The effectiveness of TB & HIV collaboration programme at wellness centre, Kimberley

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT:This study sought to determine the effectiveness of a TB/HIV collaboration programme in an infectious disease clinic in Frances Baard District, Kimberley, and assess the underlying challenges that clients face while accessing TB and HIV treatment, care and support services from the health care facility.South Africa is facing one of the worst dual epidemics of TB and HIV in the world. It is also described as one of the countries with the highest TB burden in the world. HIV has been shown to fuel the TB epidemic by promoting progression to active disease, both in people with recently acquired and latent disease. Given that a large proportion of TB patients are HIV infected and experience considerable morbidity and mortality, integration of both services at the same service point becomes unavoidable.Data was collection through focus group discussions and self-administered questionnaires. It was clear that TB/HIV programme collaboration has not been optimized. Clients travel from one service point to another to access TB and HIV care. Service delivery sometimes is delayed due to several factors and therefore clients miss the appointments at the other service point. This has led to adherence challenge, treatment default, treatment failure and increasing burden of TB/HIV disease. The research determined that the key to optimize TB/HIV collaboration is to provide both services from the same service point as well as to improve the level of care to the clients. Shared responsibility should be encouraged among service providers/caregivers and clients in an infectious disease unit. Timely interventions to clients will reduce the morbidity rates associated with TB/HIV co-infection and more deaths will be averted especially if full integration is implemented. It is increasingly evident that TB and HIV programmes must collaborate fully to counteract the impact of HIV on TB.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University