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The balanced counseling strategy plus : a toolkit for family planning service providers working in high HIV/STI prevalence settings

POPULATION COUNCIL
2011

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"This "is an interactive, client-friendly approach for improving counseling on family planning and prevention, detection, and treatment of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) including HIV. The BCS+ was adapted from the Balanced Counseling Strategy, an evidence-based and well-researched tool for improving counseling on contraceptive methods. The BCS+ toolkit, developed and tested in Kenya and South Africa, provides the information and materials needed for health care facility providers to provide complete and high-quality family planning counseling to clients who live in areas with high rates of HIV and STIs.The BCS+ tools are generic and can be revised according to national and/or regional guidelines and different contexts
This second edition toolkit includes the following: * BCS+ Trainer’s Guide: Supervisors and others can use this to train health care facility directors and service providers on how to use the BCS+ for counseling family planning clients. * BCS+ User’s Guide: This guide focuses on how to implement the Balanced Counseling Strategy Plus. It can be distributed during training or used on its own with the BCS+ job aids. * BCS+ job aids comprising: - BCS+ algorithm that summarizes the 19 steps needed to implement the BCS+ during a family planning counseling session. These steps are organized into four stages: pre-choice, method choice, post-choice, and STI/HIV counseling. - BCS+ counseling cards that the provider uses during a counseling session. There are 26 counseling cards, the first of which contains six questions that the service provider asks to rule out the possibility a client is pregnant. Each of the next 16 cards contains information about a different family planning method. The next 3 cards provide advice on pregnancy and the postpartum period. The last 6 cards provide essential information for counseling on preventing, detecting, and treating STIs and HIV. - BCS+ method brochures on each of the 16 methods represented by the counseling cards. The brochures provide counseling to clients on the method they have chosen and then are given to clients for later reference. This means clients do not have to rely on their recollection of what was discussed with the provider. - WHO Medical Eligibility Criteria Wheel (offsite link) guides providers through medical conditions and medications that may be contraindications to use of particular contraceptive methods. The BCS+ tools are generic and can be revised according to national and/or regional guidelines and different contexts"
A video describing use of the BCS+ toolkit in South Africa also is available. To obtain Microsoft Word versions of BCS+ files to modify or revise according to your local setting, please contact the publisher

Continuum of care for HIV-positive women accessing programs to prevent parent-to-child transmission : findings from India

MAHENDRA, Vaishali S
et al
2007

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This is the report of a diagnostic study in 2005 to provide an evidence base to strengthen the national Indian prevention of parent-to-child transmission (PPTCT) initiative. The key research questions were: What are the treatment, care, and support needs of HIV-positive women and what services do the women utilize to meet their needs? What are the different ways (clinic-based, community-based, etc) to link HIV-positive women and their families with treatment and care services? The study indicated that linkages between PPTCT and HIV care services, as well as PPTCT and reproductive health services, were limited

Attracting youth to voluntary counselling and testing services in Uganda

KIRUMIRA, Edward
et al
June 2004

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This summary presents findings from exit interviews conducted with youth 14 to 21 years old leaving services at the AIDS Information Center and Naguru Teenage Information and Health Center in Kampala to measure satisfaction by youth with services, and in-depth interviews with counsellors to learn their views of the job and the new youth-focused services

Reproductive health services in KwaZulu Natal, South Africa : a situation analysis study focusing on HIV/AIDS services

NDHLOVU, Lewis
et al
October 2003

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This report describes a 2002-2003 study in KwaZulu Natal that expanded on reproductive health research using situation analysis methodology to assess availability and quality of services, to cover important HIV & AIDS-related issues. These issues were: the quality and availability of voluntary counselling and testing services; the extent of integration of family planning, antenatal care, and sexually transmitted infection (STI) services with HIV prevention; and the extent of condom promotion and other HIV prevention strategies

Reproductive health services in KwaZulu Natal Province, South Africa : a situation analysis study focusing on HIV/AIDS services

SEARLE, Catherine
et al
July 2003

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Summary of a study in KwaZulu Natal that used situation analysis methodology, first used in reproductive health research to cover important HIV & AIDS-related issues, including: the availability and quality of voluntary counselling and testing services; the extent of integration of family planning, antenatal care, and sexually transmitted infection services with HIV prevention; and the extent of condom promotion and other HIV prevention strategies

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