The   Center for Infectious Disease Research in Zambia (CIDRZ), Patient Centered Care (PCC) Research Study hosted a team from Population Services International (PSI) and Matchboxology in South Africa for a study familiarization visit.

The purpose of the visit was for the PSI and Matchboxology team to learn about various approaches CIDRZ uses in improving HIV retention. This is for them to adopt best practices from the PCC approach of training healthcare workers to be more patient centered and involve patients in their own care as this has been shown to improve HIV retention.

Part of the visit entailed participation in the CIDRZ PCC curriculum training with healthcare workers and attending a facility data review meeting with PCC mentors. PSI also met with various projects within CIDRZ to get a better understanding on local approaches to increase male involvement in HIV care.

Patient-centred care (PCC) is a multi-faceted approach to care broadly defined as “providing care that is respectful of and responsive to individual patient preferences, needs, and values and ensuring that patient values guide all clinical decisions”. 

The CIDRZ PCC study seeks to improve patient experience thereby improving retention in care and ultimately, clinical and care outcomes.