A description of recorded HIV status in persons with disabilities at Western Cape Rehabilitation Centre

Date
2014-12
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
Abstract
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: It is only recently that research on HIV and persons with disabilities has started to emerge. There still remains, however, a lack of research on the prevalence of HIV infection in persons with disabilities. The challenges facing HIV prevalence studies include that persons need to be tested for HIV to be able to be certain of HIV status. Issues related to disclosure and accessibility to health care further limit HIV prevalence studies, especially in the disabled population where stigmatisation and marginalisation, due to the disability, already exist. This research assignment aimed to yield some preliminary quantitative information on HIV disease in the population of persons with disabilities admitted to WCRC. It aimed to describe the HIV status information as recorded in the medical files of in-patients admitted to WCRC in a 6-month period. A cross-sectional design was applied in this exploratory study. Data was collected through an audit of 331 clients‟ clinical records. Variable information collected was type of disability, gender, population group, age, the source documents used to gather data, and recorded information regarding HIV status (i.e. positive, negative or unknown). The source documents used to gather information were medical records, laboratory results, pharmacy scripts and therapy notes. The recorded information in the medical records and therapy notes was, however, subject to client disclosure. The unknown subset in the sample included folders with HIV status recorded as unknown as well as folders lacking any HIV information, which constituted a major limitation of the study. 16.4% of females were recorded with an HIV positive status, compared to only 6.51% of males. Per population group, Black African clients had the highest number of recorded HIV positive status whereas Coloured clients had the highest recorded unknown HIV status. The recorded HIV positive status information of the study sample was 9.97%, which is comparable to the national estimate of 9.9%. The results indicate that a better understanding of the undercurrents driving HIV information recording and disclosure in the disabled population of WCRC is needed. According to the literature, various factors could contribute to disclosure or non-disclosure of HIV status, such as fear of stigmatisation, lack of access to testing and social marginalisation. This study aims to provide a first step in research, and specifically in hypothesis generating research, of HIV information recording and supports the need for HIV prevalence studies in the disabled population.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Dit is slegs onlangs dat navorsing in MIV en mense met gestremdhede begin ontluik het. Daar is wel nog „n tekort aan navorsing oor die prevalensie van MIV infeksie in mense met gestremdhede. Die uitdagings van prevalensie studies sluit in dat persone getoets moet word vir MIV om seker te wees van MIV status. Probleme verwant aan bekendmaking en toegang tot gesondheidsorg beperk MIV prevalensie studies, veral in die gestremde populasie waar stigma en marginalisering alreeds voorkom. Hierdie navorsingsprojek het gepoog om voorlopige kwantitatiewe informasie te verskaf in sake die voorkoms van MIV in die populasie van mense met gestremdhede wat toegelaat is by WCRC. Die doel van die studie was om die MIV inligting soos aangeteken in die mediese lêers van binne-pasiente wat toegelaat is tot WCRC oor „n ses-maande periode te beskryf. „n Deursnitsontwerp is toegepas in hierdie ondersoekende studie. Data is ingesamel deur „n oudit van 331 kliente se kliniese rekords. Veranderlike inligting wat ingesamel is is tipe gestremdheid, geslag, populasie groep, ouderdom, watter inligtingsbron gebruik is om die data in te samel en die aangetekende MIV status (d.w.s. positiewe, negatiewe of onbekende status). Die brondokumente wat gebruik is om die informasie in te samel was mediese rekords, laboratorium resultate, apteek voorskrifte en terapie notas. Die aangetekende inligting is nietemin onderhewe aan klientbekendmaking. Die onbekende substel in die monster het lêers ingesluit met HIV statusse aangeteken as onbekend sowel as lêers wat geen MIV inligting bevat het nie, wat „n beduidende beperking van die studie was. 16.4% van vroue aangeteken is met „n „n MIV positiewe status, in vergelyking met slegs 6.51% van mans. Per bevolkingsgroep het Swart Afrikane kliente die hoogste getal aangetekende MIV positiewe gevalle teenoor Kleurling kliente wie die hoogste aantekening van onbekende MIV status gehad het. Die aangetekende MIV positiewe status inligting vir die studie populasie was 9.97%, wat vergelykbaar is met die nasionale skattings van 9.9%. Deur die resultate is dit duidelik dat „n beter begrip van die onderliggende dryfkragte in MIV inligting aantekening en bekendmaking in die gestremde populasie van WCRC benodig word.Volgens die literatuur kan verskeie faktore bydra tot die bekendmaking of nie-bekendmaking van MIV status, soos vrees vir stigmatisering, gebrek aan toegang tot toetsing en sosiale marginalisering. Hierdie studie poog om „n eerste stap in navorsing, en spesifiek in hipotesis genereerende navorsing, te verskaf van MIV inligting aantekening en ondersteun die behoefte aan MIV prevalensie studies in the gestremde populasie.
Description
Thesis (MHumanRehabSt)--Stellenbosch University, 2014.
Keywords
People with disabilities -- Health and hygiene -- Mitchell's Plain (Cape Town, South Africa), HIV (Viruses) -- Research -- Mitchell's Plain (Cape Town, South Africa), HIV (Viruses) -- Reporting -- Mitchell's Plain (Cape Town, South Africa), UCTD
Citation