Positive Prevention

HIV/AIDS Practices / Prevention with Positive

        Prevention with Positives services meant to reduce new HIV infections and promote healthy living among people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHA). In 2007, Prevention with Positives services in hospitals were limited due to lack of a standard model, policy, and awareness among health care workers.

Goals of Prevention with Positives

• Reduce HIV transmission to partners by:
  • Increasing disclosure of HIV status to partners
  • Identifying discordant couples
  • Testing partners of HIV+ patients and children/family
  • Reducing number of sex partners
  • Abstaining or reducing partners and using a condom during every sexual encounter
• Identify HIV+ partners/family members for care and treatment
• Reduce risk of patient acquiring new infections - STIs and resistant strains of HIV
• Reduce unintended pregnancy and MTCT
• Reduce viral load through increasing adherence to care and treatment

 Six strategies for providing prevention service to people living with HIV

• Sexual and behavior risk reduction
• STI screening and care for PLHAs and their partners
• Promote HIV disclosure to their steady partners
• Promote partner HIV testing
• Provision of ARV/adherence
• Family planning and prevention transmitting HIV from mother to child

          During 2007-2010, Thailand Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) and Thailand MOPH-US.CDC collaboration developed a hospital-based Prevention with Positives service model incorporated into routine health care services. The development process included a baseline survey, model development, designing intervention tools, health care worker training, monitoring and supervision, policy advocacy, and national trainings.

             A six-prevention-strategy-Prevention with Positives model comprising two components: “risk screening with short prevention messages”, and “prevention counseling”, was developed and piloted in six hospitals. The model was evaluated for feasibility and acceptability before expansion through Thailand’s public health network.  More than 1,200 health care workers from 400 hospitals were trained in 2009. Prevention with Positives materials, including manuals, flipcharts, posters and educational VCD, were developed and distributed to all public hospitals.

         A hospital-based Prevention with Positives model was successfully developed and expanded in Thailand. Factors contributing to success included strong collaboration and support from governmental and non-governmental agencies, cooperation between public health networks and hospitals, and government commitment.

 Source: Guideline for Prevention with Positives services for health care settings, Bureau of AIDS, TB and STIs, year 2014