Policies and procedures

Policies and procedures help organizations ensure that they are offering services consistently and in adherence with legal and ethical standards. Clear policies and procedures will provide guidance to staff on how to safeguard confidentiality and decide where and how to make referrals. This allows organizations to provide responsive and client-centred care while upholding quality standards that ensure the highest level of care for clients.

The following best-practice recommendations outline approaches to consider when developing, implementing and refining policies and procedures to support HIV self-test kit distribution. 

Practice-based recommendations:

1. Establish detailed protocols for HIV self-testing to ensure consistency of service delivery and adherence to ethical standards.

2. Create internal structures and protocols to guide responses in the event of a reactive test result, including clear pathways for follow-up care, support and referral.

3. Create internal structures and protocols to guide responses to non-reactive test results including clear pathways to HIV prevention services, support and referral.

4. Involve community staff members in the design of policies and procedures to leverage their expertise and perspectives, promoting ownership and buy-in.

5. Develop a new or adapt an existing confidentiality policy on self-testing. Include clear accountability outcomes related to breach of confidentiality. 

6. Develop a new or adapt an existing policy on boundaries between staff and clients with respect to self-testing. Include clear accountability outcomes related to breach of boundaries.

7. Establish a procedure for ordering and restocking self-test kits to maintain sufficient inventory. 

8. With the guidance of community members, ground policies and procedures in community and culturally sensitive approaches to service delivery. For example, tailor policies and procedures to resonate with communities.

9. Regularly review and update policies and procedures in response to changing needs, emerging evidence and feedback from staff and clients, to maintain relevance and effectiveness over time.