Background: If Russia is to achieve the UNAIDS 90-90-90 HIV targets, better approaches to engage, effectively treat, and retain patients in care are needed. This paper describes the protocol of a randomized controlled trial (RCT) testing the effectiveness of LINC-II, a strength-based case management program for HIV-positive people who inject drugs (PWID) to increase rates of HIV viral suppression, ART initiation, and opioid abstinence. Methods: This RCT will enroll and randomize 240
Introduction: The best method to measure adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) in resource-limited settings has not yet been established, particularly among adolescents and young adults (AYAs). The use of mobile technology may address the need for standardized tools in measuring adherence in this often marginalized population. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional validation study among AYAs (18–35 years) attending a South African HIV clinic between 07/2015-09/2017.We determine the
Objective: Obesity is a major long-term concern in HIV-positive patients due to the pathogenic link between obesity and noncommunicable chronic diseases (NCDs). We aim to characterize changes in BMI over time on antiretroviral therapy (ART) and investigate the association between weight gain and survival in South Africa. Design and methods: A prospective cohort study among HIV-positive adults on first-line ART between April 2004 and 2015 in Johannesburg, South Africa. We used latent class
Introduction: Although pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP.) is an efficacious HIV prevention strategy, its preventive benefit has not been shown among young women in sub-Saharan Africa, likely due to non-adherence. Adherence may be improved with the use of injectable long-acting PrEP methods currently being developed. We hypothesize that providing long-acting PrEP to women using injectable contraceptives, the most frequently used contraceptive method in South Africa, could improve adherence to
Background: To assess the quality and completeness of treatment and outcome data in the electronic tuberculosis (TB) and antiretroviral treatment (ART) registers in drug-resistant (DR-) TB patients at three treatment facilities in South Africa. Methods: We did a retrospective cohort study using routinely collected data from DR-TB registers of rifampicin-resistant adults (≥18 years old), on ART, initiating DR-TB treatment between January 2012 and December 2013. We linked patient information
Background: To meet global targets for the treatment of HIV, high-prevalence countries are launching or expanding differentiated models of service delivery (DSD) for antiretroviral therapy (ART). Ongoing studies report on metrics specific to individual models of care, but little is known about the overall scale, impact, costs, and benefits of widespread implementation of DSD. We will conduct a rapid review of recent literature on DSD currently in use in sub-Saharan Africa and identify gaps in
Background: Bridging the efficacy–effectiveness gap in HIV prevention and treatment requires policies that account for human behavior. Setting: Worldwide. Methods: We conducted a narrative review of the literature on HIV in the field of economics, identified common themes within the literature, and identified lessons for implementation science. Results: The reviewed studies illustrate how behaviors are shaped by perceived costs and benefits across a wide range of health and nonhealth
In The Lancet HIV, Mhairi Maskew and colleagues1 use data from a large national laboratory database in South Africa to examine trends in access to public sector HIV treatment programmes by children and adolescents aged 1–19 years between 2005 and 2016. The authors should be congratulated for highlighting important findings using national data in this often underexamined population, information that is needed to mount a national response. The authors report a ten times increase in the number
Introduction: The World Health Organization declared the goal of hepatitis C virus (HC V) elimination by 2030. Micro-elimination, which is the reduction of incidence to zero in targeted populations, is less complex and costly and may be the first step to prove whether elimination is feasible. A suitable target group is HI V-positive men who have sex with men (MSM) because of their high-risk behavior and high incidence rates. Moreover, HC V monitoring is integrated in HI V care. The current HC V
The recently increased access to antiretroviral therapy (ART) in South Africa has placed additional strain on human and infrastructure resources of the public health sector. Capacity from private-sector General Practitioners (GPs) could be leveraged to ease the current burden on the public health sector. Methods: We conducted a retrospective record review of routine electronic medical record data on a systematic sample of HIV-infected adults (≥18 years old) initiated on ART at a tertiary
Abstract: People who are homeless present for care with poor health status, influenced by their physical and social environment. Trinity Health Services is an interprofessional student-run clinic providing free health care to the inner city homeless of Johannesburg, South Africa. This descriptive survey profiled the disease conditions of the homeless through a retrospective review of patient files, documented on a predesigned case report form. The data were analyzed using descriptive
To achieve global targets for the treatment and prevention of HIV, most high prevalence countries are working towards scaling up alternative service delivery approaches, or differentiated service delivery (DSD) models. DSD models aim to achieve a number of potential benefits to both providers and patients, including better clinical outcomes, greater patient satisfaction, lower cost, and more efficient and convenient service delivery. To date, most DSD model development and implementation has
