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Primary health care (PHC) focuses on health promotion and disease prevention; however, acute episodes and emergencies still occur at this level of care. The World Health Organization (WHO) proposes strengthening emergency care at a PHC level as a way of lessening the burden of disease on the overall health system. It is not known how health care practitioners at the PHC level experience management of emergencies.

To explore and describe the experiences of PHC practitioners dealing with emergencies at PHC facilities in Gauteng, South Africa.

The study was conducted in the District Health Services of Gauteng province in South Africa, including clinics, community health care centres and district hospitals.

Using a qualitative approach, semi-structured interviews were conducted with a purposively selected sample of professional nurses and doctors from various levels of the …