Working as an ICTC Team

ICTC Team Training

What is a team

A group of people working in an organisation can be called a team “when there is interdependency in how the different team members function, that is the activity or service cannot be undertaken by one individual alone.”

Why do teams matter

As in a game, every team player has a role to play.

At the ICTC, no one team member (counselling personnel, testing personnel or ICTC manager) can undertake the testing, counselling and medical advice all by themselves.

Functions of the ICTC

Early detection of HIV Provision of basic information

on HIV/AIDS for promoting behavioural change & reducing vulnerability

Linking people with other HIV prevention, care & treatment services

ICTC

Overall goal of the NACP III is to halt and reverse the epidemic in India over five years:

1. Prevention of new infections in high risk groups and general population.

2. Providing greater care, support and treatment to larger numbers of PLHA.

3. Strengthening the infrastructure, systems and human resources in prevention, care, support and treatment programmes at the district, state and national level.

4. Strengthening the nationwide Strategic Information Management System.

Team Effectiveness

Degree to which a team accomplishes its purpose.

Includes quality and quantity of services provided.

Will depend to some extent on progress of individual team members.

Conflict resolution

Conflict is an inevitable part of human life.

Will arise whenever people hold different opinions about how to perform a certain task.

At the ICTC, it is important to recognise and encourage desirable conflict while minimizing undesirable team conflict.

Conflict resolution

WHAT ARE SOME POSSIBLE AREAS OF CONFLICT IN THE ICTC?

Good communication

Effective teams cannot manage without good communication (speaking openly, listening without judgment, creating small communication rituals)

Person-to-person communication, enables team members to see each other as human beings with individual lives and problems, and

Provides a basis from which to try and see a problem from the other person’s perspective.

Planning and task co-ordination

Team members perform different sub-tasks.

This calls for co-ordination between team

members.

Goal setting

Effective teams agree on goals, work on them and then monitoring team progress towards these goals.

Achievable goals include actions and a time limit. The actions are feasible and include mention of who has to do what.– E.g. “Within the next month we will increase our counselling

of general public members by (1) having the counsellor contact 5 non-governmental organizations, and (2) having the medical officer speak to personnel in the gynaecology department and making a presentation at the local IMA.”

Goals should be SMART

S Specific – defining what is to be accomplished in terms of specific steps to behavioural change

M Measurable – quantifying the objectives by indicating a numerical or percentage change expected

A Appropriate – defining intended changes that are acceptable in the local context

R Realistic – Avoiding objectives that are beyond the scope of available resources or contrary to relevant experience

T Time-bound – identifying the time frame in which changes should be achieved

Supervision

ICTC Manager

OR District ICTC Supervisor

Documentation

To study the increase or decrease in numbers of people visiting the ICTC

To keep track of people who visit the ICTC and provide follow-up where appropriate

To understand the change in profile of people visiting the ICTC (increasing number of children, increasing number of MSM) and to prepare for the issues related to these changes

To identify groups or communities who are not yet reached (or underserved) if available research shows there is a high prevalence in particular communities but community members are not accessing the testing and counselling

Continued …

Documentation (Continued)

To make a case for more staff/ more resources more space/ better space if the numbers of patients increase

To understand where patients are being referred from, and where they are not, and to then use this information to improve referral patterns

To check which advertising medium is most useful in a particular center – radio, TV, posters, referrals from PHCs, referrals from private doctors, etc.

To practise transparency and accountability to donors for the funds they are providing

List of registers to be maintained Preparing Reviewing

PID Register for General Clients and Pregnant Women

ICTC Register for General Clients (Non ANC Cases)

ICTC Register for ANC Cases

ICTC Post-natal Follow-up Register

ICTC HIV-TB Collaborative Activities Register

Laboratory Register

Stock Register

Monthly Reports

List of registers to be maintained Preparing Reviewing

PID Register for General Clients and Pregnant Women

Counselling Personnel

Manager

ICTC Register for General Clients (Non ANC Cases)

Counselling Personnel

Manager

ICTC Register for ANC Cases Counselling Personnel

Manager

ICTC Post-natal Follow-up Register Counselling Personnel

Manager

ICTC HIV-TB Collaborative Activities Register Counselling Personnel

Manager

Laboratory Register Testing Personnel

Manager

Stock Register Testing Personnel

Manager

Monthly Reports Counselling Personnel

Manager

List of registers to be maintained

PID Register for General Clients and Pregnant Women

ICTC Register for General Clients (Non ANC Cases)

ICTC Register for ANC Cases

ICTC Post-natal Follow-up Register

ICTC HIV-TB Collaborative Activities Register

Laboratory Register

Stock Register

Monthly Reports

Exercise:In Which Register Would You Find Me?