Description of the outcomes and essential content for a cardiovascular perfusion practice programme

English: Cardiovascular perfusion is a field of practice whereby the function of the heart and lungs is replaced or supported by equipment and machines in a hospital theatre setting so that a surgical procedure to correct or reverse a cardiac-related pathology can be carried out. In addition to possessing the above mentioned skill the perfusionist is also required to carry out various other clinically related tasks. Faced with the challenges of changes taking place in the disease profile of patients, changes in surgical indications, advancement in medical technology, therapeutic and surgical techniques and the widening of the scope of practice beyond the traditional practice norms, the cardiovascular perfusion programme needs to keep up pace in order to deal with these challenges. Furthermore the three universities of technology which offer the programme in South Africa (SA) do not have uniform outcomes and content thereby producing graduates who lack many skills required for current and future practice. In view of the abovementioned challenges the research is based on the hypothesis that the current outcomes and essential content of cardiovascular perfusion programmes are either not described at all or are inadequate for producing graduates who are able, immediately after qualifying, to provide the wide range of skills required by current and future cardiovascular perfusionists. The research question was thus formulated: What should the outcomes and essential contents of a perfusion practice programme in South Africa include? The overall goal of the study was to describe the outcomes and essential content of a cardiovascular perfusion programme specific to the South African context, with a view to developing a standardised, uniform and relevant curriculum for perfusion in SA, which will lay the foundation for producing highly skilled and knowledgeable cardiovascular perfusionists who are able to fulfil the requirements of a current and future cardiovascular perfusion practice. The aim of the study was to describe the outcomes and essential content of a cardiovascular perfusion practice programme that will address the requirements of a current and future cardiovascular perfusion practice in SA. To achieve the aim of the study four objectives were pursued with regards to determining the current content and outcomes of the programmes, the adequacy and validity of the currents programmes and to determine the required outcomes and essential content of the programme. These objectives were achieved by means of a literature study that included a document analysis of SA and international curricula, an electronic questionnaire survey to obtain statements for a Delphi technique survey that followed the questionnaire survey based on the online EvaSys survey-management system. After ethics committee approval and a successful pilot study, which required no amendments, an information document explaining the survey was distributed to 14 identified perfusionists which was followed by the actual online questionnaire. The questionnaire survey was conducted at the end of which 71% of participants originally identified had responded. The data collected from the questionnaire survey was analysed, interpreted, discussed and documented. After careful analysis of the results the researchers decided that all the questions posed in the survey would form part of the Delphi. The first round of the Delphi questionnaire was distributed to 18 experts identified by preselected criteria after a successful pilot study. Of these experts, 44.4% responded. Consensus was achieved on most statements in the first round. After the completion of the first round feedback was given to the respondents. For the second round of the Delphi 100% response was achieved. The results and the discussion of the findings of the Delphi survey were presented in the form of graphs, and analysed, interpreted and discussed accordingly. Statements on which consensus was achieved were included as part of the outcomes and essential content for a cardiovascular perfusion practice programme which has been presented in a tabular format in this dissertation. A uniform and standardised cardiovascular practice curriculum and training programme will enhance the field of cardiovascular perfusion and service delivery to the residents of SA. This research study was by no means an exhaustive one but has provided a basis upon which further perfusion and other healthcare related research can be done.