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Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item:
http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/1923
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| Title: | Peer counselors' role in supporting patients' adherence to ART in Ethiopia and Uganda |
| Authors: | Gusdal, A. K
Obua, Celestino
Andualem, Tenaw
Wahlström, Rolf
Chalker, John
Fochsen, Grethe
INRUD-IAA project |
| Keywords: | Adherence
Antiretroviral therapy
Disclosure
HIV/AIDS
Peer counselors
Sub-Saharan Africa
Ethiopia
Uganda |
| Issue Date: | 2011 |
| Publisher: | Routledge |
| Citation: | Gusdal, A.K., Obua, C., Andualem, T., Wahlström, R., Chalker, J., Fochsen, G. on behalf of the INRUD-IAA project (2011). Peer counselors' role in supporting patients' adherence to ART in Ethiopia and Uganda, AIDS Care, (iFirst) |
| Abstract: | Our aim was to explore peer counselors’ work and their role in supporting patients’ adherence to antiretroviral
treatment (ART) in resource-limited settings in Ethiopia and Uganda. Qualitative semi-structured interviews
were conducted with 79 patients, 17 peer counselors, and 22 providers in ART facilities in urban and rural areas
of Ethiopia and Uganda. Two main categories with related subcategories emerged from the analysis. The first
main category, peer counselors as facilitators of adherence, describes how peer counselors played an important
role by acting as role models, raising awareness, and being visible in the community. They were also recognized
for being close to the patients while acting as a bridge to the health system. They provided patients with an
opportunity to individually talk to someone who was also living with HIV, who had a positive and life-affirming
attitude about their situation, and were willing to share personal stories of hope when educating and counseling
their patients. The second main category, benefits and challenges of peer counseling, deals with how peer
counselors found reward in helping others while at the same time acknowledging their limitations and need of
support and remuneration. Their role and function were not clearly defined within the health system and they
received negligible financial and organizational support. While peer counseling is acknowledged as an essential
vehicle for treatment success in ART support in sub-Saharan Africa, a formal recognition and regulation of their
role should be defined. The issue of strategies for disclosure to support adherence, while avoiding or reducing
stigma, also requires specific attention. We argue that the development and implementation of support to peer
counselors are crucial in existing and future ART programs, but more research is needed to further explore
factors that are important to sustain and strengthen the work of peer counselors. |
| URI: | DOI: 10.1080/09540121.2010.532531
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09540121.2010.532531
http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/1923 |
| ISSN: | 1360-0451 |
| Appears in Collections: | Research Articles (Health-Sciences)
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| gusdal-chs-res.pdf | | 265Kb | Adobe PDF | View/Open |
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