Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33868777›Full record

ArticleInternational journal of MCH and AIDS2021

Use of Trained Non-Medical Staff to Improve Access to HIV Testing Services in Africa: Implementation of the World Health Organization Opt-out Approach in Cameroon.

Charles Kouanfack, Skinner Nguefack Lekelem, Fala Bede, Claude Ngwayu Nkfusai, Yvette Micha Nouafo, Christian Tchokonte, Nicaise Tsomo Zephirin, Pierre Joseph Fouda

Open access · goldAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in International journal of MCH and AIDS, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
0.1field-weighted citation impact, top 52% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed, 2 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.

Charles KouanfackDepartment of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Dschang, Cameroon.
Skinner Nguefack LekelemDay Hospital, Yaounde Central Hospital, Cameroon.
Fala BedeGeorgetown University's Center for Global Health Practice and Impact (CGHPI), TIDE Project, Cameroon.
Claude Ngwayu NkfusaiGeorgetown University's Center for Global Health Practice and Impact (CGHPI), TIDE Project, Cameroon.
Yvette Micha NouafoCognitive Science Undergraduate Program, Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, Northwestern University, Illinois, USA.
Christian TchokonteInternational Center for AIDS Care and Treatment Programs (ICAP) Cameroon.
Nicaise Tsomo ZephirinDay Hospital, Yaounde Central Hospital, Cameroon.
Pierre Joseph FoudaDay Hospital, Yaounde Central Hospital, Cameroon.
Central Hospital of Yaoundé · CMGeorgetown University · USNorthwestern University · USUniversité de Yaoundé I · CM

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) in 2019 estimated that 450,000 to 50,000 people in Cameroon were living with HIV, yet only 79% knew their HIV status which is far from the 90% target for 2020. To address this situation, Cameroon adopted the "Opt-out" strategy of the World Health Organization (WHO) and use of trained non-medical cadre (psychosocial agents) to reach out to more people with HIV testing services (HTS). This describes the implementation and outcomes of this strategy by reviewing the activity of a typical day in the Yaoundé Central Hospital (YCH) in Cameroon.

methodsHTS were offered to hospitalized and ambulatory patients (including their companions) in different departments of the YCH. Following screening for recent HIV testing, those with unknown HIV status that gave consent or did not explicitly refuse testing (as per the "Opt-out Strategy"), were counseled and tested for HIV. Testing followed the "National HIV Rapid Testing Algorithm" using rapid diagnostic test kits. Results were either positive, negative or indeterminate. Patients with positive HIV results were linked to the Care and Treatment Center for treatment initiation.

resultsOf the 350 patients screened and offered HTS using non-medical cadre (psychosocial agents), 193 (55.1%) were hospitalized and 157 (44.9%) came for outpatient visits. The age of participants ranged from 14 to 92 years and the yield of HIV testing in the sample population was 5.1% (6.2% for hospitalized patients and 3.8% for outpatient clinics). Statistics revealed that five HIV-positive patients had never been offered HTS before the study. The study revealed that HTS acceptance rate among hospitalized patients was 69.6% and that all new positive patients started antiretroviral treatment on the same day. CONCLUSION AND GLOBAL HEALTH IMPLICATIONS: It is feasible to use trained non-medical staff for HIV testing services (HTS). Task-shifting by using trained psychosocial agents can help in case identification and linkage to HIV treatment services.

Indexed as

AntiretroviralCameroonEvaluationHIVHIV-positiveHIV TestingImplementationNon-medical StaffOpt-out strategyPsychological AgentsWorld Health Organization

Identifiers

PMID33868777
PMCPMC8039867
OpenAlexW3150276599

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-SA
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.