Abstract
BACKGROUND: Recent efforts to improve neurological care in resource-limited settings have focused on providing training to non-physician healthcare workers. METHODS: A one-day neuro-HIV training module emphasizing HIV-associated dementia (HAD) and peripheral neuropathy was provided to 71 health care workers in western Kenya. Pre- and post-tests were administered to 55 participants. RESULTS: Mean age of participants was 29 years, 53% were clinical officers and 40% were nurses. Self-reported comfort was significantly higher for treating medical versus neurologic conditions (p<0.001). After training, participants identified more neuropathy etiologies (pre=5.6/9 possible correct etiologies; post=8.0/9; p<0.001). Only 4% of participants at baseline and 6% (p=0.31) post-training could correctly identify HAD diagnostic criteria, though there were fewer mis-identified criteria such as abnormal level of consciousness (pre=82%; post=43%; p<0.001) and hallucinations (pre=57%; post=15%; p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Healthcare workers were more comfortable treating medical than neurological conditions. This training significantly improved knowledge about etiologies of neuropathy and decreased some misconceptions about HAD.