Knowledge, attitudes, and practices of healthcare workers regarding human immunodeficiency virus index testing in 2021, Burkina Faso

Accepted: 14 February 2023
HTML: 1
All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.
Although knowing one's HIV status is a necessary step in initiating antiretroviral treatment, more than a quarter of Burkinabe who are HIV‑positive do not know their status. To reach the target of screening at least 95% of people living with HIV (PLHIV), the country has opted for HIV index testing (screening of sexual partners, children and partners of intravenous drug users). This study assessed the knowledge, attitudes and practices of health workers on HIV index testing. A cross‑sectional study was conducted among health workers on index testing pilot sites in Burkina Faso. We constructed scores of health workers' knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding HIV index testing. A total of 132 health workers were surveyed, 62.8% of whom were female. Regarding profiles, 44.7% of the participants were nurses and 5.3% were midwives; physicians and psychosocial counselors accounted for 16.7 and 33.3%, respectively. Most of the participants worked in public health centers (60.6%). Overall, the majority of the participants had poor or average knowledge (85.6%) of the index testing strategy and harmful or inadequate practices (87.1%). Less than half (40.9%) had favorable attitudes toward the strategy. Our study showed that the knowledge of health workers was generally average, their attitudes were not very favorable and their practices were mostly inadequate with regard to HIV index testing. In order to increase the chances of reaching the first 95% of UNAIDS, trainings on the topic must be designed for health workers.
ONUSIDA. FICHE D'INFORMATION 2022‑Statistiques mondiales sur le VIH. ONUSIDA 2022; 1‑6. https://www.corevih‑idfnord.fr/wp‑content/uploads/2022/08/UNAIDS_FactSheet_fr.pdf.
UNAIDS. 90‑90‑90: An ambitious treatment target to help end the AIDS epidemic. UNAIDS 2014; 1‑40. https://files.unaids.org/en/media/unaids/contentassets/documents/unaidspublication/2014/90‑90‑90_en.pdf.
UNAIDS. Global AIDS update 2020. Seizing the moment : tackling entrenched inequalities to end epidemics. UNAIDS 2020; 1‑384. https://reliefweb.int/report/world/global‑aids‑update‑2020‑seizing‑moment‑tackling‑entrenched‑inequalities‑end‑epidemics.
The TEMPRANO ANRS 12136 Study Group; Danel C, Moh R, Gabillard D, Badje A, Le Carrou J, Ouassa T, Ouattara E, Anzian A, Ntakpé JB, et al: A Trial of early antiretrovirals and isoniazid preventive therapy in Africa. N Engl J Med 373: 808‑822, 2015.
The INSIGHT START Study Group; Lundgren JD, Babiker AG, Gordin F, Emery S, Grund B, Sharma S, Avihingsanon A, Cooper DA, Fätkenheuer G, et al: Initiation of antiretroviral therapy in early asymptomatic HIV infection. N Engl J Med 373: 795‑807, 2015.
Hall HI, Holtgrave DR and Maulsby C: HIV transmission rates from persons living with HIV who are aware and unaware of their infection. AIDS 26: 893‑986, 2012.
Cohen MS, Chen YQ, McCauley M, Gamble T, Hosseinipour MC, Kumarasamy N, Hakim JG, Kumwenda J, Grinsztejn B, Pilotto JH, et al: Prevention of HIV‑1 infection with early antiretroviral therapy. N Engl J Med 365: 493‑505,2011.
ONUSIDA. L'homme au coeur de la lutte contre les pandémies‑Rapport de la Journée mondiale de lutte contre le sida 2020. ONUSIDA 92, 2020.
Dave S, Peter T, Fogarty C, Karatzas N, Belinsky N and Pant Pai N: Which community‑based HIV initiatives are effective in achieving UNAIDS 90‑90‑90 targets? A systematic review and meta‑analysis of evidence (2007‑2018). PLoS ONE 14:e0219826, 2019.
Chamie G, Napierala S, Agot K and Thirumurthy H: HIV testing approaches to reach the first UNAIDS 95% target in sub‑Saharan Africa. Lancet HIV 8: e225‑e236, 2021.
Secrétariat permanent du conseil national de lutte contre le VIH/Sida et les infections sexuellement transmissibles (SP/CNLS‑IST). Cadre stratégique national de lutte contre le VIH, le sida et les infections sexuellement transmissibles (CSN‑SIDA) 2021‑2025. SP/CNLS‑IST‑Ouagadougou 2021.
