Browsing by Author "Homsy, Jaco"
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Item Greater involvement of HIV-infected peer-mothers in provision of reproductive health services as “family planning champions” increases referrals and uptake of family planning among HIV-infected mothers(BMC health services research, 2017) Mudiope, Peter; Musingye, Ezra; Onyango Makumbi, Carolyne; Bagenda, Danstan; Homsy, Jaco; Nakitende, Mai; Mubiru, Mike; Barlow Mosha, Linda; Kagawa, Mike; Namukwaya, Zikulah; Glenn Fowler, MaryIn 2012, Makerere University Johns - Hopkins University, and Mulago National Referral Hospital, with support from the National Institute of Health (under Grant number: NOT AI-01-023) undertook operational research at Mulago National Hospital PMTCT/PNC clinics. The study employed Peer Family Planning Champions to offer health education, counselling, and triage aimed at increasing the identification, referral and family planning (FP) uptake among HIV positive mothers attending the clinic. Methods: The Peer Champion Intervention to improve FP uptake was introduced into Mulago Hospital PMTCT/PNC clinic, Kampala Uganda. During the intervention period, peers provided additional FP counselling and education; assisted in identification and referral of HIV Positive mothers in need of FP services; and accompanied referred mothers to FP clinics. We compiled and compared the average proportions of mothers in need that were referred and took up FP in the pre-intervention (3 months), intervention (6 months), and post-intervention(3 months) periods using interrupted time series with segmented regression models with an autoregressive term of one. Results: Overall, during the intervention, the proportion of referred mothers in need of FP increased by 30.4 percentage points (P < 0.001), from 52.7 to 83.2 percentage points. FP uptake among mothers in need increased by over 31 percentage points (P < 0.001) from 47.2 to 78.5 percentage points during the intervention. There was a positive non-significant change in the weekly trend of referral β3 = 2.9 percentage points (P = 0.077) and uptake β3 = 1.9 percentage points (P = 0.176) during the intervention as compared to the pre-intervention but this was reversed during the post intervention. Over 57% (2494) mothers took up Depo-Provera injectable-FP method during the study. Conclusions: To support overstrained health care work force in post-natal clinics, peers in trained effective family planning can be a valuable addition to clinic staff in limited-resource settings. The study provides additional evidence on the utilization of peer mothers in HIV care, improves health services uptake including family planning which is a common practice in many donor supported programs. It also provides evidence that may be used to advocate for policy revisions in low-income countries to include peers as support staff especially in busy clinic settings with poor services uptake.Item The Influence of Pregnancy on PrEP uptake and Adherence Amongst HIV-Negative High-Risk Young Women in Kampala, Uganda: A Qualitative Assessment(medRxiv, 2022) Joshi, Shivali; Namuddu, Catherine; Kasujja, Francis Xavier; Mirembe, Miriam; Homsy, Jaco; King, RachelPregnant young women who engage in high-risk sexual activity are at elevated biological and social risk for HIV acquisition. PrEP serves as an effective means of HIV prevention, including during pregnancy. This study aimed to explore attitudes, experiences and challenges with PrEP to understand what motivates or limits PrEP uptake and adherence during pregnancy among this population of young women. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 23 participants, recruited from the Prevention on PrEP (POPPi) study in the Good Health for Women Project clinic in Kampala, Uganda. POPPi’s inclusion criteria comprised of HIV-uninfected women, aged 15-24, who engaged in high-risk sexual activity. Interviews focused on experience with PrEP and pregnancy. Data were analyzed utilizing a framework analysis approach. Key themes were comprised of participant barriers to and facilitators of PrEP uptake and adherence. Reasons for PrEP initiation included desire for autonomy and agency, mistrust of partners, and social support. Participants expressed challenges with initiating or sustaining their use of PrEP, including PrEP access and perceived or felt stigma. During pregnancy, participants’ primary motivators for altering PrEP use were either understanding of PrEP safety for their baby or changes in perceptions of their HIV risk. Many of these factors were similar across participants who had experience with pregnancy and those who did not. This study highlights the importance of addressing barriers to and facilitators of