Primary care drug therapy training: the solution for PHC nurses?

The priority of the National Health System in South Africa is primary health care (PHC). The approach involves a health system led by PHC services and includes personal and curative services for acute minor ailments delivered by PHC nurses. The nurses are also responsible for the treatment of these ailments with essential drugs according to protocols as proposed in the Essential Drugs List. A before-after experimental research design was used to evaluate the effect of a competency-based primary care drug therapy (PCDT) training programme for PHC nurses in the treatment of acute minor ailments. An experimental group (n = 35) and control group (n = 31) consisting of registered nurses undergoing training in PHC at Gold Fields Nursing College were randomly selected. The results showed a significant increase in prescribing outcomes and medicine utilisation.