English: The current global emphasis on appropriate standards for medical education and greater civic engagement by higher educational institutions, and the value of electrocardiography as diagnostic aid stimulated the researcher to perform this study. Globally electrocardiography is an essential exit-level core competency of undergraduate medical programmes. Although an outcome-based curriculum was introduced by the UFS School of Medicine in 2000, certain aspects of competencybased education (such as the registration and interpretation of an electrocardiogram) can be adapted and included in outcome-based curricula. Prior to the commencement of this study, a preliminary literature review revealed that little research had been performed with regard to the use of electrocardiography as a learning task in community settings in the preclinical phase of medical curricula. The overall goal of the study was to facilitate the transition between electrocardiography teaching and learning in the preclinical and clinical phases of the UFS medical curriculum. The problem that initiated the research was that more information was required regarding the practicability of implementing electrocardiography teaching and learning in community settings during semesters four and five of the UFS undergraduate M.B.,Ch.B. curriculum. To address the problem, two research questions were formulated concerning the generic, context-specific and task-specific issues that inform decisions regarding community-based electrocardiography learning during semesters four and/or five of the UFS undergraduate medical curriculum and the attitudes and opinions of a purposive sample of Faculty members regarding community-based electrocardiography learning in semesters four and/or five. To answer the research questions, two research objectives were pursued regarding the identification of the principal issues and challenges that inform decisions regarding the feasibility of introducing community-based tasks in the preclinical phase of a South African undergraduate M.B.,Ch.B. curriculum and the collection of quantitative and qualitative information from a purposive sample of personnel employed at the UFS Faculty of Health Sciences. The first part of the study consisted of a comprehensive literature review, which assisted the researcher to identify applicable key aspects for inclusion in the interview schedule used for the empirical study. The survey was performed with a view to later formulating an effective strategy to facilitate the transition between the electrocardiography learning provided in the preclinical and clinical phases of the UFS M.B.,Ch.B. curriculum and possibly incorporate four additional hours of community-based learning in phase II of the curriculum. Ninety-two (92) per cent of the persons in the sample consented to participate in the study and a pilot study was conducted, to improve the reliability, validity and trustworthiness of the study. The data collected from the interviews was analysed and a description and discussion of the research findings were documented. Based on the literature review and the responses of the interviewees, several prominent conclusions were reached. Important faculty-related and communityrelated key issues and challenges were identified, and interviewees’ favourable responses regarding CBL, task-based CBL and CB ECG learning in the UFS undergraduate medical curriculum indicated that further related research is justified. Interviewees’ responses with regard to the practicability of implementing CB ECG learning in the preclinical phase were moderately favourable and useful recommendations were made. Of significance to the planning of future research studies was that twenty-six per cent more respondents supported the implementation of CB electrocardiography learning during the clinical phase of the curriculum than was the case for the preclinical phase. These research findings can assist with decisions as to whether future (more comprehensive and potentially more costly) research projects are justified. The appropriate implementation of electrocardiography, as community-based learning task during the preclinical and/or clinical phases, can contribute to a greater degree of community engagement and an improvement in the quality of electrocardiography learning in the UFS undergraduate curriculum. This should therefore benefit all the stakeholders involved.
