The quality of voluntary medical male circumcision done by mid-level workers in Tshwane District, South Africa: A retrospective analysis

Sanele Ngcobo, Jacqueline Elizabeth Wolvaardt, Martin Bac and Elize Webb

PLOS ONE, 2018, vol. 13, issue 1, 1-7

Abstract: Background: Voluntary medical male circumcision (VMMC) reduces the acquisition of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in heterosexual men by up to 60%. One HIV infection is averted for every 5 to 15 VMMCs. To conduct VMMCs in large populations, large numbers of trained healthcare professionals are needed. Countries in Sub-Saharan Africa have a high burden of HIV and a shortage of healthcare professionals, creating a healthcare conundrum. To bridge this gap, South Africa launched a new cadre of mid-level medical worker called Clinical Associates (CA). We assessed the ability of CAs to perform circumcisions of adequate quality and their subsequent usefulness to meet the demands of VMMCs in a population with a high HIV burden. Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis, reviewing patient files (n = 4850) of surgical VMMCs conducted over a 16-month period. Patient files were sourced from clinics and hospitals that provided free VMMCs in Tshwane district in South Africa. Findings: Clinical associates performed 88.66% of the circumcisions and doctors performed the remaining 11.34% (p

Date: 2018
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:plo:pone00:0190795

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0190795

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