Preferences for linkage to HIV care services following a reactive self-test

Abstract

Populations in Malawi and in Zambia were responsive to low-cost, HIV care services with short waiting time provided either at the community or privately at health facilities. Hard-to-reach groups could be encouraged to link to care with targeted support.

The Self‐Testing AfRica (STAR) Initiative: accelerating global access and scale‐up of HIV self‐testing

“…The agenda, which was in part funded by other partners, included formative research and accuracy studies to establish that HIVST was acceptable, safe, and could be correctly performed by priority populations . Further studies tested user preferences and established simple distribution models aimed at using HIVST for maximum public health impact . Data from these early distribution models informed costing and cost‐effectiveness studies to establish the evidence for HIVST scalability and sustainability .…”

“…Further studies tested user preferences and established simple distribution models aimed at using HIVST for maximum public health impact . Data from these early distribution models informed costing and cost‐effectiveness studies to establish the evidence for HIVST scalability and sustainability . This collaboration helped generate important aspects of the evidence needed to inform WHO Guidelines on HIVST and Partner Notification (i.e., HIVST normative guidelines) published in December 2016, and the operational guidance at country level that followed.…”

“…For a developed and sustainable market, demand for HIVST products must be generated from end‐consumers, MoHs and donors. The STAR Initiative conducted in‐depth research to understand consumer preferences and provider perceptions of HIVST and used this evidence to inform and refine the design of eight facility‐ and community‐based distribution models in Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe . In its first two years, the STAR project showed that community‐based and partner‐delivered HIVST can be an effective testing approach with several advantages that complement conventional options .…”

Mortality estimates by age and sex among persons living with HIV after ART initiation in Zambia using electronic medical records supplemented with tracing a sample of lost patients: A cohort study

“…one-third of men less than 30 years old reported that they were unmarried. These findings highlight the crucial need to better understand the behaviors and preferences of men living with HIV [45][46][47][48], in order to identify improved and specific engagement and retention strategies-especially among those who are young and may lack social or partner support, as such individuals traditionally have poor engagement throughout the HIV care continuum [49,50]. While optimum strategies are not well known, these may include improved access to self-testing [51], use of incentives [8], and male-friendly services that emphasize confidentiality and include flexible hours, integrated care, and reduced visit frequency [52,53], as well as decentralization of services such as through community adherence groups [1,8,51,54].…”

No Place Like Home? Disentangling Preferences for HIV Testing Locations and Services Among Men Who Have Sex with Men in China

“…Furthermore, by drawing inferences from individuals’ stated choices, DCEs produce estimates of respondent preferences that are less subject to biases introduced when individuals are asked to explicitly report and assess the motivations underlying their choices [ 15 ]. Within the health services literature, DCEs have been used to elucidate patient preferences ranging from human papillomavirus vaccination among adolescent females [ 16 ] ,to treatment of osteoarthritis among older adults [ 17 ], and linkage to HIV care services among the general population [ 18 ]. However, few DCEs have examined HIV testing preferences in low or middle income countries (LMIC) [ 19 – 23 ] or among MSM.…”