Assessing the quality of HIV/AIDS services at military health facilities in Zambia

Y. M. Kim, J. Banda, C. Hiner, M. Tholandi, E. Bazant, S. Sarkar, A. S.A. Andrade, C. Makwala

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

7 Scopus citations

Abstract

After rapidly scaling up HIV/AIDS-related health services, the Zambian Defence Force (ZDF) has become concerned with assuring their quality. This evaluation assesses provider performance at eight ZDF facilities based on direct observations of 191 antenatal care (ANC) consultations and 175 follow-up consultations for antiretroviral therapy (ART). In addition, 43 ZDF health providers were interviewed about the work environment and service quality. On-the-job performance varied widely: providers completed as few as 0% and as many as 100% of tasks associated with each performance standard. Overall scores averaged 66% (range: 47-93%) for ANC consultations and 60% (range: 37-100%) for ART consultations. Perceptions of the work environment were generally positive, but 57% of providers lack confidence in their clinical skills and 42% think staffing is insufficient. These findings, which point to the unique opportunities and challenges in the military setting, will be used to guide a quality improvement initiative.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)365-370
Number of pages6
JournalInternational Journal of STD and AIDS
Volume24
Issue number5
DOIs
StatePublished - Nov 2013

Keywords

  • Africa
  • HIV/AIDS
  • PMTCT
  • SBM-R
  • antenatal care
  • antiretroviral therapy
  • health services
  • military
  • performance assessment
  • quality improvement
  • standards
  • work environment

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Dermatology
  • Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
  • Pharmacology (medical)
  • Infectious Diseases

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