AEGiS-15IAC: Voluntary counselling and testing what is it.

15th International AIDS Conference

Bangkok, Thailand - July 11-16, 2004

Voluntary counselling and testing what is it.

Int Conf AIDS 2004 Jul 11-16; 15:(abstract no. E10444)

Davis K
GloballyAware, Melbourne, Australia

ISSUES: Voluntary counselling & testing has been promoted by UNAIDS & WHO as an important part HIV testing. VCT is the entry point for HIV for the general populace. Enables both negative & positive people to make informed choices to remain uninfected if their results are negative & also to reduce the impact on HIV positive people & the community. VCT facilitates changes in the community's attitudes towards HIV by developing individuals, families,communities & nations,allowing them to respond appropriately to HIV. Clients in developed & developing countries continue to be tested with little or no counselling even in countries where training of counsellors has been available for several yrs. VCT needs to be implemented in a culturally sensitive way for people to make informed decisions.

DESCRIPTION: Medical staff qualifications for HIV counselling is limited & is compounded by insufficient funds,understaffing, conflict of interest, polices, judgemental attitudes & inappropriate environments etc. This impedes their ability to implement VCT appropriately. The HIV counsellors role on how to implement VCT in a culture that is not accustomed to counselling is unclear. This is due to the lack of 'culturally' relevent training and literature. To implement VCT successfully the translation needs to adapt a 'culturally' aware focus. Training at workshops was carried out to clarify 'culturally' sensitive strategies for PLWHA's & implemention of the VCT prog.

LESSONS LEARNED: Research shows counsellors & clients understanding of the translation of VCT is unclear, that training is needed on clarification & how to implement 'culturally' sensitive VCT. It is both the client & staff that require this information. Recommendation: An appropriate VCT training mannual needs to be translated & developed by the HIV community [affected& infected]. Individual mannuals should be adapted so they are culturally,regionally & environmentally specific making them accessable to the community.

Keywords: AEGIS, Counseling, Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, HIV Seropositivity, Research Design, Developing Countries, Humans, prevention & control, organization & administration, therapy

040711
E10444