How to use these guidelines?

Clinical description

These guidelines standardise integrated clinical management of HIV infected patients and of HIV exposed infants using a public health approach. They also incorporate relevant protocols from other national guidelines (TB, FP, STI, PrEP, Malawi Standard Treatment Guidelines (MSTG), HIV Syphilis and Viral Hepatitis guidelines (HSVH), EID, VMMC, Cervical cancer and Reproductive Health).

Most clinical interventions for HIV patients are provided in different service delivery settings. The standardised simplified protocols for each intervention presented in this document will facilitate the job of the health workers and improve the standard of care for patients.

• The most important information and key instructions are presented in a box at the beginning

of each section.

• It is appropriate and helpful to share this information with patients during Information,

Education, and Communication (IEC) sessions, and in individual counselling.

Short bullet points and ‘plain language’ are used throughout this document to make the information as clear and concise as possible.

The standard package of clinical HIV interventions Chapter 4 on page 11 shows which of the clinical HIV interventions should be provided in each of the regular service delivery points of the health system. It also defines the standard package of services and explains which interventions are appropriate for which patient groups and when to deliver them.

Protocols for how to deliver clinical HIV interventions Chapters 5 – 23 (page 13 – 112) explain in detail how to deliver each of the HIV interventions. The protocols and directions are the same for all service delivery settings. These chapters also contain several checklists, tables and flow charts which can be laminated and used as job aids in the consultation room.

Summary of key policies