Antiretroviral hair levels objectively quantify drug exposure over time and predict virologic responses. We assessed the acceptability and feasibility of collecting small hair samples in a rural Kenyan cohort. 95% of participants (354/373) donated hair. Although median self-reported adherence was 100% (IQR 96–100%), a wide range of hair concentrations likely indicates overestimation of self-reported adherence and the advantages of a pharmacologic adherence measure. Higher nevirapine (NVP) hair concentrations observed in women and older adults require further study to unravel behavioral versus pharmacokinetic contributors. In resource-limited settings, hair antiretroviral levels may serve as a low-cost quantitative biomarker of adherence.
Background
Despite progress in the global scale-up of antiretroviral therapy, sustained engagement in HIV care remains challenging. Social capital is an important factor for sustained engagement, but interventions designed to harness this powerful social force are uncommon.
Methods
We conducted a quasi-experimental study evaluating the impact of the Microclinic social network intervention on engagement in HIV care and medication adherence on Mfangano Island, Kenya. The intervention was introduced into 1 of 4 similar communities served by this clinic; comparisons were made between communities using an intention-to-treat analysis. Microclinics, composed of patient-defined support networks, participated in ten bi-weekly discussion sessions covering topics ranging from HIV biology to group support, as well as group HIV status disclosure. Nevirapine concentrations in hair were measured pre-and-post study.
Results
113 (74%) intervention community participants joined a microclinic group, 86% of whom participated in group HIV status disclosure. Over 22-months of follow-up, intervention community participants experienced one-half the rate of ≥ 90-day clinic absence as those in control communities (adjusted hazard ratio 0.48, 95%CI 0.25–0.92). Nevirapine hair levels declined in both study arms; in adjusted linear regression analysis, the decline was 6.7 ng/mg less severe in the intervention arm than control arm (95% CI −2.7 to 16.1).
Conclusions
The microclinic intervention is a promising and feasible community-based strategy to improve long-term engagement in HIV care and possibly medication adherence. Reducing treatment interruptions using a social network approach has important implications for individual patient virologic suppression, morbidity and mortality, and for broader community empowerment and engagement in healthcare.
Although use of RA techniques in geriatric trauma patients with multiple rib fractures was associated with higher MED, opioid use decreased after RA initiation and Acute Pain Service consultation, and the risk of delirium was lower.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.