{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,30]],"date-time":"2026-07-30T09:27:55Z","timestamp":1785403675366,"version":"3.56.0"},"reference-count":10,"publisher":"AOSIS","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,13]],"date-time":"2026-03-13T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1773360000000},"content-version":"unspecified","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"abstract":"<jats:p>Over the past 45 years, the publication of original research in the\u00a0South African Family Practice\u00a0journal has steadily increased from humble beginnings in the 1980s to approximately 40\u201350 articles per year. This reflects the growth of the discipline and new speciality of family medicine as well as the shift in national policy towards primary health care as the foundation of the health system. Despite this growth, the profile of the research remains largely descriptive with surveys, audits and exploratory qualitative studies. The implication of this is that the discipline may not be addressing critical research questions on effectiveness, efficiency or identifying risk factors for common or important conditions. There is diversity of research questions and topics, although some areas remain relatively neglected, such as research on children, pregnant mothers, palliative care, rehabilitation, continuity and coordination.\nContribution:\u00a0As we look forward to the future, the discipline should be ready to analyse new electronic sources of \u2018big data\u2019, develop capacity for clinical trials and cost-effectiveness studies, launch more practice-based research networks, strengthen the whole research capacity-building pipeline and set priorities at a national level.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.4102\/safp.v68i2.6300","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,9]],"date-time":"2026-03-09T08:37:25Z","timestamp":1773045445000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.4102\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["South African family medicine research: Past, present and future"],"prefix":"10.4102","volume":"68","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7373-0774","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Robert J.","family":"Mash","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/05bk57929","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}],"name":"Stellenbosch University"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"2580","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,13]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref0","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Mash R, Von Pressentin K. Family practice research in the African region 2020\u20132022. Afr J Prm Heal Care Fam Med. 2024;16:a4329. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.4102\/phcfm.v16i1.4329","DOI":"10.4102\/phcfm.v16i1.4329"},{"key":"ref1","unstructured":"World Health Organization. Operational framework for primary health care: Transforming vision into action. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2020."},{"key":"ref2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Mash R, Nyasulu J, Malan Z, Hirschhorn L. Understanding implementation research. Afr J Prm Heal Care Fam Med. 2025;17:7. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.4102\/phcfm.v17i2.4934","DOI":"10.4102\/phcfm.v17i2.4934"},{"key":"ref3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Dyers R, Bello K, Guetterman T. From separate streams to confluence: A framework for meaningful mixed methods integration in African primary care research. Afr J Prm Heal Care Fam Med. 2025;17:a5201. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.4102\/PHCFM.v17i2.5201","DOI":"10.4102\/PHCFM.v17i2.5201"},{"key":"ref4","unstructured":"INTRePID. International consortium of primary care big data [homepage on the Internet]. 2025 [cited 2025 Dec 10]. Available from: https:\/\/www.intrepidprimarycare.org\/"},{"key":"ref5","unstructured":"World Health Organization. Global action plan for clinical trial ecosystem strengthening. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2025."},{"key":"ref6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Butler C, Mash R, Gobat N, et al. Democratising clinical trials research to strengthen primary health care. Lancet Glob Heal. 2025;13:e749\u2013e758. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/S2214-109X(24)00513-8","DOI":"10.1016\/S2214-109X(24)00513-8"},{"key":"ref7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Lukwa A, Von Pressentin K, Mash R. Cost-effectiveness analysis in primary care research: A practical guide for early-career researchers. Afr J Prm Heal Care Fam Med. 2025;17:a5163. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.4102\/PHCFM.v17i2.5163","DOI":"10.4102\/PHCFM.v17i2.5163"},{"key":"ref8","unstructured":"Roper R. Primary care practice-based research networks. In: F. Goodyear-Smith & B. Mash B, editor. International perspectives on primary care research. London: CRC Press and WONCA; 2016, p. 145\u2013146."},{"key":"ref9","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Mash R. Establishing family physician research networks in South Africa. S Afr Fam Pract. 2020;62:1\u20134. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.4102\/safp.v62i1.5241","DOI":"10.4102\/safp.v62i1.5241"}],"container-title":["South African Family Practice"],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/safpj.co.za\/index.php\/safpj\/article\/view\/6300\/10307","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,9]],"date-time":"2026-03-09T08:37:31Z","timestamp":1773045451000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/safpj.co.za\/index.php\/safpj\/article\/view\/6300"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,13]]},"references-count":10,"journal-issue":{"issue":"2","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,1]]}},"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.4102\/safp.v68i2.6300","relation":{},"ISSN":["2078-6190","2078-6204"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2078-6190","type":"print"},{"value":"2078-6204","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,13]]},"article-number":"a6300"}}