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Men who have sex with men MSM in Kenya are at high risk for HIV and may experience prejudiced treatment in health settings due to stigma. We conducted eight focus group discussions FGDs with programme participants prior to and three months after completing the training programme.
Before participating in the training programme, HCWs described secondary stigma, lack of professional education about MSM, and personal and social prejudices as barriers to serving MSM clients. After completing the programme, HCWs expressed greater acknowledgement of MSM patients in their clinics, endorsed the need to treat MSM patients with high professional standards and demonstrated sophisticated awareness of the social and behavioural risks for HIV among MSM.
Findings provide support for this approach to improving health services for MSM patients. Further efforts are needed to broaden the reach of this training in other areas, address identified barriers to HCW participation and evaluate programme effects on patient and HCW outcomes using rigorous methodology.
Strong epidemiological evidence comes from studies in Kenya [ 4 β 7 ], where an estimated The training programme incorporated two learning modalities: a computer-facilitated training programme covering eight modules [MSM and HIV in sub-Saharan Africa; stigma; identity, coming out and disclosure; anal sex and common sexual practices; HIV and sexually transmitted infections; mental health, anxiety, depression and substance use; condom and lubricant use; risk-reduction counselling] in addition to facilitated group discussions among programme trainees about the programme content and relevant clinical experiences working with MSM.
