Integrated access to care and treatment (I ACT) support groups for adolescents living with HIV in public healthcare facilities in South Africa: feasibility and acceptability for scaling up

ABSTRACT

Integrated Access to Care and Treatment (I ACT) for adolescents is an educational support group initiative conducted monthly by trained healthcare providers (counsellors/health promoters). It follows a defined educational curriculum of six topics including, HIV/AIDS, disclosure, sexual and reproductive and mental health. Qualitative assessments, conducted midway of I ACT implementation at four primary healthcare facilities in North West province, South Africa, aimed to explore the perceptions of healthcare providers and the experiences of adolescents living with HIV (ALHIV). Face-to-face interviews were conducted with healthcare providers (n = 4), Facility Managers (n = 4) and ALHIV 15–19 years (n = 15). Interviews were recorded, transcribed, translated, verified and a content analysis performed. ALHIV reported the benefit and educational value of I ACT support groups. Healthcare providers shared their experience with initiating the groups and Facility Managers highlighted implementation challenges. In this study I ACT for adolescents supported ALHIV needs and promoted engagement with healthcare providers and peers. Sustaining I ACT for adolescents will require additional health system strengthening like provision of human and material resources.

KEYWORDS:

• Adolescents
• support groups
• HIV
• South Africa

Acknowledgments

Thank you to Catherine Skosana for facilitating the data collection, George Letseka, Relebohile Maleka and Thando Frans for data collection and participants from the participating healthcare facilities. Wits RHI Adolescent Innovations Project, USAID Southern Africa (Cooperative Agreement No.AID-674- A12-00032: HIV Innovation for Improved Patient Outcomes for Priority Populations-Adolescents).

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

Wits RHI Adolescent Innovations Project, USAID Southern Africa (Cooperative Agreement No.AID-674- A12-00032: HIV Innovation for Improved Patient Outcomes for Priority Populations-Adolescents).