Acceptability of Home-Based HIV Care Offered by Community Health Workers in Tshwane District, South Africa: A Survey.
Sanele NgcoboTheresa RossouwPublished in: AIDS patient care and STDs (2022)
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) remains the biggest public health challenge faced by South Africa (SA). To alleviate overcrowding in health facilities, ward-based primary health care outreach teams, consisting of community health workers (CHWs) led by a nurse, were introduced. The aim of this study was to assess the acceptability of community-based HIV services offered by CHWs. A survey was conducted in 10 clinics across Tshwane district, Gauteng, SA, between November 2020 and May 10, 2021. CHWs conducted interviewer-administered standardized questionnaires with 674 adult participants. Overall, 95.5% of participants thought that home-based HIV care is a good initiative and rated screening for illnesses and referral to health facilities highly. Although the vast majority (>94%) were willing to disclose their status to health professionals in clinics, women were more willing to do so. Only 53.6% of participants were willing to disclose their HIV status to a CHW from the same neighborhood and 28.8% would find it problematic if CHWs visited them at home with branded cars. Participants had different preferences, mostly determined by region, how long they had been on antiretroviral treatment, whether they had been informed about CHWs, age, and gender. More work is needed to understand and accommodate regional differences and individual preferences.
Keyphrases
- south africa
- hiv positive
- human immunodeficiency virus
- public health
- antiretroviral therapy
- primary care
- hiv infected
- hepatitis c virus
- healthcare
- mental health
- hiv aids
- hiv infected patients
- men who have sex with men
- hiv testing
- health information
- pregnant women
- physical activity
- quality improvement
- decision making
- polycystic ovary syndrome
- global health
- social media
- health promotion
- human health
- climate change
- health insurance
- colorectal cancer screening