NDLI: Linkage to HIV care and early retention in HIV care among men in the ‘universal test-and-treat’ era in a high HIV-burdened district, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Content Provider	Springer Nature : BioMed Central
Author	Hlongwa, Mbuzeleni Basera, Wisdom Hlongwana, Khumbulani Lombard, Carl Laubscher, Ria Duma, Sinegugu Cheyip, Mireille Bradshaw, Debbie Nicol, Edward
Abstract	Introduction Despite the numerous efforts and initiatives, males with HIV are still less likely than women to receive HIV treatment. Across Sub-Saharan Africa, men are tested, linked, and retained in HIV care at lower rates than women, and South Africa is no exception. This is despite the introduction of the universal test-and-treat (UTT) prevention strategy anticipated to improve the uptake of HIV services. The aim of this study was to investigate linkage to and retention in care rates of an HIV-positive cohort of men in a high HIV prevalence rural district in KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa. Methods From January 2018 to July 2019, we conducted an observational cohort study in 18 primary health care institutions in the uThukela district. Patient-level survey and clinical data were collected at baseline, 4-months and 12-months, using isiZulu and English REDCap-based questionnaires. We verified data through TIER.Net, Rapid mortality survey (RMS), and the National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS) databases. Data were analyzed using STATA version 15.1, with confidence intervals and p-value of ≤0.05 considered statistically significant. Results The study sample consisted of 343 male participants diagnosed with HIV and who reside in uThukela District. The median age was 33 years (interquartile range (IQR): 29–40), and more than half (56%; n = 193) were aged 18–34 years. Almost all participants (99.7%; n = 342) were Black African, with 84.5% (n = 290) being in a romantic relationship. The majority of participants (85%; n = 292) were linked to care within three months of follow-up. Short-term retention in care (≤ 12 months) was 46% (n = 132) among men who were linked to care within three months. Conclusion While the implementation of the UTT strategy has had positive influence on improving linkage to care, men’s access of HIV treatment remains inconsistent and may require additional innovative strategies.
Related Links	https://bmchealthservres.biomedcentral.com/counter/pdf/10.1186/s12913-024-10736-3.pdf
Ending Page	9
Page Count	9
Starting Page	1
File Format	HTM / HTML
ISSN	14726963
DOI	10.1186/s12913-024-10736-3
Journal	BMC Health Services Research
Issue Number	1
Volume Number	24
Language	English
Publisher	BioMed Central
Publisher Date	2024-04-02
Access Restriction	Open
Subject Keyword	Public Health Health Administration Health Informatics Nursing Research HIV treatment Men Linkage to care Retention in care South Africa
Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Article
Subject	Health Policy

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1	Ministry of Education (GoI), Department of Higher Education	Sanctioning Authority	https://www.education.gov.in/ict-initiatives
2	Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur	Host Institute of the Project: The host institute of the project is responsible for providing infrastructure support and hosting the project	https://www.iitkgp.ac.in
3	National Digital Library of India Office, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur	The administrative and infrastructural headquarters of the project	Dr. B. Sutradhar bsutra@ndl.gov.in
4	Project PI / Joint PI	Principal Investigator and Joint Principal Investigators of the project	Dr. B. Sutradhar bsutra@ndl.gov.in Prof. Saswat Chakrabarti will be added soon
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