ENHANCING ANTIRETROVIRAL THERAPY ADHERENCE AMONG THE YOUTH AT MBAGATHI DISTRICT HOSPITAL

Fellow: Angela WairimuMaina (BSc. BMED, MPH) 

Registration Number: W82/89467/2016

Track: Program Management, University of Nairobi HIV Capacity Building Fellowship

PROJECT SUMMARY

Mbagathi District Hospital is one of three hospitals in Nairobi County. It provides several preventive and curative services. The comprehensive care centre provides antiretroviral therapy to several clients who include approximately three hundred youth. Youth is at times characterized by high-risk sexual behaviour and a lack of engagement with healthcare services that can affect adherence to antiretroviral therapy. The issue of non-adherence among the youth was raised during the organizational capacity assessment and this was evident by the high viral load results among the youth. The objective of the project is to improve adherence to HIV treatment among youth at the hospital. This is imperative because viral suppression is key in the reduction of new HIV infections and it also contributes to the achievement of the second and third UNAIDS targets. The project seeks to adopt best practices for adolescent and youth friendly HIV services in a bid to increase adherence. Similarly, selected youth will undergo capacity building in peer counseling/mentorship. Treatment literacy will be employed in the form of a standard training manual which will be converted into an App, edutainment videos and IEC materials. It is expected that the youth will be more open to discuss their health issues with their peers and that adoption of the best practices will be more acceptable to the youth. Clinicians will also be encouraged to take up UoN online short courses and embrace CMEs to increase their knowledge on HIV care and service delivery. The project will employ verbal and written communication strategies. The project will establish partnership with AMPATH who have a successful youth program for sustainability purposes. Baseline and summative viral load statistics will be used to monitor the successful implementation of the project. Progress reports will be generated and shared with all stakeholders.