Published in:
Open Access
01-12-2008 | Innovations in EM Practice
The role of emergency department HIV care in resource-poor settings: lessons learned in western Kenya
Authors:
Michael J. Waxman, Paul Muganda, E. Jane Carter, Neford Ongaro
Published in:
International Journal of Emergency Medicine
|
Issue 4/2008
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Abstract
The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) pandemic in sub-Saharan Africa and other high prevalence regions continues to overwhelm health care systems. While there has been a global response to improve the delivery of antiretroviral therapy in these high prevalence regions, there are few models that have developed an adequate plan to deal with HIV specifically in resource-poor emergency department settings. In this manuscript, we report on the experience scaling up HIV care at one emergency department in a large referral hospital located in western Kenya. Specifically, we describe how rapid bedside HIV testing helps to narrow the differential diagnosis of disease processes in acute care patients and how HIV screening of patients discharged from the emergency department can detect HIV-infected individuals.