 |
 |
|
|||||||
| |||||||||
|
Global Health
|
Botswana
Although Botswana has one of the fastest growing economies in sub-Saharan Africa, 37.5% of its population is infected with HIV/AIDS, the second highest rate worldwide. The government of Botswana, along with various aid agencies, have worked to establish a comprehensive program to provide antri-retroviral therapy (ARVs) to people infected with HIV/AIDS. ARVs are often a complex combination of medications which need to be taken with 95% adherence to be effective in delaying the progression of the disease. Unfortunetely, many HIV-positive children are also orphans and are commonly cared for by elderly grandparents, who may be illiterate and have poor eyesight.
In July of 2008, BTB interns Kemly Philip and Kristen Rodgers worked at the Baylor International Pediatric AIDS Initiative Center of Excellence in Gabarone, Botswana to implement an Adherence Monitoring System to calculate a patient's adherence to ARV medications. They also conducted chart reviews to assess the onset of hematologic disorders in pediatric HIV patients on highly-active anti-retroviral treatment (HAART).
To help caretakers effectively administer ARV medications to HIV-positive children, BTB interns Lindsay Zwiener and Rachel Solnick implemented a Pictorial Dosing Guide (PDG) at the BIPAI COE in Gaborne, Botswana in July 2007. The PDG uses images and minimal text to concisely organize and illustrate complex drug regimens. The doctor chooses one of 12 Word documents, one for each of the common ARV drug combinations, and adds or removes images depending on the daily dosage. The PDG was successful as it provided a quick method for the doctor to generate drug regimen directions and was easy for the caretaker or patient to understand.
BTB Partners in BotswanaBIPAIThe Baylor International Pediatric AIDS Initiative (BIPAI) was established to provide quality, ethical, and high impact pediatric and family HIV/AIDS care and treatment, health professional training, and promising clinical research in the nations of southern Africa and other parts of the world devasted by the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Website: http://bayloraids.org/
| ||
|
||||
