title: Improved services to enrollees into an HIV rural care and treatment center in Tanzania.
abstract: Better quality of services is essential for the sustainability of HIV programs, in particular in rural Sub-Saharan Africa, to support the increasing number of individuals treated with combination antiretroviral therapy (cART). However, longitudinal data from rural care and treatment centers (CTC) are scarce. The objective was to assess trend in quality of care for HIV infected persons before start of combination antiretroviral therapy (pre-ART). A retrospective analysis of pre-ART registers and patient's files of 1950 patients enrolled in the Bagamoyo CTC in Tanzania between 2008 and 2010 analyzing was conducted; with parameters including year of enrollment, gender, age, CD4 cell count and WHO clinical stage at time enrollment. We noted a significant increase by 20% of total patients who had CD4 cell count performed from 69% (n=457) in 2008, 83% (n=493) 2009 to 89% (n=616) 2010 (X(2)= 87.014, P(2)= 14.945, P(2)= 85.028, P(3). Efforts must be undertaken for more HIV testing and timely referral of HIV-infected patients to CTC.
authors.affiliation: Ifakara Health Institute, Bagamoyo, United Republic of Tanzania.
authors.forename: Khadija
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Said
authors.affiliation: Ifakara Health Institute, Bagamoyo, United Republic of Tanzania.
authors.forename: Abdallah
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mkopi
authors.affiliation: KNCV Tuberculosis Foundation, The Hague, The Netherlands and CINIMA, Academic Medical Centre Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Suzanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Verver
authors.affiliation: Ifakara Health Institute, Bagamoyo, United Republic of Tanzania.
authors.forename: Fred
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lwilla
authors.affiliation: The Aurum Institute for Health Research, Johannesburg, South Africa.
authors.forename: Gavin
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Churchyard
authors.affiliation: Ifakara Health Institute, Bagamoyo, United Republic of Tanzania.
authors.forename: Seif
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shekalaghe
authors.affiliation: Division of Infectious Diseases and Hospital Epidemiology-University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Manuel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Battegay
authors.affiliation: Ifakara Health Institute, Bagamoyo, United Republic of Tanzania ; Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Klaus
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Reither
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000592:standards*; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy*; D015497:HIV-1; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009313:National Health Programs / Q000592:standards; D058996:Quality Improvement; D019035:Rural Health Services / Q000592:standards*; D012424:Rural Population; D013636:Tanzania / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: CD4 cell count; HIV; HIV treatment program; Sub-Saharan Africa; WHO clinical stage