ALERE IS NOW ABBOTT THE IMPORTANCE OF EVIDENCE-BASED MEDICINE IN POINT-OF-CARE TESTING AFRICAN FIRST LADIES MOBILIZE TO END TRANSMISSION OF MOTHER-TO-CHILD HIV AND SYPHILIS ALLAYING EMPLOYEES' CONCERNS ABOUT WORKPLACE DRUG TESTING ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE: GETTING STRAIGHT TO THE POINT! OVERCOMING THE SCREENING CHALLENGES OF NEW PSYCHOACTIVE SUBSTANCES COMPREHENSIVE DIABETES PATIENT CARE PROGRAM YIELDS MEASUREABLE RESULTS FIGHTING THE GROWING THREAT OF ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE ZIKA VIRUS: A GROWING PUBLIC HEALTH THREAT PROGRESS IN TOTAL ANALYTICAL ERROR REDUCTION STRENGTHENING REFERRALS AND LINKAGES IN SWAZILAND DESIGNER STIMULANT TESTING: A FAST MOVING TARGET LEFT BEHIND IN THE GLOBAL RESPONSE TO HIV ELIMINATING MALARIA IN INDIA NEW GUIDANCE FOR PHYSICIANS FOR DIAGNOSING C. DIFF CLINICIANS GATHER TO ENCOURAGE POINT-OF-CARE TESTING IN LATIN AMERICA DIAGNOSTICS AT DAVOS: A CALL TO DEPLOY POCT TO ADDRESS THE TOLLS OF ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE RSV. IT'S NOT JUST FOR KIDS ANYMORE! IMPROVING TYPE 2 DIABETES AND HYPERTENSION SERVICES IN HONDURAS THE GLOBAL THREAT OF DRUG-RESISTANT TUBERCULOSIS - ARE WE DOING ENOUGH? WORKPLACE POLICIES FOR PRESCRIPTION DRUGS DIAGNOSIS AND MANAGEMENT OF THE DIABETES EPIDEMIC IN THE PACIFIC ISLANDS DIAGNOSTIC ACCESS IN AFRICA: THE EVOLUTION OF HIV POINT-OF-CARE TESTING IN UGANDA THE BENEFITS OF PRE-EMPLOYMENT DRUG TESTING THE EXPANDED ROLE FOR AUSTRALIAN COMMUNITY PHARMACY IN CHRONIC DISEASE MANAGEMENT SHIFTING PARADIGMS IN CONNECTIVITY: HOW KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT CAN STRENGTHEN POINT OF CARE PROGRAMS "THIS RESPIRATORY SEASON, FDA'S RECLASSIFICATION OF RAPID INFLUENZA DIAGNOSTIC TESTS CAN CONTRIBUTE TO BETTER PATIENT OUTCOMES" BRINGING "HEALTH ON WHEELS" TO AT-RISK TEENS IN CAPE TOWN THE VALUE OF RANDOM DRUG TESTING ABBOTT AND ALERE HAVE JOINED TOGETHER BRINGING HEALTHCARE DIAGNOSTICS TO MORE PEOPLE IN MORE PLACES AROUND THE WORLD LEGIONNAIRE'S DISEASE INFLUENZA (FLU) MALARIA MONONUCLEOSIS MRSA PNEUMONIA RSV S. AUREUS STREP A PHARYNGITIS STREPTOCOCCUS PNEUMONIAE SYPHILIS C-REACTIVE PROTEIN DIAGNOSTIC TESTS TUBERCULOSIS OTHER INFECTIOUS DISEASE ALERE PBP2A ALERE PIMA CD4 ALERE Q ALERE TESTPACK ALERE TOXICOLOGY ALERE TRIAGE AEGISPOC CLEARVIEW EPOC NYCOCARD STANDARD DIAGNOSTICS TECHLAB ADDITIONAL BRANDS Home Viewpoints Strengthening Referrals and Linkages in Swaziland VIEWPOINTS IMPACT November 14, 2016 STRENGTHENING REFERRALS AND LINKAGES IN SWAZILAND At PSI, we make it easier for people in the developing world to lead healthy lives, and plan the families they desire by employing proven business practices—such as the franchising of health facilities and the marketing of health products and services. For more information, please visit wwww.psi.org. In Swaziland, where one in four adults is HIV positive and testing services are made available in a variety of locations, linking people who have been diagnosed with the virus to treatment in a timely manner is essential. HIV treatment not only reduces morbidity and mortality for people living with HIV (PLHIV), but also prevents new HIV infections because people who take their medications regularly are 90% less likely to transmit the virus to their sexual partners than PLHIV not on treatment. However, global evidence suggests that as many as 70% of newly diagnosed HIV positive individuals never initiate anti-retroviral therapy (ART). With help from Alere, PSI’s Swaziland office - one of more than 50 around the world – is working to solve this problem. In 2015, PSI realized we needed