Abstract
Aims:
The Practical Approach to Lung Health in South Africa (PALSA) initiative aimed to develop an integrated symptom- and sign-based (syndromic) respiratory disease guideline for nurse care practitioners working in primary care in a developing country.
Methods:
A multidisciplinary team developed the guideline after reviewing local barriers to respiratory health care provision, relevant health care policies, existing respiratory guidelines, and literature. Guideline drafts were evaluated by means of focus group discussions. Existing evidence-based guideline development methodologies were tailored for development of the guideline.
Results:
A locally-applicable guideline based on syndromic diagnostic algorithms was developed for the management of patients 15 years and older who presented to primary care facilities with cough or difficulty breathing.
Conclusions:
PALSA has developed a guideline that integrates and presents diagnostic and management recommendations for priority respiratory diseases in adults using a symptom- and sign-based algorithmic guideline for nurses in developing countries.
Similar content being viewed by others
Article PDF
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Competing interests
No conflicts of interest declared.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
English, R., Bateman, E., Zwarenstein, M. et al. Development of a South African integrated syndromic respiratory disease guideline for primary care. Prim Care Respir J 17, 156–163 (2008). https://doi.org/10.3132/pcrj.2008.00044
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3132/pcrj.2008.00044
This article is cited by
-
Integrated care as a means to improve primary care delivery for adults and adolescents in the developing world: a critical analysis of Integrated Management of Adolescent and Adult Illness (IMAI)
BMC Medicine (2014)
-
Implementing nurse-initiated and managed antiretroviral treatment (NIMART) in South Africa: a qualitative process evaluation of the STRETCH trial
Implementation Science (2012)
-
From PALSA PLUS to PALM PLUS: adapting and developing a South African guideline and training intervention to better integrate HIV/AIDS care with primary care in rural health centers in Malawi
Implementation Science (2011)
-
Task shifting and integration of HIV care into primary care in South Africa: The development and content of the streamlining tasks and roles to expand treatment and care for HIV (STRETCH) intervention
Implementation Science (2011)
-
Evaluating a streamlined clinical tool and educational outreach intervention for health care workers in Malawi: the PALM PLUS case study
BMC International Health and Human Rights (2011)