JSI Research and Training Institute, Inc., Accra, Ghana.
Population Council, Accra, Ghana.
Front Public Health. 2021 Sep 21;9:694836. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2021.694836. eCollection 2021.
HIV self-testing (HIVST) has the potential to greatly increase HIV testing uptake, particularly among key populations (KPs) at higher risk for HIV. Studies have shown high acceptability and feasibility of HIVST among various target populations globally. However, less is known about the perspectives of policymakers, who are critical to the success of HIVST implementation. Their views on barriers to the introduction and scale-up of self-testing are critical to understand in order for HIVST to become part of the national HIV guidelines. We sought to understand policymakers' perspectives of challenges and facilitators to the introduction of HIVST at the client and structural levels. Key informant interviews (KIIs) were conducted with national and regional level policymakers involved in the HIV response. Twenty policymakers were purposively selected from Greater Accra (capital) and Brong-Ahafo (outlying) regions. Qualitative content analysis was used to arrive at the results after the verbatim transcripts were coded. Client-level challenges included lack of pre-test counseling, the need for confirmatory testing if reactive, potential for poor linkage to care and treatment, and client-level facilitator from policy makers' perspectives included increase testing modality that would increase testing uptake. Structural-level challenges mentioned by policymakers were lack of a national policy and implementation guidelines on HIVST, cost of HIVST kits, supply chain management of HIVST commodities, data monitoring and reporting of positive cases. The structural-level appeal of HIVST to policymakers were the reduced burden on health system and HIVST's contribution to achieving testing targets. Despite the challenges mentioned, policymakers unanimously favored and called for the introduction of HIVST in Ghana. Findings indicate that a non-conventional HIV testing strategy such as HIVST is highly acceptable to policymakers. However, successful introduction of HIVST hinges on having national guidelines in place and stakeholder consultations to address various individual and structural -level implementation issues.
艾滋病毒自我检测(HIVST)有潜力极大地增加艾滋病毒检测的采用率,尤其是在艾滋病毒风险较高的重点人群(KPs)中。研究表明,HIVST 在全球各种目标人群中具有较高的可接受性和可行性。然而,决策者对 HIVST 的看法知之甚少,决策者对于 HIVST 的实施成功至关重要。了解他们对引入和扩大自我检测的障碍的看法对于 HIVST 成为国家艾滋病毒指南的一部分至关重要。我们试图了解决策者在客户和结构层面引入 HIVST 的挑战和促进因素的看法。采用关键知情人访谈(KII)对参与艾滋病毒应对的国家和区域一级决策者进行了访谈。从大阿克拉(首都)和布隆-阿哈福(偏远)地区有目的地选择了 20 名国家和区域一级的决策者。在对逐字记录进行编码后,使用定性内容分析得出了结果。客户层面的挑战包括缺乏检测前咨询、如果反应性需要确认检测、潜在的不良联系到护理和治疗、以及政策制定者认为的客户层面的促进因素,包括增加测试模式,以增加测试采用率。决策者提到的结构层面的挑战包括缺乏关于 HIVST 的国家政策和实施指南、HIVST 试剂盒的成本、HIVST 商品的供应链管理、阳性病例的数据监测和报告。决策者对 HIVST 的结构层面吸引力是减轻卫生系统的负担和 HIVST 对实现检测目标的贡献。尽管提到了这些挑战,但决策者一致赞成并呼吁在加纳引入 HIVST。研究结果表明,艾滋病毒自我检测等非传统的艾滋病毒检测策略非常受决策者的欢迎。然而,成功引入 HIVST 取决于制定国家准则和进行利益相关者协商,以解决各种个人和结构层面的实施问题。
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