Designing and implementing a Decision Support Framework for primary healthcare managers across the Western Cape, South Africa
1
Public Health, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
2
Department of Health and Wellness, Western Cape, Cape Town, South Africa
Popul. Med. 2026;8(Supplement Supplement 1):A3523
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION:
The Western Cape Department of Health and Wellness (WCDHW) 5-year strategy and Healthcare 2030 review, signals a move towards evidence-based interventions with the largest impact on improving health outcomes within resource constraints. This requires Primary Healthcare managers to understand their service needs and resources for strategic decision-making towards service improvement. We overlaid the three components of evidence informed clinical practice: the best available scientific evidence, the healthcare providers’ clinical experience, and community preferences to inform the Decision Support Framework (DSF).
METHODS:
We performed a literature review on evidence informed practice, decision support and learning in healthcare. Primary healthcare managers and information managers were consulted to understand their decision-making needs. We worked with the Knowledge Translation Unit (KTU) to develop the DSF, including an approach to developing a problem statement, selecting and applying the appropriate data, a toolkit to explore the problem and initiating and collecting learnings. The pilot was delivered to primary healthcare managers and public health practitioners. The content was revised with their feedback and a workbook, handbook and toolkit were produced. We packaged the content into a one-day, in-person training facilitated by the KTU. We embedded the course within the WCDHW’s Service Improvement strategy and People Development Centre.
RESULTS:
In 2025, DSF training was delivered to 45 participants (24 managers, 5 clinicians, 6 programme coordinators, 2 deputy directors and 8 information officers). Participants applied the DSF to a service improvement project. We received 7 submissions exploring patient safety incidents in Emergency Centers, the incidence of teenage pregnancy, terminations of pregnancy and domestic violence, the impact of staff absenteeism on quality of care, and opportunities to improve tuberculosis cure rates.
CONCLUSIONS:
The DSF was applied to a range of priority service areas across the province. The collective learnings may inform future transversal and local service improvement strategies.
The Western Cape Department of Health and Wellness (WCDHW) 5-year strategy and Healthcare 2030 review, signals a move towards evidence-based interventions with the largest impact on improving health outcomes within resource constraints. This requires Primary Healthcare managers to understand their service needs and resources for strategic decision-making towards service improvement. We overlaid the three components of evidence informed clinical practice: the best available scientific evidence, the healthcare providers’ clinical experience, and community preferences to inform the Decision Support Framework (DSF).
METHODS:
We performed a literature review on evidence informed practice, decision support and learning in healthcare. Primary healthcare managers and information managers were consulted to understand their decision-making needs. We worked with the Knowledge Translation Unit (KTU) to develop the DSF, including an approach to developing a problem statement, selecting and applying the appropriate data, a toolkit to explore the problem and initiating and collecting learnings. The pilot was delivered to primary healthcare managers and public health practitioners. The content was revised with their feedback and a workbook, handbook and toolkit were produced. We packaged the content into a one-day, in-person training facilitated by the KTU. We embedded the course within the WCDHW’s Service Improvement strategy and People Development Centre.
RESULTS:
In 2025, DSF training was delivered to 45 participants (24 managers, 5 clinicians, 6 programme coordinators, 2 deputy directors and 8 information officers). Participants applied the DSF to a service improvement project. We received 7 submissions exploring patient safety incidents in Emergency Centers, the incidence of teenage pregnancy, terminations of pregnancy and domestic violence, the impact of staff absenteeism on quality of care, and opportunities to improve tuberculosis cure rates.
CONCLUSIONS:
The DSF was applied to a range of priority service areas across the province. The collective learnings may inform future transversal and local service improvement strategies.
| eISSN: | 2654-1459 |
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