PrEP adherence, especially during pregnancy where risk is elevated, with a multi-level approach. Community-oriented education, stigma reduction activities alongside access to PrEP, can serve as means for adherence. The development of robust PrEP adherence support guidelines regarding PrEP use during pregnancy among high-risk women, and strategies for their implementation, are of utmost importance for the control of HIV in key populations and the elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV.Item PMTCT Option B+ 2012 to 2018 — Taking stock: barriers and strategies to improve adherence to Option B+ in urban and rural Uganda(NISC (Pty) Ltd, 2020) King, Rachel; Namale Matovu, Joyce; Rujumba, Joseph; Wavamunno, Priscilla; Musoke, Philippa; Seeley, Janet,; Amone, Alexander; Gabagaya, Grace; Glenn Fowler, Mary; Homsy, JacoSince 2012, PMTCT Option B+ has been recommended by the World Health Organization to reduce vertical transmission but numerous adherence challenges remain. We conducted a qualitative study at baseline using six focus group discussions and 14 in-depth interviews to explore knowledge, beliefs, attitudes and challenges towards the Option B+ strategy for PMTCT among HIV-infected pregnant and post-partum women and health workers engaged in Uganda’s national Option B+ PMTCT programme. Data were analysed using a thematic approach to capture latent and manifest content with the social ecological model as a theoretic foundation in order to make contextual sense of key stakeholders’ needs for an effective Option B+ intervention. Overall, among all study participants, we found multi-level barriers to adhering to Option B+ cutting across all levels of the social ecological model. In line with the model, our study revealed barriers at personal, relational, organizational and societal levels. Some personal beliefs such as that the baby’s health is more important that the mother’s, organizational (negative attitudes and behaviour of health workers), structural such as poverty, work conflicts, fear and lack of disclosure related to community stigma were all critical obstacles to women adhering to the Option B+ programme. We found that both health workers and participants in the programme have a relatively clear understanding of the benefits of adhering to their treatment; though a more nuanced understanding and thus emphasis in counselling on side effects, is critical to helping patients adhere.Item When I receive ARVs through my group, my heart settles’: Participants’ perceptions and experiences of Friends for Life Circles for Option B+ in Kampala and Mityana Districts, Uganda(Public Library of Science, 2023-11) Rujumba, Joseph; King, Rachel L; Namale-Matovu, Joyce; Wavamunno, Priscilla; Amone, Alexander; Gabagaya, Grace; Rukundo, Gordon; Fowler, Mary Glenn; Homsy, Jaco; Seeley, Janet; Musoke, PhilippaAbstract The Friends for Life Circles (FLC) was a parallel randomized controlled trial testing the efficacy of a group peer support intervention to support long-term adherence to Option B+ in Kampala and Mityana districts in Uganda. We explored FLC participants’ experiences and perceptions of the intervention on adherence to Option B+ for PMTCT and potential implications for strengthening the PMTCT program. We collected data from six focus group discussions with lactating women enrolled in the FLC intervention, and from 14 key informant interviews with health workers, district and national level stakeholders, as well as male partners of FLC participants. Data were analysed using a content thematic approach in a continuous and iterative process. Women described the FLC intervention as acceptable and beneficial in enhancing their understanding of HIV and the need for ART. The FLC helped women, especially those newly diagnosed with HIV infection to come to terms with their diagnosis and overcome the fear of death linked to testing HIV positive, and provided opportunities to enhance ART initiation, resumption and adherence. The FLC provided safe spaces for women, to learn about ART, and to receive support from peers including adherence reminders through home visits and ‘coded’ reminder messages. Receiving ART from support groups protected members from stigma and long lines at health facilities. Fear of stigma, health system challenges, the high cost of caring for animals and lack of money to save in groups were key challenges noted. The FLC support groups were crucial in providing needed support for women to initiate, resume and adhere to lifelong ART for Option B+. It is important that women who test HIV positive and start ART for life receive psychosocial support from peers and health workers to improve chances of preventing HIV transmission from mothers to children.