Implementation process and challenges of index testing in Côte d'Ivoire from healthcare workers' perspectives.

A major limiting factor in combatting the HIV epidemic has been the identification of people living with HIV. Index testing programs were developed to face that challenge. Index testing is a focused HIV testing service approach in which family members and partners of people living with HIV are offered testing. Despite the implementation of index testing, there is still a gap between the estimated number of people living with HIV and those who know their status in Côte d'Ivoire. This study aimed to understand the implementation process of index testing in Côte d'Ivoire and to identify implementation challenges from healthcare workers perspectives. In January and February 2020, we conducted a qualitative study through 105 individual semi-structured interviews regarding index testing with clinical providers (physicians, nurses, and midwives) and non-clinical providers (community counselors and their supervisors) at 16 rural health facilities across four regions of Côte d'Ivoire. We asked questions regarding the index testing process, index client intake, contact tracing and testing, the challenges of implementation, and solicited recommendations on improving index testing in Côte d'Ivoire. The interviews revealed that index testing is implemented by non-clinical providers. Passive referral, by which the index client brought their contact to be tested, and providers referral, by which a healthcare worker reached out to the index client's contact, were the preferred contact tracing and testing strategies. There was not statistically significant difference between immediate and delayed notification. Reported challenges of index testing implementation included index cases refusing to give their partner's information or a partner refusing to be tested, fear of divorce, societal stigma, long distances, lack of appropriate training in index testing strategies, and lack of a private room for counseling. The recommendations given by providers to combat these was to reinforce HIV education among the population, to train healthcare workers on index testing strategies, and to improve infrastructure, transportation, and communication resources. The study showed that the elements that influenced the process of index testing in Côte d'Ivoire were multifactorial, including individual, interpersonal, health systems, and societal factors. Thus, a multi-faceted approach to overcoming challenges of index testing in Côte d'Ivoire is needed to improve the yield of index testing.

The association between health workforce availability and HIV-program outcomes in Côte d'Ivoire.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to assess the distribution of HIV-program staff and the extent to which their availability influences HIV programmatic and patient outcomes. METHODS: The study was a facility level cross-sectional survey. Data from October 2018 to September 2019 were abstracted from HIV program reports conducted in 18 districts of Côte d'Ivoire. The distribution of staff in clinical, laboratory, pharmacy, management, lay, and support cadres were described across high and low antiretroviral therapy (ART) volume facilities. Non-parametric regression was used to estimate the effects of cadre categories on the number of new HIV cases identified, the number of cases initiated on ART, and the proportion of patients achieving viral load suppression. RESULTS: Data from 49,871 patients treated at 216 health facilities were included. Low ART volume facilities had a median of 8.1 staff-per-100 ART patients, significantly higher than the 4.4 staff-per-100 ART patients at high-ART volume facilities. One additional laboratory staff member was associated with 4.30 (IQR: 2.00-7.48, p < 0.001) more HIV cases identified and 3.81 (interquartile range [IQR]: 1.44-6.94, p < 0.001) additional cases initiated on ART. Similarly, one additional lay worker was associated with 2.33 (IQR: 1.00-3.43, p < 0.001) new cases identified and 2.24 (IQR: 1.00-3.31, p < 0.001) new cases initiated on ART. No cadres were associated with viral suppression. CONCLUSIONS: HCWs in the laboratory and lay cadre categories were associated with an increase in HIV-positive case identification and initiation on ART. Our findings suggest that allocation of HCWs across health facilities should take into consideration the ART patient volume. Overall, increasing investment in health workforce is critical to achieve national HIV goals and reaching HIV epidemic control.

Workforce patterns in the prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV in Côte d'Ivoire: a qualitative model.

BACKGROUND: Côte d'Ivoire continues to struggle with one of the highest rates of mother-to-child HIV transmission in West Africa, previously thought to be in part due to suboptimal workforce patterns. This study aimed to understand the process through which workforce patterns impact prevention of mother-to child transmission of HIV (PMTCT) program success, from the perspective of healthcare workers in Côte d'Ivoire. METHODS: A total of 142 semi-structured interviews were conducted with physicians, midwives, nurses, community counselors, social workers, pharmacists, management personnel and health aides from a nationally representative sample of 48 PMTCT sites across Côte d'Ivoire. RESULTS: Healthcare workers described three categories of workforce patterns that they perceived to be affecting PMTCT success: workforce inputs, healthcare roles and responsibilities, and facilitators of task performance. According to their descriptions, PMTCT success depends on the presence of an adequate and trained PMTCT workforce, with an interdisciplinary team of healthcare workers with flexible roles and expanded task responsibilities, and whose tasks are translated into patient care through collaboration, ongoing trainings, and appropriate motivators. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides a model for understanding the impact of workforce patterns on PMTCT success in Côte d'Ivoire and provides insight into workforce-related facilitators and barriers of program performance that should be targeted in future research and interventions. It highlights the importance of workforce integration and collaboration between healthcare workers.

