Introduction

South Africa is one of the countries with the most HIV infections in the world. Therefore, it is a challenge to provide Anti-retroviral therapy to clients due to a shortage of medical practitioners in the public health sector. Nonetheless, there is an urgent need to strengthen the public health sector’s response to HIV and AIDS by empowering professional nurses working in the Primary Health Clinics (PHCs) to initiate and manage clients on Anti-retroviral therapy. There is also a need to enhance and strengthen the role of professional nurses in providing quality care to patients infected with HIV and other co-morbidities.

Course Description

This course is about the entire spectrum of HIV. It includes the epidemiology, prevention, diagnosis and staging of HIV. It deals with the principles of initiation of Anti-retroviral therapy for children, adolescents, pregnant women, adults and the management of HIV and opportunistic infections. Anti-retroviral medicine, indications, contraindications, side-effects and adverse effects as well as reporting, monitoring and evaluation of programmes are addressed.

Target Audience

Professional nurses managing patients with HIV in the Primary Health Care settings and other public health facilities.

Learning Outcomes

After completing the course, you will be able to:

Describe the epidemiology of HIV and TB.
Explain how to diagnose and stage HIV-infected clients.
Outline HIV prevention methods.
Discuss the management of medicine, including the prescription of Anti-retrovirals, children infected with HIV, adolescents and adults, and pregnant women adhering to national treatment guidelines.
Explain how to detect and manage TB, including drug-resistant TB cases, adhering to national treatment guidelines.
Explain how to identify and manage HIV patients’ eligible for prophylaxis for opportunistic infections, including TB Preventative Therapy (IPT).
Explain how to detect and manage adverse reactions associated with Anti-retroviral and TB treatment.
Describe the recording and reporting systems utilised in HIV and TB management.

Course Content

The Key themes/topics that the course will cover:

Introduction to HIV.
Prevention of HIV and AIDS.
HIV counselling and testing.
WHO clinical staging.
Anti-retroviral therapy.
Treatment failure.
Resistance.
HIV and comorbidities.
Prevention and management of opportunistic infections.
Sexually Transmitted Infections.
Early mother-to-child transmission (Elimination of Mother-to-Child Transmission (EMTCT)).
Paediatric HIV management.
TB management in adults and children.
Contraceptives and HIV.
Nutrition and HIV.
HIV and the law.
Monitoring and evaluation.

Admission

Professional nursing qualification.

Training Delivery

The course will be delivered through faceto-face contact and mentoring at the worksite.

award

A Health Systems Trust Certificate of Completion will be given to participants who attend the course and successfully complete the assessment process.

Duration

The duration of the course is:

Theory: five days
Work-based learning (80 clinical cases must be completed).

assessments

There will be formative and summative assessments. A Portfolio of Evidence that is supervised by the clinical mentor is also required.

Requirments

Students must have access to a computer and the internet.

fees

The course fees vary, based on the number of enrolments by an organisation for the short course. A quotation per student will be given by the Course Co-ordinator, Cassius Semaushu at Cassius.Semaushu@hst.org.za. Course fees must be paid in full prior to the course start date.