Afrikaans: Die huidige globale klem op toepaslike standaarde vir mediese onderrig en groter publieke betrokkenheid deur hoër onderrig-instansies en die waarde van elektrokardiografie as diagnostiese hulpmiddel het die navorser gestimuleer om hierdie studie te doen. Elektrokardiografie is wêreldwyd ‘n essensiële kern uittree-vlak bevoegdheid van voorgraadse mediese programme. Alhoewel ‘n uitkomsgebaseerde kurrikulum by die UV Mediese Skool in 2000 ingestel is, kan sekere aspekte van bevoegdheid-gebaseerde onderrig (soos die registrasie en interpretasie van ‘n elektrokardiogram) aangepas word en ingesluit word by uitkoms-gebaseerde kurrikulums. Voor die aanvang van hierdie studie het ‘n voorlopige literatuur-oorsig aangetoon dat min navorsing uitgevoer was ten opsigte van die gebruik van elektrokardiografie, as onderrigtaak in gemeenskapsomgewings, in die prekliniese fase van mediese kurrikulums. Die breë einddoel van die studie was om die oorgang tussen elektrokardiografie onderrig en leer in die prekliniese en kliniese fases van die UV mediese kurrikulum te fasiliteer. Die probleem, wat die navorsing se aanvang gestimuleer het, was dat meer inligting benodig is ten opsigte van die praktiese uitvoerbaarheid van die implementering van elektrokardiografie onderrig en leer in gemeenskapsomgewings gedurende semesters vier en vyf van die UV voorgraadse M.B.,Ch.B. kurrikulum. Om die probleem aan te spreek, is twee navorsingsvrae geformuleer ten opsigte van die generiese, konteks-spesifieke en taakspesifieke aspekte wat besluite ten opsigte van die uitvoerbaarheid van die implementering van gemeenskapsgebaseerde take in die prekliniese fase van ‘n Suid-Afrikaanse voorgraadse M.B.,Ch.B. kurrikulum beïnvloed, asook die houdings en opinies van ‘n doelmatige steekproef van Fakulteitslede ten opsigte van gemeenskapsgebaseerde elektrokardiografie leer in semesters vier en/of vyf. Om die navorsingsvrae te beantwoord, is twee navorsingsdoelwitte nagestreef ten opsigte van die identifikasie van die hoof aspekte en -uitdagings wat besluite ten opsigte van die uitvoerbaarheid van die implementering van gemeenskapsgebaseerde take in die prekliniese fase van ‘n Suid-Afrikaanse voorgraadse M.B.,Ch.B. kurrikulum beïnvloed, en die versameling van toepaslike kwantitatiewe en kwalitatiewe inligting vanaf ‘n doelmatige steekproef van personeel by die UV Fakulteit van Gesondheidswetenskappe. Die eerste deel van die studie het bestaan uit ‘n omvattende literatuuroorsig, wat die navorser gehelp het om tersaaklike sleutelaspekte te identifiseer vir gebruik in die onderhoudskedule wat aangewend is vir die empiriese studie. Die opname is gedoen met die oog op die formulering van ‘n effektiewe strategie om die oorgang tussen die elektrokardiografie leer in die prekliniese en kliniese fases van die UV M.B.,Ch.B. kurrikulum te fasiliteer en moontlik vier addisionele ure van gemeenskapsgebaseerde leer in fase II van die kurrikulum in te sluit. Twee-en-negentig (92) persent van die persone in die doelgerigte steekproef het ingestem om deel te neem aan die studie en ‘n loodsstudie is uitgevoer om die betroubaarheid, geldigheid en geloofwaardigheid van die studie te verbeter. Die data wat deur die onderhoude versamel is, is ge-analiseer en ‘n beskrywing en bespreking van die navorsingsbevindinge is gedokumenteer. Gebaseer op die literatuuroorsig en die response van die persone met wie die onderhoude gevoer is, is verskeie prominente gevolgtrekkings gemaak. Belangrike fakulteits- en gemeenskapsverwante aspekte en uitdagings is geïdentifiseer en die deelnemers se gunstige response ten opsigte van gemeenskapsgebaseerde leer, taakgebaseerde gemeenskapsgebaseerde leer en gemeenskapsgebaseerde EKG leer in die UV voorgraadse mediese kurrikulum regverdig toekomstige verwante navorsing. Die deelnemers se response ten opsigte van die praktiese uitvoerbaarheid van die implementering van gemeenskapsgebaseerde EKG leer in die prekliniese fase was matig gunstig en nuttige aanbevelings is gemaak. Van belang ten opsigte van die beplanning van toekomstige navorsingstudies was dat ses-en-twintig persent meer respondente die implementering van gemeenskapsgebaseerde elektrokardiografie-leer gedurende die kliniese fase van die kurrikulum ondersteun het as wat die geval was vir die prekliniese fase. Hierdie navorsingsbevindings kan van waarde wees by besluite of toekomstige (meer omvattende en potensieel duurder) navorsingsprojekte geregverdig is. Die toepaslike implementering van elektrokardiografie as gemeenskapsgebaseerde onderrigtaak gedurende die prekliniese en/of kliniese fases kan bydra tot ‘n groter mate van gemeenskapsbetrokkenheid en ’n verbetering in die kwaliteit van elektrokardiografie leer in die UV voorgraadse kurrikulum. Dit behoort dus tot voordeel van al die betrokke belanghebbende partye te wees.