluation of the TASC TB programme

• Assess the extent to which the TASC TB programme has achieved its defined objectives

Gauteng Children's Hospital study

• To provide information necessary to support the feasibility of establishing a children's hospital

Assessing impact of automation in workplace

• To assess the extent to which automation at Sebokeng Hospital has improved efficiency

Strengthening the evidence base for interventions on mother and child survival in 18 priority districts

Impact of the child support grant on maternal and child in relation to the millennium development goals health

• Rapid appraisal of community IMCI
• EPI coverage per district
• Cold chain capacity
• What is the capacity for introducing new vaccines for Pneumonia and Diarrhoea?
• Skills audit in relation to MCH
• HAART for women
• Baby friendliness of facilities and hospitals
• Baseline survey of nutritional status including growth monitoring
• Improving flow of information to and from laboratories (NHLS)
• Assess the impact that the provision of social grants has made to MCH

Strengthen model of compensation mechanisms for occupationally-acquired disease

• Develop an experimental model of compensating silicosis victims using the provisions of the ODMWA Act
• Undertake a series of qualitative case studies to explore how the availability of compensation changes the lives and health status of victims
• Assess impact of training service providers such as doctors and nurses

2. Health Service and Community Studies

Study

Aims and objectives

Strengthening research capacity at local level by engaging in the District Health Planning process (in collaboration with HSTs DSCD cluster)

• Introducing a research module for the District Health Planning (DHP) process
• indentifying district health research priorities
• building capacity to undertake local health research

Review and update assessment of health research capacity building, especially among emerging research agencies, assisting in building health research capacity

• Study agencies undertaking health research in South Africa and develop a profile of each making estimates of research capacity to update study undertaken in 2004
• Study of work force capacity ( to undertake service-oriented research, especially in relation to priority professions such as nursing) - also includes a specific audit of biostatisticians and focus on understanding the work of academic complexes and historically disadvantaged academic institutions

The functioning of clinic committees, hospital and community advisory boards

• To audit clinic committees, hospital boards and community advisory boards around the country

Community based information system for tracking progress especially in relation to managing chronic illness using CHWs

• Developing an innovative system to track and manage chronic disease in the community
• Investigate integrated disease management (HAST), plus chronic and other diseases management including Mental Health within the paradigm of a PHC approach

Gauteng NPO study

• Assess the extent that CBO's are supporting health services and being supported in delivering community based prevention and care;
• recommend areas for building capacity.

Audit of HCBC organisations

• To audit the work of organizations providing home and community based care nationally

3. Gender, Reproduction, Behaviour and Vulnerable Group Studies

Study

Aims and objectives

Gendered perspective on progress towards maternal and child health-related millennium development goals

• Reviewing Women and Children's Health interventions including contraception, child growth, PMTCT and other related services such as nutrition, prevention of cancer
• Develop a gendered (Women's and Men's) perspective
• Both HIV+ and HIV- perspective on sexual infections including HPV, contraception, ante-natal care, labour, postnatal care, nutrition, immunization of HIV positive children, feeding and PMTCT (s), where people feel comfortable to go for VCT and use of private facilities eg. men and GPs
• To assess the potential and barriers to achieving a district scale masculinity and male circumcision project in Umkanyakude District

Assessing HIV and TB adherence support mechanisms and developing approaches to improve on treatment adherence

• Compare the experience of providers and users of approaches to maintaining adherence among patients with TB and HIV
• Document best practice in cohort case management
• Investigating also, adverse effects and best practice case management

Dual stigma - TB/HIV

• To investigate the way in which stigma relating to HIV and TB interact with each other and become barriers to obtaining effective support

Asenze Child Disability study

• To assess disability among children in the Valley of a Thousand Hills

Mapping traditional healing terminology and development of knowledge management links

• Investigate feasibility of developing a map including potentially a dictionary/lexicon of traditional healing terminology
• Linking information sources on traditional healing to National Health Research Database

4. Socio-Economic Determinants Of Disease

Study

Aims and objectives

The Role of Incentives in Improving TB Outcomes

• To assess the impact on TB outcomes on providing vouchers as adherence incentives

Costing of TB services

• To provide a model of the financial model of the way that TB is costed

Quality of MDR TB services

• Undertake a qualitative study to investigate the perceptions of the quality of services provided at referral facilities for patients with MDR TB, from a patient and health care provider perspective.

5. Research Training and Capacity Building

Study

Aims and objectives

Commission research for the South African Health Review, in association with HealthLink Cluster and edit Policy into Practice Reviews

• Produce reviews that together provide comprehensive coverage of a range of areas that range to the theme of rural health care
• Provide an emerging researcher the opportunity of partnering with a more skilled researcher in undertaking a review

Intern capacity development and emerging researchers

• Provide learning opportunities for graduates with a bachelor or honours degree to gain experience in health research

Developing a CME research training agenda

• Work with PHASA to develop a post-graduate continuing education programme focused on practical skills

Develop a SAQA accredited training programme for health research field work supervisors

• To develop an accredited training programme for fieldwork supervisors which provides a basic understanding of how to undertake research and manage data collection