VOLUNTARY HIV COUNSELING AND TESTING TO MEN WHO HAVE SEX WITH MENAND TRANSGENDERSIN SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED CLINIC, OFFICE OF DISEASE PREVENTION AND CONTROL 10, CHIANG MAI

Abstract

Provision of counseling on HIV test is an important issue of health services for the clients to check their blood, to aware the risk and to understand about AIDs and their health problems. In order to address the blood check and access the test result are of importance. An objective of the study was to determine outcomes of the counseling on HIV test of the men who have sex with men and transgenders affecting an access to the test result. The descriptive study collected the data between October 2011 thru September 2012 from the men who have sex with men and transgenders of above 18 years and consented under 18 years who came to the STDs center, Office of Disease Prevention and Control 10, Chiang Mai. Data analyses worked toward population characteristics, fact tables containing percentages, means and standard deviations, and qualitative information. Results showed 48 sampled subjects received the counseling and HIV testing voluntarily 100% and the rate of service satisfaction as a whole 95.83%. Majority of them 87.50% preferred to receive the test result within that day and 100% needed to receive it by themselves. Purposively, the health service setting giving a counseling to the clients are needed to develop effectively for their quality, sustainable counseling services and increase number of channels to the clients to access to blood checkup and obtain the test result within a day or not later than a week. Keywords: Voluntary HIV counseling and testing, Men who have sex with men (MSM), Transgender (TG)