Chapters authored
The Profession of Biokinetics in South Africa: The Need for Access to the Public Healthcare System
This chapter reviews the efficacy of the only South African exercise therapy profession (Biokinetics) in the rehabilitation of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Biokinetics is a South African exercise therapy profession established in 1983 and which operates in both the pathogenic and fortogenic healthcare paradigms. Unfortunately, the profession of Biokinetics is restricted to the South African private healthcare sector. This chapter describes the scope of the profession of Biokinetics, empirical studies illustrating the efficacy of the profession in addressing society’s non-communicable disease epidemic, and the challenges inhibiting the profession from gaining access to the South African public healthcare sector. It is hoped that the presentation and critical appraisal of the empirical evidence which illustrates the contribution of the profession of Biokinetics to the rehabilitation of NCDs justifies the authors’ claims for the inclusion of the aforementioned profession in the South African public healthcare sector.
Part of the book: Healthcare Access
Factors Contributing to the Academic Challenges Faced by South African Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy and Biokinetics Students
Students of the Health Science professions of Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy, and Biokinetics share mutual subjects detailing human bodily functions, as well as their pathology and subsequent rehabilitation, as such sharing similarly factors influencing academic success. Factors influencing students’ academic success include matriculation scores, pedagogic techniques, successful integration into the university environment, self-efficacy, finances, and the language of instruction/teaching. While the three professions share similar prerequisite matriculation subjects, their university admission point scores vary, generating a degree of concern within a number of higher education institutions (HEIs). The global need to provide liberal access to HEIs has encouraged many tertiary institutions to adopt a policy of affirmative action that encompasses two fundamental strategies; the provision of financial support for deserving undergraduate students from previously disadvantaged communities, and the lowering of prerequisite admission scores. Despite these attempts at the creation of higher education equity, many students’ academic performance is poor. The primary objective of this chapter is to review the factors, which influence the academic success rate of students engaged in a course of study geared at entry into the Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy, or Biokinetics professions at a South African HEI. This paper chapter seeks to recommend potential strategies to improve student academic performance.
Part of the book: Health and Educational Success