Integrating tuberculosis and HIV services in rural Kenya: uptake and outcomes.
This study examines 17 rural public health facilities in Western Kenya that introduced integrated care for TB and HIV patients
Abstract
Setting
17 rural public health facilities in Western Kenya that introduced 3 models of integrated care for tuberculosis (TB) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) patients.
Objective
To assess the uptake and timing of cotrimoxazole preventive therapy (CPT) and antiretroviral treatment (ART) as well as anti-tuberculosis treatment outcomes among HIV-infected TB patients before (March–October 2010) and after (March–October 2012) the introduction of integrated TB-HIV care.
Design
A before-and-after cohort study using programme data.
Results
Of 501 HIV-infected TB patients, 357 (71%) were initiated on CPT and 178 (39%) on ART in the period before the introduction of integrated TB-HIV care. Following the integration of services, respectively 316 (98%) and 196 (61%) of 323 HIV-infected individuals were initiated on CPT and on ART (P < 0.001). The median time to CPT and ART initiation dropped from 7 to 2 days and from 42 to 34 days during the pre- and post-integration phases, respectively. Overall TB success rates did not vary with integration or with type of model instituted.
Conclusion
Integration of TB and HIV services enhanced uptake and reduced delay in instituting CPT and ART in rural health facilities. There is a need to increase impetus in these efforts.
This research was supported by the UK Department for International Development’s Operational Research Capacity Building Programme led by the International Union Against TB and Lung Disease (The Union)
Citation
P. Owiti, R. Zachariah, K. Bissell, A. M. V. Kumar, L. Diero, E. J. Carter, A. Gardner (2015) Integrating tuberculosis and HIV services in rural Kenya: uptake and outcomes. Public Health Action vol 5 no 1 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5588/pha.14.0092
Links
Integrating tuberculosis and HIV services in rural Kenya: uptake and outcomes