"I had long wished to participate in the KITSO training. It is interesting, challenging and practical to the everyday life at the clinic. I am happy that I am well informed and conversant with the content of the KITSO program. I can confidently say that I can handle and manage HIV patients and can explain and answer questions from patients.”
"With KITSO knowledge, most of Botswana will now live longer. There is now hope.”
- comments from training participants
KITSO Training Implementation Activities
Training implementation through BHP-KITSO has two essential parts: theoretical training courses and practical attachments. In addition, the implementation of AIDS Clinical Care Fundamentals involves the following steps: (These procedures hold for all KITSO courses with the exception of Laboratory Fundamentals, which does not currently include a course examination.)
• Participant Recruitment
Participant recruitment is carried out in accordance with Ministry of Health protocol. The release of training participants from government health facilities is authorized through the office of the Director of Health Services, Ministry of Health. Release requests are then communicated to the heads of the relevant government departments overseeing the health facilities targeted for training. The heads of government departments in turn authorize the release of training participants from the respective health institutions. The correspondence for participant release is coordinated through the BHP-KITSO office. After the above steps have been fulfilled, KITSO leadership contacts health facility superintendents and matrons to review logistics and secure participant lists.
• Registration and Recordkeeping
To track participants of KITSO trainings, each participant is required to fill out a registration form with their full contact information at the beginning of each course. These registration forms are then entered into a database of course participants. This database captures participants contact information as well as the location and timing of their training and the scores on the course examination.
• Course Materials
Each participant receives a binder with the course lectures, a pill chart tailored to the Botswana National ARV Program, a drug-drug interactions chart, and pediatric dosing guides. In addition, participants receive a folder with the course requirements, agenda, an informational pamphlet produced by MASA, and a KITSO factsheet.
• Requirements
The Ministry of Health has determined the following course requirements for participants in AIDS Clinical Care Fundamentals:
- Participants must attend and participate in all lectures;
- Participants must contribute to all class discussions, questions and answer sessions, and case study review sessions;
- Participants must pass the final exam, achieving an exam score of 75 percent (80 percent for physicians).
• Certification
Participants who achieve the passing grade on the exam at the conclusion of AIDS Clinical Care Fundamentals receive a certificate stating they have successfully completed the course requirements. The certificate is signed by the Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Health, Dr. Max Essex, Chair of the Immunology and Infectious Disease Department of the Harvard School of Public Health AIDS Initiative, and Dr. Ibou Thor, Director of BHP.
• Remedial Opportunities
Participants in AIDS Clinical Care Fundamentals who do not achieve a passing grade on the course examination are encouraged to either re-enroll in the course or study their course materials independently and make an appointment to re-sit the examination. Persons studying independently are encouraged to seek learning support from colleagues who have successfully completed the course. Tutoring is also available from BHP-KITSO faculty.
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