Abstract
M.Cur.
The role players participating within the support groups for patients with chronic diseases in Primary Health care services are facing a difficult task of managing support groups effectively. They are confronted by managerial challenges involved in the managing of support groups for patients with chronic diseases, such as careful planning, organising, leading and controlling the support groups. This is evidently confirmed by the disintegration of support groups and patients openly and deliberately rebelling and ignoring participation in support groups. The resistance and opposition is also displayed by other staff members within the clinic. The general dissatisfaction and frustration among the primary health care facilitators serves as proof of the poor management of support groups. The need to investigate and address this dilemma is important. It is therefore the reason why the researcher embarked on this studying order to explore the
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experiences of the role players with regard to the management of the support groups for patients with chronic diseases within the clinic context, and then utilise the results ad basis for formulating guidelines for quality management of support groups within Primary Health Care clinics in Soweto.
The following research questions are therefore relevant:
~ What are the experiences of the primary health care facilitators with regard to the management of support groups for the patients with chronic diseases with primary health care clinics in Soweto?
~ What are the experiences of the facility managers with regard to the management of support groups for patients with chronic diseases within primary health care clinics in Soweto?
~ What are the experiences of patients with chronic diseases with regard to the management of support groups?
~ What guidelines should be formulated to ensure quality management and sustainability of support groups for patients with chronic diseases within the primary health care clinics in Soweto?
The following research objectives were formulated:
~ To explore and describe the experiences offacility managers with regard to the management of support groups for patients with chronic diseases within primary health care clinics in Soweto.
~ To explore and describe the experiences of the primary health care facilitators with regard to the management of support groups for patients with chronic diseases within primary health care clinics in Soweto.
~ To explore and describe the experiences of the patients with chronic diseases with regard to the management of support groups within primary health care clinics in Soweto.
~ To formulate guidelines for quality management and sustainability of support groups for patients with chronic diseases within the primary health care clinics in Soweto.