Role of community involvement in infection prevention and injection safety (IP/IS) programs in Zambia

Background

Zambia's estimated population stands at 11,297,307(CSO-2000) and the HIV prevalence is 14% (ZDHS 2006). The goal of the USAID-funded medical injection safety project is to prevent the medical transmission of HIV and other blood borne infections such as Hepatitis B and C to health care workers as well as community members accessing public and private community-based health facilities. To achieve this goal, community involvement has been critical, primarily due to the high demand from community members for injections for the treatment of illnesses. The total number of Neighborhood Health Committees in the 72 districts is 7,641.

Methodology

The project undertook community education campaigns using both print and folk media, including drama performances with youth clubs, and trained health care workers in communication with patients. The project also established over 7,000 neighborhood health committees working closely with health providers in all 72 districts in the country. To assess the outcome of this community involvement, a process evaluation approach was used. The evaluation involved 317 communities in both urban and rural settings in 14 districts in the country.

Results

MISP's community involvement activities led to a reduction in demand for injections, increase in number of communities participating in medical waste management, and an increase in knowledge on issues of infection prevention and injection safety.

Conclusion: Involvement of communities is a critical component of improving infection prevention and injection safety in health care settings