Quality improvement of HIV counseling and testing in the Philippines

• Main Authors: AIDS Society of the Philippines, Melgar, Isabel, Gavino, Francisco, de los Reyes, Sarah, Olpoc, Joselito, Javier, Robert E., Jr., Valdoria, Klarizze Y.
• Format: text
• Published: Animo Repository 2015
• Subjects: HIV-positive persons—Counseling of—Philippines; HIV infections—Diagnosis—Philippines; Public Health Education and Promotion
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/faculty_research/6592
• Institution: De La Salle University

HIV counseling and testing (HCT) is a major step for responding to the HIV and AIDS epidemic. This intervention serves as the entry point for prevention, care, and support services. With the nationwide expansion of HCT in the Philippines, it is crucial that services related to HCT should meet national and international quality standards. Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and Qualtiy Assurance and Monitoring & Evaluation of HCTs in the Philippines were developed to promote best practices and institute quality standards in the HCT facility. The draft SOPs and Quality Assurance (QA) manuals were based on a thorough review of literature; a series of focus group discussions with facilities offering HCT services; interviews with master trainers; and consultations with the Department of Health (DOH) technical working group representatives. The proposed SOP defined and described the components of the major steps and procedures of HCT. These steps begin with triage, then to information at pre-test, to laboratory testing and finally to post-test counseling. The SOP manual details the step-by-step protocol including manpower and skill levels, layout and physical structure, supplies, instructional materials, and general timelines. The QA manual is based on the overarching definition of it being a planned and systematic intervention, which aims to ensure that a product, service, or result will satisfy, given requirements for quality. The QA in this report incorporates the monitoring and evaluation tools needed for each quality assurance procedures. The framework identifies three QA areas namely manpower, systems and structures, and quality process. The manpower component includes training and competency building as well as support supervision. The systems and structures component include logistics management, SOPs and records maintenance. The quality process also covers accreditation and certification, internal quality assessment, external quality assessment and M & E tools. During the process of its development, the SOP and Quality Assurance in HCT provided talking points for health providers and the DOH to agree on suitable minimum quality standards in HCT. Apart from the SOP, the other crucial instrument, M & E tools, defines how the implementation could be monitored and evaluated. There is definitely a need to pilot test these interventions and discuss how else they could be improved or modified given the context of the facilties.