Assessment of knowledge of differentiated service delivery among HIV-positive patients receiving care in a Southeastern Nigerian State

Abstract

Background: Since the adoption of the differentiated service delivery (DSD) as a programmatic strategy in the delivery of antiretroviral therapy (ART) in Imo state, no research has assessed the level of knowledge of DSD among HIV-positive patients receiving ART in the state, a research gap which this study aimed to fill. Methods: This was a cross sectional study carried out among the adult patients receiving ART in three DSD models and the usual care group at one tertiary and three secondary hospitals using a structured questionnaire validated by the researcher. Descriptive and inferential analyses were performed using the statistical product and service solutions (SPSS) version 24. All the analysis was performed at p≤0.05. Results: Of the 542 questionnaires retrieved, the female gender was predominant in all the groups. Up to 57.3% and 55.5% of the patients had good knowledge and perception towards differentiated care respectively.  A significant difference was found in the mean perception among the groups (F (3.538)=9.309, p<0.05). While education and participation in HIV activities were found to be significant predators of knowledge of DSD, (F (10.466)=3.082, R2 of 0.062, p<0.05), only education was found to be determinant of perception. Conclusions: This study has shown that the patients had fair knowledge of the DSD in all the models examined, as well as the usual group; and this did not differ significantly across the groups. However, there is need to improve on patients' enlightenment of the initiative, especially for those in the usual care group.