Russian Federation (2008): HIV/AIDS TRaC Study among Health Services and Health Providers Working with Vulnerable Groups in St. Petersburg Second Round

The objective of this study was to provide follow-up data on the services-based component of the PreventAIDS program in St Petersburg, Russia. One of the components of this program entails working with the health institutions as well as with health professionals to promote accessibility of medical services including referrals, improving guarantees of services being delivered in anonymous and confidential way, reducing stigma and discrimination toward members of vulnerable groups, and, ultimately, contribute to medical services being provided in a user-friendly way. The study had two components: facility audit, and interviews with providers of medical services. The facility audit covered 18 medical institutions delivering services to members of vulnerable groups within the framework of the PreventAIDS program in St Petersburg while interviews with providers were conducted among a random sample of 224 medical professionals working at these institutions (baseline sample size was 222).