A model for extending antiretroviral care beyond the rural health centre.

ABSTRACT:

Background

A major obstacle facing many lower-income countries in establishing and maintaining HIV treatment programmes is the scarcity of trained health care providers. To address this shortage, the World Health Organization has recommend task shifting to HIV-infected peers.

Methods

We designed a model of HIV care that utilizes HIV-infected patients, community care coordinators (CCCs), to care for their clinically stable peers with the assistance of preprogrammed personal digital assistants (PDAs). Rather than presenting for the standard of care, monthly clinic visits, in this model, patients were seen every three months in clinics and monthly by their CCCs in the community during the interim two months. This study was conducted in Kosirai Division, western Kenya, where eig

SUBMITTER: Wools-Kaloustian KK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2762459 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature