Effectiveness of an HIV-adapted IMCI Training and Supervision Programme for Community Health Workers

The Effectiveness of an HIV-adapted IMCI Training and Supervision Programme of Community Caregivers to Support Interventions That Will Reduce MTCT and Improve Delivery of Other Essential Newborn and Child Survival Interventions

This is a cluster randomized controlled trial (C-RCT) to evaluate the effectiveness of a Community-Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (C-IMCI) training for community caregivers (CCGs), adapted to include HIV-related interventions, on the delivery of maternal, newborn and child health interventions within households in rural communities in Ugu District, KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Province, South Africa. The intervention includes two components: (1) a 2-week HIV/C-IMCI training for CCGs and their associated facilitators and supervisors, and (2) continuous support and supervision following the continuous quality improvement (CQI) framework, a low-technology approach to management and supervision of health programs. The primary objectives of the proposed evaluation are to measure the effect of the intervention on key outcomes, including early uptake of antenatal care, facility based delivery, postnatal visits, coverage of exclusive breastfeeding, and uptake of HIV PCR testing in infants at 6 weeks. We will also examine the effects of the intervention on immunization uptake up to 12 months and knowledge and practices of CCGs and mothers pertaining to maternal, newborn and child health.

Inclusion Criteria:

Community caregivers

• CCGs who work in Ugu District
• age 18 years or older
• with grade 9 education or greater

Mothers

• Mothers age 18 years and older who delivered a live-born infant within the prior 12 months
• Reside in households served by participating CCGs.

Exclusion Criteria:

• None