Ayele Mulat, Alamrew Abebaw, Lake Eyob Shitie, Yilak Gizachew, Tilahun Befkad Derese, Tenaw Lebeza Alemu, Tunta Abayneh, Kumie Getinet
Department of Midwifery, Woldia University, Woldia, Ethiopia
Department of Midwifery, Woldia University, Woldia, Ethiopia.
BMJ Open. 2025 May 6;15(5):e096645. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2024-096645.
To explore female sex workers' perception, concern and acceptability of OraQuick HIV self-test (HIVST) in Woldia town, North Wollo, Ethiopia, in 2024.
The study used a phenomenological design and the Integrated Behaviour Model as a theoretical framework.
Woldia town, Ethiopia, is the capital city of North Wollo Zone.
Twenty female sex workers and 18 key informants in Woldia town were involved.
Most participants had a positive attitude towards testing with these devices and anticipated positive consequences, such as enhanced privacy, decreased waiting time, reduced transportation costs, increased accessibility for immobile individuals, elevated utility in index case screening and testing programmes and the provision of confidential, trustworthy and reliable test results. Most female sex workers perceived that significant people in their social environment approved and used OraQuick HIVST. The facilitators to uptake of OraQuick HIVST among female sex workers included privacy, ease of use and nonrequierement for trained healthcare providers when testing. Thus, most female sex workers were confident in their ability to test themselves and interpret their test result using OraQuick HIVST.To optimise uptake of testing using OraQuick, female sex workers proposed supplying kits in an easily accessible manner, increasing awareness about the kit and advocating for and promoting that the kits are strategies to facilitate HIVST uptake and maximise individuals' self-efficacy. The perceived possible concerns or barriers to the uptake of OraQuick HIVST included a shortage of kits, doubts about reliability prior to education, absence of policies or guidelines for HIVST, lack of post-test counselling and immediate treatment for positive individuals, potential psychological trauma such as suicidal ideation or attempts, lack of linkage to care for those with reactive results and inaccurate reporting of positive results or result concealment.
This finding suggests that OraQuick HIVST was acceptable to female sex workers in the study area, with the majority of female sex workers having a positive attitude, supportive social norms and self-efficacy. Therefore, interventions to increase awareness, advocate for the kit and address perceived concerns or barriers to HIVST are needed to maximise its uptake in the study setting.
探讨2024年埃塞俄比亚北沃洛州沃尔迪亚镇女性性工作者对奥瑞奎克HIV自检（HIVST）的认知、关注程度和接受度。
本研究采用现象学设计，并将整合行为模型作为理论框架。
埃塞俄比亚的沃尔迪亚镇是北沃洛州的首府。
沃尔迪亚镇的20名女性性工作者和18名关键信息提供者参与了研究。
大多数参与者对使用这些检测设备进行检测持积极态度，并预期会有积极结果，如增强隐私性、减少等待时间、降低交通成本、提高行动不便者的可及性、在索引病例筛查和检测项目中提高效用以及提供保密、可信和可靠的检测结果。大多数女性性工作者认为她们社会环境中的重要人物认可并使用奥瑞奎克HIV自检。女性性工作者接受奥瑞奎克HIV自检的促进因素包括隐私性、使用方便以及检测时无需受过培训的医疗服务提供者。因此，大多数女性性工作者对自己使用奥瑞奎克HIV自检进行检测并解读检测结果的能力充满信心。为了优化奥瑞奎克检测的接受度，女性性工作者建议以易于获取的方式提供检测试剂盒，提高对该试剂盒的认识，并倡导和宣传这些试剂盒是促进HIV自检接受度和最大化个人自我效能的策略。对奥瑞奎克HIV自检接受度的潜在担忧或障碍包括试剂盒短缺、在接受教育之前对可靠性的怀疑、缺乏HIV自检的政策或指南、缺乏检测后咨询以及对阳性个体的即时治疗、潜在的心理创伤如自杀念头或企图、对反应性结果者缺乏护理联系以及阳性结果报告不准确或结果隐瞒。
这一发现表明，奥瑞奎克HIV自检在研究地区的女性性工作者中是可以接受的，大多数女性性工作者持积极态度、有支持性的社会规范和自我效能。因此，需要采取干预措施来提高认识、倡导使用该试剂盒并解决对HIV自检的感知担忧或障碍，以在研究环境中最大化其接受度。
