Considering alternatives to the predomination model of volentary councelling and testing practiced in South Africa

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dc.contributor.advisorHead, Judithen_ZA
dc.contributor.authorBrown, Seanen_ZA
dc.date.accessioned2014-09-30T13:33:44Z
dc.date.available2014-09-30T13:33:44Z
dc.date.issued2009en_ZA
dc.description.abstractTesting is widely acknowledged to be a useful and necessary secondary tool of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) prevention. It is the method by which to identify people who are living with the virus, so that their behaviour may be modified and medical condition treated in order to prevent further infection. Unfortunately, many persons in South Africa (SA) remain undiagnosed and therefore unaware of their HIV-positive status. This thesis explores why it is necessary to test for HIV in SA, where the incidence of the virus remains the highest in the world. Voluntary Counselling and Testing (VCT) or the âopt-inâ approach has been adopted as the norm or âsine qua nonâ. The efficacy of this method will be interrogated and shortcomings identified. The most notable is that few people in SA undergo an HIV test in order to learn their status. When they do, it is often late in the progression of opportunistic infections, requiring hospitalisation that increases pressure on an already over-stretched healthcare system. Reasons for the poor uptake of VCT are explained, including pervasive stigma and deficiencies in leadership of SAâs HIV and AIDS response. The expansion of testing is a proposed response to the challenge of persons remaining undiagnosed, and includes the acceleration of âopt-outâ or routine HIV testing (RHT) among SAâs high prevalence population. This model offers an HIV test routinely to persons attending government healthcare settings with an illness or for a routine check-up. Although the provider initiates the test, consent is necessary in order to proceed and there is an option to decline. While the key focus of this thesis is routine HIV testing, other approaches are explored in brief, including mandatory testing, mobile clinics and wellness screening. The thesis argues that if SA is to achieve the HIV and AIDS and STI National Strategic Plan (NSP) target of increasing the number of adults who have ever had a test to 70 percent by 2011, new approaches to testing, and especially opt-out, will need to be explored and more widely adopted. Key words: HIV/AIDS; Voluntary Counselling and Testing (VCT); Routine HIV Testing (RHT); Routinely Recommended Testing (RRT); Opt-out Testing; Provider-Initiated Testing and Counselling (PITC).en_ZA
dc.identifier.apacitationBrown, S. (2009). <i>Considering alternatives to the predomination model of volentary councelling and testing practiced in South Africa</i>. (Thesis). University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Humanities ,Aids and Society Research Unit. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/11427/7749en_ZA
dc.identifier.chicagocitationBrown, Sean. <i>"Considering alternatives to the predomination model of volentary councelling and testing practiced in South Africa."</i> Thesis., University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Humanities ,Aids and Society Research Unit, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/7749en_ZA
dc.identifier.citationBrown, S. 2009. Considering alternatives to the predomination model of volentary councelling and testing practiced in South Africa. University of Cape Town.en_ZA
dc.identifier.ris TY - Thesis / Dissertation AU - Brown, Sean AB - Testing is widely acknowledged to be a useful and necessary secondary tool of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) prevention. It is the method by which to identify people who are living with the virus, so that their behaviour may be modified and medical condition treated in order to prevent further infection. Unfortunately, many persons in South Africa (SA) remain undiagnosed and therefore unaware of their HIV-positive status. This thesis explores why it is necessary to test for HIV in SA, where the incidence of the virus remains the highest in the world. Voluntary Counselling and Testing (VCT) or the &amp;amp;amp;acirc;opt-in&amp;amp;amp;acirc; approach has been adopted as the norm or &amp;amp;amp;acirc;sine qua non&amp;amp;amp;acirc;. The efficacy of this method will be interrogated and shortcomings identified. The most notable is that few people in SA undergo an HIV test in order to learn their status. When they do, it is often late in the progression of opportunistic infections, requiring hospitalisation that increases pressure on an already over-stretched healthcare system. Reasons for the poor uptake of VCT are explained, including pervasive stigma and deficiencies in leadership of SA&amp;amp;amp;acirc;s HIV and AIDS response. The expansion of testing is a proposed response to the challenge of persons remaining undiagnosed, and includes the acceleration of &amp;amp;amp;acirc;opt-out&amp;amp;amp;acirc; or routine HIV testing (RHT) among SA&amp;amp;amp;acirc;s high prevalence population. This model offers an HIV test routinely to persons attending government healthcare settings with an illness or for a routine check-up. Although the provider initiates the test, consent is necessary in order to proceed and there is an option to decline. While the key focus of this thesis is routine HIV testing, other approaches are explored in brief, including mandatory testing, mobile clinics and wellness screening. The thesis argues that if SA is to achieve the HIV and AIDS and STI National Strategic Plan (NSP) target of increasing the number of adults who have ever had a test to 70 percent by 2011, new approaches to testing, and especially opt-out, will need to be explored and more widely adopted. Key words: HIV/AIDS; Voluntary Counselling and Testing (VCT); Routine HIV Testing (RHT); Routinely Recommended Testing (RRT); Opt-out Testing; Provider-Initiated Testing and Counselling (PITC). DA - 2009 DB - OpenUCT DP - University of Cape Town LK - https://open.uct.ac.za PB - University of Cape Town PY - 2009 T1 - Considering alternatives to the predomination model of volentary councelling and testing practiced in South Africa TI - Considering alternatives to the predomination model of volentary councelling and testing practiced in South Africa UR - http://hdl.handle.net/11427/7749 ER - en_ZA
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11427/7749
dc.identifier.vancouvercitationBrown S. Considering alternatives to the predomination model of volentary councelling and testing practiced in South Africa. [Thesis]. University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Humanities ,Aids and Society Research Unit, 2009 [cited yyyy month dd]. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/11427/7749en_ZA
dc.language.isoengen_ZA
dc.publisher.departmentAids and Society Research Uniten_ZA
dc.publisher.facultyFaculty of Humanitiesen_ZA
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Cape Town
dc.subject.otherHIV/AIDS and Societyen_ZA
dc.titleConsidering alternatives to the predomination model of volentary councelling and testing practiced in South Africaen_ZA
dc.typeMaster Thesis
dc.type.qualificationlevelMasters
dc.type.qualificationnameMAen_ZA
uct.type.filetypeText
uct.type.filetypeImage
uct.type.publicationResearchen_ZA
uct.type.resourceThesisen_ZA
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