Clients' perception of the quality and satisfaction with provider-initiated HIV testing and counseling in Kayunga District, Uganda

Abstract

Introduction: Provider-Initiated HIV Testing and Counseling (PITC) is well accepted and implemented in many countries in PMTC, TB and STD clinics. However, information about clients’ perceptions of its quality and satisfaction is not well documented. Objective: To assess clients’ perceptions of quality and satisfaction with PITC. Methods: An institutional based cross-sectional study of 384 clients, complemented by focus group discussions was conducted in Kayunga district between October and December 2011. Data entry screen was designed in Epi-Info 2008 version 3.5.1 and data entered, cleaned and then exported to STATA (version 10) for analysis. Results: Respondents’ age ranged from 18 to 80 years old with a mean (SD) of 33.9 years (±12.1) and median of 32.0. Most were females (59.1%), had never tested for HIV (72.1%), Muslims (35.2%), and had no formal education (34.6%). Majority of clients felt respected (96.9%), were aware of the freedom to decline HIV testing (50.3%) but not comfortable doing so (61.7%), and not sure of their confidentiality (61.2%). Furthermore, 78.7% didn’t have enough information in pre-testing to make a voluntary choice. Overall, 85.9% of the clients perceived PITC quality as either good or very good and 88.3% were satisfied or very satisfied with the services. Conclusions: Most clients perceived PITC as of good quality and were satisfied. However, there is need to address some ethical issues; the freedom to decline, confidentiality and adequate information. Keywords: Quality, Provider-Initiated HIV Testing and Counseling (PITC), Kayunga district, outpatient.