Treatment Outcomes in a Decentralized Antiretroviral Therapy Program: A Comparison of Two Levels of Care in North Central Nigeria
Table 1
Profile and role of health workers at the prime and satellite sites in the decentralized ART program in Jos, Nigeria.
Category
Prime site
Satellite sites
Physicians
Specialist physicians running daily adult, pediatric, and PMTCT services with daily mentoring of junior staff. Concurrent activities include baseline assessment, ART initiation, review of difficult cases, and switch to second-line ART
General duty doctors providing integrated services 1-2 days a week. Weekly mentoring visits by the satellite team with provision of technical assistance and logistical support
Pharmacists
Several pharmacists with dedicated adult and pediatric tracks. Assisted by pharmacy assistants
One pharmacist for each performing combined adult and pediatric dispensing on clinic days. Some are assisted by pharmacy technicians/assistants
Nurses
Trained nurse/midwives with specialized training in ART triage, reproductive health, and adult, pediatric, and PMTCT services
Trained nurse/midwives providing integrated HIV services at sites. Some sites have auxiliary nurses
Patient care attendants
Trained adherence and medical health records personnel dedicated to adult/pediatric/PMTCT clinics. Nutrition counselors as well as clinical psychologists providing general HIV/AIDS prevention education and nutritional counseling
Nurses trained to provide general HIV/AIDS and nutritional counseling
Expert patients
Trained expert PLWA provide adherence counseling, vital sign measurement, anthropometry, and defaulter/loss to follow up tracking
Available at some sites
Home-based care volunteers/CBO
HBC volunteers provide peer support and promote community care and services among PLWA. CBOs not utilized
