Implementation of the Program for the Care of Sexual and Reproductive Health and the Comprehensive Care of Adolescents. Cordoba 2018

Abstract

Adolescence is a stage of the life cycle that is characterized, among other aspects, by the low attendance of the health system. Based on the identification of barriers to this age group's access to health services and the high rates of Maternal and Child Transmission (TMI) of HIV and Syphilis, the Ministry of Health of the Province of Córdoba implemented in June 2018, the Provincial Program for the Care of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Comprehensive Care of Adolescents in 28 prioritized effectors: 8 Hospitals and 8 Primary Health Care Centers (CAPS) of Córdoba Capital and in 12 Hospitals of the Interior.

The aim of this study was to evaluate, after 6 months of implementation, the number of differentiated offices / schedules for the comprehensive care of adolescents considering that 2 of the effectors already had this benefit, offering rapid tests (TR) for screening for HIV, syphilis and Hepatitis B to the user population of these offices and installation of school counseling in educational institutions as first listening devices and links with health services.

An epidemiological, observational, descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted in the 2nd half of 2018. Number of effectors with differentiated practices / schedules for adolescent care, implementation of TR and School Counseling were analyzed. The data were obtained from an instrument (spreadsheet) created for this purpose by the coordination of the program, observations and field notes made in the field and interviews with referents of the effectors. Results: 22 effectors (78.5%) have differentiated offices / schedules for the comprehensive care of adolescents, 12 effectors implementing school counseling (43%) and 15 new effectors (53%) implementing the RT strategy for the diagnostic expansion of ITS A difference was observed between the Capital and Internal effectors in terms of implementation: 100% of the Capital effectors perform TR vs 33% in the interior; 62% of School Advisors installed in Capital vs 25% in the interior.

Although the advances have been important, it is necessary to strengthen the accompaniment in the provincial interior, mainly.