Results from a rapid national assessment of services for the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV in Côte d'Ivoire.

INTRODUCTION: Loss-to-follow-up (LTFU) in the prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission (PMTCT) programmes can occur at multiple stages of antenatal and follow-up care. This paper presents findings from a national assessment aimed at identifying major bottlenecks in Côte d'Ivoire's PMTCT cascade, and to distinguish characteristics of high- and low-performing health facilities. METHODS: This cross-sectional study, based on a nationally representative sample of 30 health facilities in Côte d'Ivoire used multiple data sources (registries, patient charts, patient booklets, interviews) to determine the magnitude of LTFU in PMTCT services. A composite measure of retention - based on child prophylaxis, maternal treatment and infant testing - was used to identify high- and low-performing sites and determine significant differences using Student's t-tests. RESULTS: Among 1,741 pregnant women newly recorded as HIV-positive between June 2011 and May 2012, 43% had a CD4 count taken, 77% received appropriate prophylaxis and 70% received prophylaxis intended for their infant. During that time, 1,054 first infant HIV tests were recorded. A conservative rate of adherence to antiretroviral therapy was estimated at 50% (n=219 patient charts). Significant differences between high- and low-performing sites included: duration of time elapsed between HIV testing and CD4 results (29.5 versus 56.3 days, p=0.001); and density (number per 100 first antenatal care visits) of full-time physicians (6.7 versus 1.7, p=0.04), laboratory technicians (2.3 versus 0.7, p=0.046), staff trained in PMTCT (10.7 versus 4.7, p=0.01), and staff performing patient follow-up activities (7.9 versus 2.5, p=0.02). Key informants highlighted staff presence and training, the availability of medical supplies and equipment (i.e., on-site CD4 machine), and the adequacy of infrastructure (i.e., space and ventilation) as perceived key factors positively and negatively impacting retention in care. CONCLUSIONS: Patient LTFU occurred throughout the PMTCT cascade from maternal to infant testing, with retention scores ranging from 0.10 to 0.83. Sites that scored higher had more dedicated and trained frontline health workers, and emphasised patient follow-up through outreach and the reduction of delays in care. Strategies to improve patient retention and decrease transmission should emphasise patient tracking systems that utilise critical human resources to both improve data quality and increase direct patient follow-up.

Evaluation of a Systems Analysis and Improvement Approach to Optimize Prevention of Mother-To-Child Transmission of HIV Using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research.

BACKGROUND: Despite large investments to prevent mother-to-child-transmission (PMTCT), pediatric HIV elimination goals are not on track in many countries. The Systems Analysis and Improvement Approach (SAIA) study was a cluster randomized trial to test whether a package of systems engineering tools could strengthen PMTCT programs. We sought to (1) define core and adaptable components of the SAIA intervention, and (2) explain the heterogeneity in SAIA's success between facilities. METHODS: The Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) guided all data collection efforts. CFIR constructs were assessed in focus group discussions and interviews with study and facility staff in 6 health facilities (1 high-performing and 1 low-performing site per country, identified by study staff) in December 2014 at the end of the intervention period. SAIA staff identified the intervention's core and adaptable components at an end-of-study meeting in August 2015. Two independent analysts used CFIR constructs to code transcripts before reaching consensus. RESULTS: Flow mapping and continuous quality improvement were the core to the SAIA in all settings, whereas the PMTCT cascade analysis tool was the core in high HIV prevalence settings. Five CFIR constructs distinguished strongly between high and low performers: 2 in inner setting (networks and communication, available resources) and 3 in process (external change agents, executing, reflecting and evaluating). DISCUSSION: The CFIR is a valuable tool to categorize elements of an intervention as core versus adaptable, and to understand heterogeneity in study implementation. Future intervention studies should apply evidence-based implementation science frameworks, like the CFIR, to provide salient data to expand implementation to other settings.