Background:
HIV/AIDS is fast becoming a chronic disease with the advent of antiretroviral drugs,therefore making home based care key in the management of chronically ill HIV/AIDSpatient. The objective of this study was to determine the perception and practice of healthcare workers on HIV/AIDS related home based care in the health facilities in Ogun state,Nigeria.
Methods:
This study is an analytical cross-sectional study. A multistage cluster sampling technique wasused to obtain a representative sample of the primary health care workers in Ogun state. Aninterviewer administered structured questionnaire was administered by trained health workersto elicit the required information.ResultA total of 350 health care workers were interviewed, 70% of the respondents couldadequately describe the components of home based care. Only 38.7% were aware of theNational guideline on home based care practices and 17.1% believe that home based care willnot significantly improve the prognosis of PLWAs. Few 19.1% had ever been trained or everinvolved 16.6% in home based care practices. Only 20 [5.7%] are involved on a weeklybasis, 16 [4.6%] monthly and 22 [6.3%] quarterly. Reasons given for non implementation ofhome based care are inadequate number of healthcare workers 45%, lack of political will24.4%, lack of implementation by facility managers 14% and inadequate funds 16.6%.Factors that were significantly associated with the practice of home based care wereperception of its relevance in improving prognosis [OR = 54.21, C.I = 23.22-129.52] andpresence of a support group in the facility [OR = 4.80, C.I = 2.40-9.57]. There was howeverno statistically significant relationship between adequate knowledge of home based care [OR= 0.78, C.I = 0.39-1.54] and previous training on home based care (OR = 1.43, C.I = 0.66-3.06].
Conclusion:
The practice of home based care for HIV/AIDS among the study population is low and it isgreatly influenced by perception of its effectiveness and relevance. The study recommendsthat the health care workers should be adequately educated on the importance of home basedcare in the management of chronic illnesses in order to enhance its practice.