Atmospheric pollutants that affect human health most significantly are particulate matter (PM2.5) and surface ozone (O3). This paper analysed the long-term temporal trends for PM2.5 and ground level O3 for six air quality monitoring stations in the Vaal Triangle Area of South Africa from 2007 to 2017. Research has been conducted on the short-term temporal trends for PM2.5 concentration and surface O3 concentrations. There are no studies that have focussed on the long-term temporal trends for PM2.5 and O3 in the Vaal Triangle Area of South Africa, because these air quality monitoring stations have only existed for a period of approximately 11 years. The data used in this study is derived from ground-based instruments from the South African Weather Service. Temporal patterns for time of day, days of the week, and seasons were observed for all air quality stations. PM2.5 concentration increased during early mornings and late afternoons, with higher concentration during weekdays than weekends and an increase from late winter through to spring and summer. Surface O3 concentrations peaked during the spring and summer months and during midday when there was maximum sunlight acting as a catalyst for photochemical reactions. The long term trends illustrated that there has been no significant decrease in annual average concentration for PM2.5 in four of the six stations and surface O3 for the six stations in the past 10 years in the Vaal Triangle Area of South Africa.
Background: Feedback is essential for effective postgraduate medical training. There are limited studies that focus on the feedback culture in anaesthesiology training. This study aims to explore the anaesthesiology trainer's challenges and perceptions of knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) of feedback to anaesthesiology trainees. The influence of gender and level of experience of the trainer on giving feedback are also explored.Methods: A mixed methods study was conducted. The sample consisted of all anaesthetists involved in training in the Department of Anaesthesiology at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. Data was collected using an electronic survey consisting of both open-ended and closed-ended questions. Quantitative data was statistically analysed using R Statistical Computing software version 3.6.3. Differences between gender groups were assessed using the Wilcoxon rank-sum test. Correlation plots were used to determine a correlation between the level of experience and giving feedback. All statistical tests were conducted at a 5% significance level. Qualitative data was thematically analysed.Results: Of 70 trainers, 56 completed the questionnaire. The majority of trainers rated their KAP perceptions of feedback highly, though half admitted to having difficulty giving negative feedback. Significantly more male trainers were confident about their feedback skills and set time aside for giving feedback as compared to female trainers (p = 0.037). No significant correlation was found between the level of experience and KAP perceptions. Five major themes related to the challenges were: time constraints and lack of frequency, lack of consistency, lack of follow-up, inadequate feedback tools, and a lack of feedback training.
Conclusion:Although trainers rated their KAP perceptions of feedback highly, this conflicted with some of the actual current feedback practices and challenges reported. Faculty development, continuous professional development, revised feedback tools and formal feedback policies were suggested to strengthen the feedback culture in anaesthesiology training.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.