OMUYAMBI Training!!
The Omuyambi training was very successful. 40 out of the 41 consented traditional healers attended the in-person training sessions according to which study arm they were categorized in. The one traditional healer (from the control arm) who couldn't attend due to personal responsibilities received the 1-day training at a different time based on his availability.
Traditional healers in the control arm received a 1-day training while traditional healers in the intervention arm received a 3-day training. These training sessions were delivered in Runyakole by health professionals who specialize in HIV care from the Mbarara referral hospital. Additionally, in attendance were five clinic liaisons from the 5 chosen HIV clinics across Mbarara and Rwampara districts.
Below are the training topics for each study arm; left for the intervention arm and right for the control arm.
Below are photos taken from the training sessions depicting the translated factsheets on psycho-social support for PLWH (people living with HIV) we distributed to the participants, training certificates and the overall training sessions.
Psycho-social support fact sheet
Training certificate
Overall, we, the study team, were very grateful and excited that the training sessions were successful. Additionally, the traditional healers expressed their excitement and eagerness to be engaged in such a study that allows their clients to access HIV testing readily and link to care within their communities.
Below is a photo of the study team and I at the end of one of the training sessions.
Additionally, in the beginning of this week, we also received approval for the amendment we submitted to the MUST IRB (as shown below). Therefore, beginning next week, data collection will begin for my sub-study and the OMUYAMBI parent-study!!
Comments