The quality of voluntary medical male circumcision done by mid-level workers in Tshwane District, South Africa: A retrospective analysis.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Voluntary medical male circumcision (VMMC) reduces the acquisition of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in heterosexual men by up to 60%. One HIV infection is averted for every 5 to 15 VMMCs. To conduct VMMCs in large populations, large numbers of trained healthcare professionals are needed. Countries in Sub-Saharan Africa have a high burden of HIV and a shortage of healthcare professionals, creating a healthcare conundrum. To bridge this gap, South Africa launched a new cadre of mid-level medical worker called Clinical Associates (CA). We assessed the ability of CAs to perform circumcisions of adequate quality and their subsequent usefulness to meet the demands of VMMCs in a population with a high HIV burden.

Methods

We conducted a retrospective analysis, review

SUBMITTER: Ngcobo S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5774685 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature