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Linked Node

  • Link ART Centre

    Learning Objectives

    The concept, manpower, treatment linkage and how they differ from ARTC.

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Content

Link ART Centre (LAC) aims for easy accessibility of treatment services for People Living with HIV (PLHIV) by reducing the distance, cost, and waiting hours for Anti-retroviral Treatment (ART) and thereby increasing treatment adherence. They are linked to a Nodal ART centre.

Link ART Centre Plus (LAC Plus) is LAC which performs pre-ART management also. This will help to bridge the gap between Integrated Counselling and Testing Centre (ICTC) and Care, Support & Treatment (CST) services. These patients shall be followed up at LAC plus till they become eligible for ART or are referred to the ART centre for any other reason.

In addition to the existing infrastructure of ICTC where LAC is being established, at least one additional room is required for the nurse provided by the institution, for record keeping and other LAC functions.

Facility Location  Staff Pattern Services
LAC

ICTCs of:

  • District hospital (which does not have ART)
  • Subdistrict hospital
  • CHCs

 

No new recruitment for LAC

Responsibilities are allotted to the existing staff of the institution with training in ART services

The team comprises:

  • Medical officer (MBBS/ MD medicine)
  • Counsellor- ICTC Counsellor
  • Staff nurse
  • Pharmacist
  • Anti-retroviral (ARV) drug dispensing
  • Monitoring of PLHIV on ART 
  • Counselling on adherence, nutrition & positive prevention
  • Treatment of minor Opportunistic Infections (OIs) 
  • Identification of side–effects of ARVs
  • Tracing of Missing (MIS)/ Lost to follow-up (LFU) cases
  • Screening for TB symptoms on every visit 
  • Psychosocial support to PLHIV
  • Back referral to nodal ART centre as per specified criteria
LAC Plus  Selected LAC are upgraded to LAC plus
  • One additional staff nurse can be recruited for LAC

plus 

The team comprises of existing: 

  • Medical officer
  • Counsellor
  • Pharmacist
  • Lab Technician
  • Staff nurse (newly recruited)
  • All the services at LAC are offered

plus

  • Enrolment of PLHIV in HIV care and treatment (Pre-ART care)
  • Pre-ART management - basic investigations and CD4 testing through linkage
  • Regular follow-up of pre-ART patients not eligible for ART
  • Referral of eligible patients to nodal ART centre for ART initiation
  • Line listing and reporting of HIV-TB cases to nodal ART centre

 

Only patients from the designated nodal ART centre shall be linked to the attached LAC/ LAC plus.

Patients satisfying all of the following conditions shall be linked out to Link ART centres:

1. PLHIV on ART for a minimum of six months at the nodal ART centre

2. Those who have exhibited an increase in CD4 count and clinical improvement after 6 months of initiating ART

3. Do not have any active OI

4. The patient is a resident of an area closer to the LAC than to the nodal ART centre

5. Those who are willing to be linked out and collect their ARV drugs from the LAC, once the above conditions are fulfilled

Copy of Link out/in format to be exchanged between nodal ART centre and LAC while linking out or linking in the patients and a soft copy of these are to be maintained by both nodal ART centre & LAC/ LAC plus in a separate folder.

LAC/ LAC plus shall not initiate/ modify ART in any patient at any time.

 

Resources

 

Assessment

Question Option1 Option2 Option3 Option4 Answer Explanation Page id Pre-test Post-test
Which of the following is false regarding Link ART Centre (LAC)?  Link ART centre increases the accessibility to care for PLHIV. It helps in treatment adherence. TB screening is done for PLHIV attending LAC. Can initiate ART.   4 LAC/ LAC plus cannot initiate ART.      
LMS Page Link
https://cms.swasth-egurukul.in/en/page-preview/63451

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