The 2010 South African guidelines for the management of HIV and AIDS: A review

Rossouw, Theresa M.; Richter, Karin Louise; Martin, Des; Avenant, Theunis; Spencer, David

doi:10.7196/samj.4594

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 17 publications

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“…Today, South Africa’s ART program is administered as a routine, chronic service. According to 2011 national guidelines ( Pillay, White, & McCormick, 2012 ; Rossouw, Richter, Martin, Avenant, & Spencer, 2011 ), HIV-positive patients should be initiated on ART once their cluster of differentiation 4 (CD4) count (an indicator of immune system strength) has declined to equal or less than 350 cells/µL (during our fieldwork, the guideline threshold value was 200 cells/µL). ART initiation is accompanied by adherence counseling and regular clinic visits for treatment collection (during our fieldwork, such visits were at least monthly).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Acceptable Care? Illness Constructions, Healthworlds, and Accessible Chronic Treatment in South Africa

et al. 2015

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Achieving equitable access to health care is an important policy goal, with access influenced by affordability, availability, and acceptability of specific services. We explore patient narratives from a 5-year program of research on health care access to examine relationships between social constructions of illness and the acceptability of health services in the context of tuberculosis treatment and antiretroviral therapy in South Africa. Acceptability of services seems particularly important to the meanings patients attach to illness and care, whereas—conversely—these constructions appear to influence what constitutes acceptability and hence affect access to care. We highlight the underestimated role of individually, socially, and politically constructed healthworlds; traditional and biomedical beliefs; and social support networks. Suggested policy implications for improving acceptability and hence overall health care access include abandoning patronizing approaches to care and refocusing from treating “disease” to responding to “illness” by acknowledging and incorporating patients’ healthworlds in patient–provider interactions.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%