Perception of quality of care in HIV/AIDS programmes among patients in a tertiary health care facility in Anambra State.

BACKGROUND: Continuous quality improvement is linked to the use of timely and useful feedback from clients in Human Immuno-deficiency Virus (HIV) care. HIV experts and care professionals agree that consumer involvement, such as patient satisfaction survey, is an essential part of HIV care and policy making today. The introduction ofAnti-Retroviral Treatment (ART) services in Nigeria has significantly impacted positively on the overall well being of People Living with HIV and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (PLWHA). However, there is little understanding of their satisfaction and perception of quality of care provided. Consequently, this study was carried out to assess patients' satisfaction with ambulatory HIV/AIDS care in a tertiary health facility in Anambra State.

METHODS: The study design is cross-sectional. A total of 150 patients from Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital (NAUTH), Nnewi were selected using systematic sampling technique from the daily AntiRetroviral (ARV) clinic register obtained from the medical records department of the centre. Data were collected using a structured interviewer-administered questionnaire and analyzed using SPSS version 13.

RESULTS: The mean age of the respondents was 38.3 +/- 9.1. Majority (50.7%) of the patients was married, and most of them (74.7%) were semi-skilled workers. There was a statistically significant difference in the numbers of those who spent >240 naira for transportation to the clinic, compared to those who spent < or = 240 naira (98 versus 52). Similarly, the number of subjects that spent >30 minutes are significantly larger than the number that spent < or = 30 minutes to reach the clinic (142 versus 8). Also significantly greater number of participants spend >750 naira than those who spend <750 naira on non-HIV related laboratory (20 versus 9) tests. PLWHAs in this facility were least satisfied with access to care, while they expressed greatest satisfaction with good patient care and quality of service by staff. The overall satisfaction score of the subjects was 4.04 +/- 0.33.

CONCLUSION: HIV patients' overall satisfaction with the services provided to them was quite high. Therefore, there is need to sustain the current level of quality of care provided to the patients and if possible improve upon it. However, efforts should be made to further decentralize ART services to make them more accessible to the growing number of PLWHAs needing care and support.