better approaches to support effective referrals and linkages for our clients testing positive for HIV. We reached out to our partner, Alere, for help. Through the Alere Fellows program, Dan De La Vega and Leanne Shearman dedicated three months of their time to analyze PSI’s work on linkages and referrals and make recommendations for improvement, using the work in Swaziland as a test case. GLOBAL EVIDENCE SUGGESTS THAT AS MANY AS 70% OF NEWLY DIAGNOSED HIV POSITIVE INDIVIDUALS NEVER INITIATE ANTI-RETROVIRAL THERAPY (ART). The result was a suite of tools and guidance documents that support both more standardized procedures and better use of data to focus resources. These include training for providers on motivational interviewing techniques to make post-test counseling sessions more effective, revised and improved standard operating procedures for HIV counselors and test sites, and cost and risk analysis for loss-to-follow-up. With these new tools, PSI Swaziland revamped its approach to linking new positive clients with ART. They rolled out Dan and Leanne’s recommendations and added a few additional elements: they added “expert clients” – people living with HIV who are successfully taking ART and trained as peer supporters – to each of their HIV testing teams. Additionally, they offered client’s transport to their first clinic visits using outreach vehicles, which helped overcome a major barrier for many newly diagnosed PLHIV. As before, staff made follow-up telephone calls to ensure these clients were successfully enrolled into care. As a result, the proportion of HIV positives successfully linked to care increased among female testers, from 69% to 85%, and among male testers, from 59% to 75%, between 2015 and 2016. These improvements translate directly into lives saved and infections prevented. Through its partnership with Alere, PSI Swaziland has accelerated the HIV response in one of the countries hardest hit by the epidemic. But that’s not all. At PSI, we place tremendous value on our network and its ability to share information across the globe. We prioritize applying local knowledge to a larger global context and leveraging our learnings to maximize impact. We are sharing the tools and insights gained from our Alere Fellows widely across PSI’s technical and regional teams, so that they can apply and adapt them for use all over the world, amplifying the impact of this partnership and saving more lives. HIV AIDS Improved patient outcomes Karin Hatzold, Deputy Director HIV and Tuberculosis Programs, PSI Global RELATED ARTICLES View all IMPACT Bringing “Health on Wheels” to At-risk Teens in Cape Town October 12, 2017 INSIGHT This Respiratory Season, FDA’s Reclassification of Rapid Influenza Diagnostic Tests Can Contribute to Better Patient Outcomes October 12, 2017 Karin Hatzold, Deputy Director HIV and Tuberculosis Programs, PSI Global SELECT A TOPIC INSIGHT INNOVATION IMPACT FEATURED ARTICLES: Abbott and Alere have joined together bringing healthcare diagnostics to more people in more places around the world The Value of Random Drug Testing Bringing “Health on Wheels” to At-risk Teens in Cape Town This Respiratory Season, FDA’s Reclassification of Rapid Influenza Diagnostic Tests Can Contribute to Better Patient Outcomes Shifting Paradigms in Connectivity: How Knowledge Management Can Strengthen Point of Care Programs The Expanded Role for Australian Community Pharmacy in Chronic Disease Management SIGN UP FOR EMAIL UPDATES How much is: Answer: SUBMIT STAY INFORMED SIGN UP TO RECEIVE VALUABLE UPDATES FROM ABBOTT. 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