Vision: To improve the Quality of Primary Healthcare for underserved communities through Pragmatic Research, Evidence-based Implementation, Evaluation, and Engagement of Health systems, their planners, providers and communities.
What we do
At the Knowledge Translation Unit (KTU), we drive global health advancement through evidence-based innovations and practical solutions designed to strengthen healthcare systems and improve patient outcomes. Our focus is on creating sustainable, scalable solutions that empower healthcare workers and deliver meaningful, lasting improvements in patient care and health systems worldwide.
We focus on the following key areas:
Clinical decision support
We provide healthcare workers with up-to-date clinical decision support through regular reviews and contextual adaptations of the PACK guides and other tools. These tools adopt a comprehensive, localized, life-course approach, addressing health needs from childhood to elder care.
Health systems strengthening
We streamline patient journeys, clarify roles within healthcare systems, and empower clinical scopes of practice. By addressing systemic inefficiencies, we ensure health systems are more equitable, resilient, and effective.
Clinical innovation
Our clinical innovation efforts focus on developing evidence-informed tools that improve patient outcomes and healthcare delivery. These include:
- Policy-Informed Knowledge Libraries: Comprehensive repositories that translate global evidence into actionable resources for policymakers and practitioners.
- Mobile Apps: User-friendly applications that enhance access to clinical guidelines and decision support at the point of care.
- Online Academy Platforms: Scalable e-learning solutions that provide healthcare workers with accessible training and continuous professional development opportunities.
We prioritize cost-effective, scalable solutions that address real-world healthcare challenges and improve access to quality care.
Training programmes
We develop, design and deliver clinical and non-clinical training programs tailored for healthcare providers, government health departments, and other stakeholders. Our programs equip healthcare workers with evidence-based skills to enhance patient care and outcomes, while strengthening health system management, leadership, and operational capabilities.
We also create implementation strategies and provide support to ensure training translates into measurable improvements in care.
Through scalable e-learning platforms, interactive workshops, and blended learning solutions, we ensure impactful and sustainable improvements in healthcare delivery and system performance.
Implementation science
Our health systems research bridges the gap between innovation and practice, integrating clinical decision support tools into routine care. This ensures health service delivery is consistently high-quality, evidence-based, and effective.
Bridging Research and Practice
The KTU operates through an innovative collaborative and integrated structure that combines academic research excellence with practical implementation expertise.
Our research teams are based at the University of Cape Town (UCT), within the Department of Medicine, leveraging the academic rigor, resources, and expertise of this leading institution. This university-based approach ensures our work is grounded in cutting-edge research, fostering the development of evidence-based solutions that address pressing healthcare challenges.
Complementing our academic foundation, our implementation work is managed through our NGO, The Health Foundation of South Africa. This partnership enables a hands-on, practical approach to integrating innovations into complex health systems, ensuring that our tools, training, and strategies deliver real-world impact.
This dual structure combining the academic excellence of UCT with the practical implementation capacity of our NGO allows us to bridge the gap between research and practice. It reflects our commitment to innovation, collaboration, and knowledge translation, transforming evidence into actionable solutions that advance global health systems and improve patient outcomes.
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