Towards the third 90: improving viral load testing with a simple quality improvement program in health facilities in Malawi.
Int Health
; 11(3): 215-220, 2019 05 01.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-30383224
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Viral load (VL) scale-up efforts have largely focused on laboratory systems, with less attention on facility-level strengthening of staff who facilitate VL testing. To address this gap we implemented a quality improvement (QI) program at 13 health facilities in central and southern Malawi.METHODS:
QI program tools focused on patient and provider VL knowledge and clarification of site-level roles and responsibilities, including the designation of a VL 'focal person' to oversee all VL activities. T-tests were used to compare differences in VL testing before (November 2016-April 2017) and after (May 2017-November 2017) the intervention.RESULTS:
The mean number of VL tests performed significantly increased after implementation of the QI program. Overall there was a 164% increase in the mean number of routine VL tests performed per month (p<0.001). Increased VL testing was sustained during the 6 months of follow-up.CONCLUSIONS:
A simple QI program focused on improving VL knowledge among patients and providers, and clarifying staff roles at a facility level increased VL testing over a 6-month period. Further investigation is needed on whether this program can be scaled in different settings across sub-Saharan Africa and on the duration of follow-up required for sustained improvements in VL testing.Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Infecções por HIV
/
Carga Viral
/
Melhoria de Qualidade
/
Instalações de Saúde
Tipo de estudo:
Evaluation_studies
Limite:
Adolescent
/
Adult
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
País/Região como assunto:
Africa
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Int Health
Ano de publicação:
2019
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
Estados Unidos