title: Understanding lay perspectives: care options for STD treatment in Lusaka, Zambia.
abstract: Understanding lay persons' perceptions of STD care is critical in the design and implementation of appropriate health services. Using 20 unstructured group interviews, 10 focus group discussions and 4 STD case simulations in selected sub-populations in Lusaka, we investigated lay person perspectives of STD services. The study revealed a large diversity of care options for STD in the communities, including self-care, traditional healers, medicine sold in the markets and streets, injections administered in the compounds, private clinics, health centres and hospital. The factors identified as influencing care seeking behaviour are: lay referral mechanisms, social cost, availability of care options, economics, beliefs, stigma and quality of care as perceived by the users.
authors.affiliation: Country Support, UNAIDS, Geneva.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Msiska
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Nangawe
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mulenga
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sichone
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kamanga
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kwapa
mesh_terms: D001294:Attitude to Health; D017281:Cost of Illness; D003906:Developing Countries; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D016488:Medicine, African Traditional; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D010358:Patient Participation; D010465:Perception; D012648:Self Care; D012749:Sexually Transmitted Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy*; D015024:Zambia / Q000453:epidemiology