Needs assessment report: communication sharing practices and needs of people living with HIV: a case of Nkangala in Mpumalanga and Ekurhuleni in Gauteng

The study established that information sharing practices are characterised by information access, whereby a particular group of people get information from others; and information giving or sharing, where a particular group gives information about HIV. Participants assume different communication roles. People living with HIV (PLHIV) and community members commonly identify or position themselves as information receivers who access information, while healthcare workers and NGOs identify themselves, and are identified, as information givers. PLHIV and community members regard the NGOs and healthcare workers as primary knowers and expect to get information from them. The study found that different tools and resources are used for communication. It also found that adherence is a multi-faceted issue. Its facilitators and inhibitors range from internal ones such as lack of acceptance and fear, to external ones such as social stigma, compromised access and lack of support. Suggestions for intervention include the use of communication targeted at the youth and the use of multiple languages to cater for those who cannot understand English. Campaigns should not be exclusive to PLHIV but accessible to the general public to accommodate the total population affected by HIV.