The AIDS Resource Center (ARC) in Addis Ababa is partnering with the AIDS Treatment Information Center (ATIC) in Uganda to strengthen ARC’s capacity to implement a telephone consultation service, or warmline, that provides clinical information and advice to physicians caring for PLWH.
Increased access to ARVs in Ethiopia has generated a need for members of the health sector workforce to rapidly increase their knowledge on HIV/AIDS care. In support of the CDC’s implementation of national IT systems, partners are establishing a warmline that physicians can call and record questions, which will then be researched by ATIC pharmacists and answered by telephone within 24 hours.
Specific objectives of this south-south partnership include increasing ARC’s capacity to:
- strategically plan for and implement a call center that provides HIV/AIDS pharmaceutical and lab service delivery support;
- continuously monitor and evaluate warmline services; and
- effectively analyze logistical, educational, and infrastructural needs identified by the call center and disseminate that information to relevant partners.
Partners have conducted a formal assessment of healthcare providers and centers in five regions of Ethiopia. They have also hired and trained warmline staff in specific target topics utilizing local experts and ATIC partners as technical resources. The most recent training focused on standard operating procedures of a clinical warmline, communication, and a case study review of adverse reactions of common ARVs.
Upcoming activities include mentoring and continued training of staff on warmline implementation, as well as the development of a data management system.
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