Assisted Partner Notification Training for Providers in Clinical Settings

HIV epidemic control relies on innovative and persistent application of proven interventions along the continuum of care and prevention. Often called a gateway to HIV services, HIV testing services seek to identify people with HIV through individual, couples, and family-based testing, link individuals and their families to HIV treatment and prevention services, and support scale-up of interventions targeted to reduce HIV transmission, morbidity and mortality.1 Via HIV testing, newly diagnosed people with HIV are immediately linked to care, where they are started on antiretroviral therapy (ART), monitored to track viral suppression,2 and once virally suppressed, the risk of transmission to others is effectively eliminated.3 

Partner services, also called assisted partner notification (APN), is a longstanding cornerstone of public health control efforts where trained providers assist people with HIV to notify their sex partners of HIV exposure and offer HIV testing services. Recommended as part of a comprehensive prevention package,4 assisted partner notification was introduced in Uganda in 2015 where a pilot conducted in Kiboga Health District demonstrated that partners were effectively notified and tested for HIV, and among partners tested, 38% were HIV-positive.5 Building on this success, the Uganda Ministry of Health is committed to rolling out assisted partner notification nationwide, replicating implementation in other parts of the country going forward. Assisted partner notification training resources are needed to support this implementation. 

This training manual for assisted partner notification implementation was developed specifically for assisted partner notification providers in clinical settings. The goal is to enable clinical providers to attain the skills required to provide assisted partner notification to eligible clients in an effective and safe manner. The training provides information regarding the benefits of assisted partner notification, procedures for delivering assisted partner notification, and standards for documenting services. It also includes a set of job aids.