A Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of a Home- Based HIV Counselling and Testing Intervention versus the Standard (Facility Based) HIV Testing Strategy in Rural South Africa
Date
2015Author
Tabana, Hanani
Nkonki, Lungiswa
Hongoro, Charles
Doherty, Tanya
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Introduction
There is growing evidence concerning the acceptability and feasibility of home-based HIV
testing. However, less is known about the cost-effectiveness of the approach yet it is a critical
component to guide decisions about scaling up access to HIV testing. This study examined
the cost-effectiveness of a home-based HIV testing intervention in rural South Africa.
Methods
Two alternatives: clinic and home-based HIV counselling and testing were compared.
Costs were analysed from a provider’s perspective for the period of January to December
2010. The outcome, HIV counselling and testing (HCT) uptake was obtained from the Good
Start home-based HIV counselling and testing (HBHCT) cluster randomised control trial
undertaken in KwaZulu-Natal province. Cost-effectiveness was estimated for a target population
of 22,099 versus 23,864 people for intervention and control communities respectively.
Average costs were calculated as the cost per client tested, while cost-effectiveness was
calculated as the cost per additional client tested through HBHCT.