Betancourt TS, Abrams EJ, McBain R and Fawzi MC: Family‑centred approaches to the prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV. J Int AIDS Soc 13 (Suppl 2): S2, 2010.
Violari A, Cotton MF, Gibb DM, Babiker AG, Steyn J, Madhi SA, Jean‑Philippe P and McIntyre JA; CHER Study Team: Early antiretroviral therapy and mortality among HIV‑infected infants. N Engl J Med 359: 2233‑2244, 2008.
Jubilee M, Park FJ, Chipango K, Pule K, Machinda A and Taruberekera N: HIV index testing to improve HIV positivity rate and linkage to care and treatment of sexual partners, adolescents and children of PLHIV in Lesotho. PLoS One 14: e0212762, 2019.
Consolidated guidelines on HIV prevention, testing, treatment, service delivery and monitoring: recommendations for a public health approach [Internet]. Geneva: World Health Organization 2021.
Ahmed S, Sabelli RA, Simon K, Rosenberg NE, Kavuta E, Harawa M, Dick S, Linzie F, Kazembe PN and Kim MH: Index case finding facilitates identification and linkage to care of children and young persons living with HIV/AIDS in Malawi. Trop Med Int Health 22: 1021‑1029, 2017.
Wegu Y, Sileshi T and Melis T: Assessment of Index Case Family Testing Among Adults Attending Art Clinic at Kule Refugee Camp, Southwest Ethiopia: 2021. HIV AIDS (Auckl) 14: 13‑21, 2022.
Katbi M, Adegboye A, Adedoyin A, Yunusa F, Kayode G, Bello M and Dakum P: Effect of clients Strategic Index Case Testing on community‑based detection of HIV infections (STRICT study). Int J Infect Dis 74: 54‑60, 2018.
Brown LB, Miller WC, Kamanga G, Nyirenda N, Mmodzi P, Pettifor A, Dominik RC, Kaufman JS, Mapanje C, Martinson F, et al: HIV partner notification is effective and feasible in sub‑saharan Africa: Opportunities for HIV treatment and prevention. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr 56: 437‑442, 2011.
Kahabuka C, Plotkin M, Christensen A, Brown C, Njozi M, Kisendi R, Maokola W, Mlanga E, Lemwayi R, Curran K, et al: Addressing the First 90: A highly effective partner notification approach reaches previously undiagnosed sexual partners in tanzania. AIDS Behav 21: 2551‑2560, 2017.
Rosenberg NE, Mtande TK, Saidi F, Stanley C, Jere E, Paile L, Kumwenda K, Mofolo I, Ng'ambi W, Miller WC, et al: Recruiting male partners for couple HIV testing and counselling in Malawi's option B+ programme: an unblinded randomised controlled trial. Lancet HIV 2: e483‑e491, 2015.
Dalal S, Johnson C, Fonner V, Kennedy CE, Siegfried N, Figueroa C and Baggaley R: Improving HIV test uptake and case finding with assisted partner notification services. AIDS 31: 1867‑1876, 2017.
Wamuti BM, Erdman LK, Cherutich P, Golden M, Dunbar M, Bukusi D, Richardson B, Ng'ang'a A, Barnabas R, Mutiti PM, et al: Assisted partner notification services to augment HIV testing and linkage to care in Kenya: study protocol for a cluster randomized trial. Implement Sci 10: 23, 2015.
Tembo TA, Kim MH, Simon KR, Ahmed S, Beyene T, Wetzel E, Machika M, Chikoti C, Kammera W, Chibowa H, et al: Enhancing an HIV index case testing passive referral model through a behavioural skills‑building training for healthcare providers: a pre‑/post‑assessment in Mangochi District, Malawi. J Int AIDS Soc 22 (Suppl 3), 2019.
Nkwabong E, Meboulou Nguel R, Kamgaing N and Keddi Jippe AS: Knowledge, attitudes and practices of health personnel of maternities in the prevention of mother‑to‑child transmission of HIV in a sub‑Saharan African region with high transmission rate: some solutions proposed. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth 18: 227, 2018.
Khawand Ayle G and Saadeh D: Construire le sentiment d'auto‑efficacité par l'analyse de l'activité centrée sur les schèmes. Expérimentation d'une formation à l'éthique auprès des infirmières au Liban. Phronesis 10: 72‑92, 2021.
Supporting Agencies
National council responding to HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted infections (SP/CNLS-IST), Burkina FasoCopyright (c) 2023 the Authors

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.