Inadequate logistics and resources impede quality health care provided to persons living with HIV –KHRC study reveals
February 01, 2023 | Blog | Reading time: 3 min
Research conducted by Ms Martha Ali Abdulai, Research Fellow at the Kintampo Health Research Centre (KHRC) and colleagues has identified inadequate logistics and resources such as hand gloves as a factor impeding quality health care provided to persons living with HIV by health care providers.
The findings published in the International Journal of Africa Nursing Sciences revealed that delayed reimbursement of treatment cost for persons living with HIV from the National Health Insurance Authority to the health facilities directly also affected supply and maintenance of logistics and ultimately quality of patient care.
The study, titled “A qualitative analysis of factors influencing healthcare providers’ behaviour toward persons living with HIV in Ghana” explored the individual and external factors influencing health care providers’ behaviour towards persons living with HIV in Ghana and compared health care providers in antiretroviral therapy clinics with general health care settings health care providers.
Thirty-three health care providers participated in the study.
The Researchers found that most of the health care providers feared being infected with HIV whilst carrying through their routine work and expressed the need to be extra careful when working with persons living with HIV in Ghana, especially when it comes to needle use.
Furthermore, the findings showed that the absence of clear and readily available HIV policies and guidelines for HIV care especially in other departments’ in the hospital, in which case general health care settings health care providers depended on their experience and discretion.
The study further found other individual factors such as perceptions about HIV, attitude towards HIV patients, HIV-related training received as well as external factors such as availability of guidelines as challenges influenced health care providers’ behaviour towards persons living with HIV in Ghana.
The study recommends that in order for health care providers to provide the needed care to persons living with HIV, it is important for hospital management to provide the needed logistics for health care providers to feel adequately protected in providing care to persons living with HIV.
The Researchers also recommend that the provision of clear policies and guidelines for HIV care, training on these guidelines and optimal adherence to the guidelines may help to reduce stigmatizing and discriminatory behaviour of health care providers.
This publication is accessible at https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214139123000070
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/casp.2551