As more and more South Africans commence ART, their HIV infection necessitates a long-term approach
to wellness similar to other chronic diseases such as diabetes or asthma. For these patients, effective case management is a critical part of the complex care they need to help ensure their physical and emotional health.
In 2007, AIHA established a partnership linking the Pretoria-based Foundation for
Professional Development (FPD) with the University of California - San Francisco (UCSF) School of Nursing to improve the coordination of HIV-related care and services by implementing a nursing case management model at ARV clinics supported by FPD.
Partners conducted a pilot training workshop on
nursing care management in HIV/AIDS for nine nurses in November 2008, along with a subsequent focus group for the nine participants to explore the impact of this training. Analysis of data collected through this process demonstrated that the training was useful and provided necessary knowledge in terms of coordination of services for better case management.
To address the challenges nurses confront when trying to incorporate better case management into their day-to-day practice, partners conducted a stakeholders meeting during which attendees agreed to support the development and implementation of case management in the clinics where they work. They also focused on providing training and mentoring for nurses working with participating ARV clinics that were piloting case management and garnering political support for the nurse case management model in South Africa.
This partnership officially graduated from the Twinning Center's technical assistance program in 2010.
Updated November 15, 2011
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