Community health workers’ knowledge of Ubuntu informed care in tuberculosis, HIV, and AIDS in Gauteng province

Abstract

Background: Community health workers (CHWs) work with community members who experience various health problems. They assist community members to lead a healthy life and achieve an acceptable health status. To achieve this, there is a need for CHWs to apply Ubuntu philosophy when providing care related tuberculosis (TB), Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).

Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess CHW’s knowledge of Ubuntu-informed Care in tuberculosis, HIV, and AIDS Services in Gauteng province, South Africa.

Method: A total of 380 CHWs were recruited from a district in Gauteng province to participate in a training on the management of TB, HIV and AIDS. A questionnaire with 40 multiple choice questions was administered to the CHWs before the training. SPSS version 28 was used to analyse the data.

Results: The scores ranged from 9 to 33 out of 40 (M = 21.6, s.d. = 4.2). Out of the 380 participants, 274 (72.1%) passed the pretest while 106 participants (27.9%) failed. The highest mean scores were achieved by female participants (M = 21.6, s.d. = 4.3), participants aged 21–30 years (M = 21.8, s.d. = 4.1) and participants with additional course qualification after Grade 12 (M = 23.5, s.d. = 3.4).

Conclusion: The findings highlight the need for targeted training interventions to improve the knowledge of CHWs on TB, HIV and AIDS.

Contribution: This study adds to the literature on the need for inclusion of Ubuntu when caring for people living with HIV and TB.