HCT evaluation study to assess the impact of the program, TB screening, management and PICT
Overview:
This study evaluates how the National Department of Health (NDOH) HIV Counselling and Testing (HCT) program, including Provider Initiated Counselling and Testing (PICT), is implemented whilst determining the integration of HIV and TB in terms of symptomatic screening, diagnosis and management for patients both in TB programme entry point and HIV programme entry point.
Objectives:
The study is made up of two components: a process based evaluation and an outcomes based evaluation. The process based evaluation’s objectives focus on how the HCT programme is being implemented and the key factors influencing its delivery. The outcomes based evaluation’s objectives focus on the uptake of HCT, the level of progress in integrating the TB and HCT programmes, whether HIV negative clients are being linked to other preventative and treatment services to reduce their risk of HIV infection, morbidity and mortality, if HIV positive people are being linked to care and treatment services to reduce onward transmission, and if the HCT programme is providing testing and counselling to those individuals who are at risk of HIV infection.
Methodological approach:
Two research designs are used to realise these objectives. The first is a facility level survey of 1522 PHC facilities in South Africa. The second is a secondary analysis of data from the District Health Information System. The facility level survey samples facilities in all 9 provinces in South Africa.
Key outputs:
A report is produced for the South African National Department of Health and is be used by their monitoring and evaluation directorate to enhance the quality of current HCT services in South Africa.