Service Provision Assessment (SPA)

Overview:

While the standard Service Provision Assessment (SPA) survey includes some questions on HIV/AIDS, MEASURE DHS developed a special HIV/AIDS SPA in 2004 to meet the needs of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. The HIV/AIDS SPA focuses on the delivery of preventive care and support services. It provides data on all indicators in the President’s Emergency Plan, including voluntary counseling and testing, prevention of maternal-to-child transmission of HIV/AIDS (PMTCT), and antiretroviral therapy.

SPA results are presented by type of facility (e.g hospital or health centre), region, and managing authority (i.e. government-run, private, NGO, or faith-based). As with the standard SPA, the HIV SPA collects data through a health facility inventory as well as through interviews with providers, clients, and observation of consultations.

HIV/AIDS SPA topics include:

• Provision of HIV testing, care and support services, anti-retroviral therapy, PMTCT, post-exposure prophylaxis for staff, and youth-friendly services
• Provision of treatment for tuberculosis and those that follow DOTS strategy
• Training among providers to treat various HIV/AIDS-related illnesses
• Availability of drugs to treat HIV/AIDS related illnesses, including antiretrovirals
• Availability of condoms
• Availability of medications to treat STIs
• Systems to support management of opportunistic infections and provision of palliative care for people living with HIV/AIDS
• Availability of record-keeping systems to monitor HIV/AIDS care and support
• Availability of items to prevent nosocomial infections