Knowledge, attitudes and perceptions of health care users towards HIV self-testing at selected Gateway clinics at eThekwini District, KwaZulu-Natal

Abstract

Background Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) testing, treatment and prevention programmes have been initiated and implemented, but nearly 19 million of the 35 million people globally who are living with HIV do not know they have it. A new and powerful movement called 90-90-90 has been set in motion where the target is that by the year 2020, 90% of all people should know their HIV status, 90% of those testing HIV positive should be commenced on lifelong antiretroviral treatment and 90% of the people receiving treatment should be virally suppressed. It is argued the new innovative HIV self-testing strategy can increase the uptake of HIV testing among key populations and the general public.

Aim of the study The aim of the study was to assess health care users’ knowledge, attitudes and perceptions towards HIV self-testing at selected Gateway clinics in eThekwini District, KwaZulu-Natal.

Methodology A quantitative, non-experimental descriptive design was used to determine knowledge, attitudes and perceptions of health care users at three selected Gateway clinics in eThekwini Health District. The researcher requested permission and was granted to conduct the study from all the relevant stakeholders. Human rights were protected and ethical considerations were adhered to throughout the research process. The convenience sample was 442 participants with a minimum of 98 and a maximum of 246 participants sampled from each of the three study sites. A survey questionnaire was used to collect data. Version 23 of SPSS was used to analyse data. Graphs and tables were used to represent frequencies. Inferential statistical were used to test whether any of the response options were selected significantly more or less than others

Results Results of the study revealed that health care users had a reasonable knowledge of HIV self-testing and there were indications that they would use it if it was made freely available to the public and was properly regulated. Generally, there were indications that health care users had positive attitudes towards HIV self-testing. It was seen as a good idea as it can be performed in the privacy of one’s home and the person would be first to know about the results. Results also revealed that there could be more people who would know their HIV status and people could test more frequently. There were perceptions that there would be no difficulty in performing an HIV self-test. The lack of pre-test counselling, false negative results, possible coercion and sale of unregulated testing kits seemed to be issues of concern that require addressing if HIV self-testing is to be promulgated.