Page 112 - SAHCS HIVMed Journal Vol 20 No 1 2019

Southern African Journal of HIV Medicine
ISSN: (Online) 2078-6751, (Print) 1608-9693
Page 1 of 7 Original Research

‘We must treat them like all the other people’:

Evaluating the Integrated Key Populations

Sensitivity Training Programme for Healthcare

Workers in South Africa

Authors: Background: Sensitisation training can reduce judgemental and discriminatory attitudes
Zoe Duby 1,2 amongst healthcare workers. The ‘Integrated Key Populations Sensitivity Training Programme
Francisco Fong-Jaen 3
Busisiwe Nkosi 2 for Healthcare Workers in South Africa’ aimed to improve access to appropriate and non-
Benjamin Brown 2 judgemental health services for ‘key populations’, specifically men who have sex with men,
Andrew Scheibe 2 sex workers and people who use drugs, through the sensitisation of healthcare workers.

Affiliations: Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of the integrated key population
1 Division of Social and sensitisation training intervention for healthcare workers, conducted between 2013 and 2014
Behavioural Sciences, School in South Africa.
of Public Health and Family
Medicine, University of Cape Methods: This study used a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods. Qualitative
Town, Cape Town, South Africa methods compared attitudes between healthcare workers who received the training
intervention and those who did not. Quantitative methods were used to compare similar
2 Desmond Tutu HIV Centre, changes in awareness amongst healthcare workers before and after receiving the training. We
Department of Medicine,
University of Cape Town, explored shifts in attitudes towards key populations, changes in awareness of health issues
Cape Town, South Africa related to stigma, discrimination, and changes in capacity to manage sexual health and HIV
risk behaviours, including substance use and anal sex.
3 School of Public Health and
Family Medicine, University Results: The findings indicate that the training intervention resulted in a shift in attitudes,
of Cape Town, Cape Town, increased empathy for key populations, a reduction in negative and discriminatory moral-based
South Africa judgements towards key populations and their behaviours, and increased self-perceived
capacity to provide appropriate health services to key populations. Over 70% of healthcare
Corresponding author: workers trained in this programme strongly agreed that this intervention helped to increase
Zoe Duby,
[email protected] awareness of psychosocial vulnerabilities of key populations, and address stigmatising attitudes.
Conclusion: The findings suggest that sensitisation training increases healthcare workers’
Dates:
Received: 07 Sept. 2018 knowledge and awareness about specific HIV-related health needs and psychosocial
Accepted: 20 Mar. 2019 vulnerabilities of key populations, reduces moralising and judgemental attitudes, and results
Published: 30 Apr. 2019 in healthcare workers feeling more skilled to provide appropriate and sensitive services.
How to cite this article: Keywords: Men who have sex with men; Sex workers; People who use drugs; Sensitisation
Duby Z, Fong-Jaen F, Nkosi B, Training; Healthcare workers; South Africa.
Brown B, Scheibe A. ‘We
must treat them like all the
other people’: Evaluating the Introduction
Integrated Key Populations
Sensitivity Training Globally, ‘key population’ groups such as sex workers, men who have sex with men (MSM) and
Programme for Healthcare
Workers in South Africa. S Afr people who use drugs (PWUD) are at increased risk of HIV infection compared with the general
1,2
J HIV Med. 2019;20(1), a909. population. Each year, a significant number of new infections occur amongst these groups,
https://doi.org/10.4102/ influenced, in part, by the stigmatisation and discrimination experienced in healthcare
sajhivmed.v20i1.909 settings, including refusal of care, patient neglect, provision of differential treatment based on HIV
status, breaches of confidentiality, isolation and verbal abuse by staff. 2,3,4,5,6 Such experiences negatively
affect the ability of key populations to engage with both prevention and treatment services, and can
lead to delayed treatment, negative effects on retention in care and, ultimately, to poor health outcomes
or death. 4,6,7,8 In addition to experiences of discrimination, few facilities provide the full range of
services (e.g. evidence-based substance use disorder services) and equipment (e.g. clean injecting
equipment, condoms and compatible lubricants) that might be required by key populations. 9,10,11,12
Read online:
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Scan this QR
Scan this QR
code with your In the South African context, MSM, sex workers and PWUD report frequent exclusion from
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smart phone or society and high levels of stigma and discrimination in the healthcare setting. 6,8,9,13,14 Judgemental
smart phone or
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mobile device
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to read online.
Copyright: © 2019. The Authors. Licensee: AOSIS. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution License.
http://www.sajhivmed.org.za 105 Open Access