scholarly journals Implementation of differentiated service delivery for paediatric HIV care and treatment: opportunities, challenges and experience from seven sub-Saharan African countries

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. e000393
Author(s):  
Rebecca Abelman ◽  
Catharina Alons ◽  
Jeni Stockman ◽  
Ivan Teri ◽  
Anna Grimsrud ◽  
...  

Differentiated service delivery (DSD) models for HIV often exclude children and adolescents. Given that children and adolescents have lower rates of HIV diagnosis, treatment and viral load suppression, there is a need to use DSD to meet the needs of children and adolescents living with HIV. This commentary reviews the concept of DSD, examines the application of DSD to the care of children and adolescents living with HIV, and describes national guidance on use of DSD for children and adolescents and implementation of DSD for HIV care and treatment in children and adolescents in Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation (EGPAF)–supported programmes in seven sub-Saharan countries between 2017 and 2019. Programme descriptions include eligibility criteria, location and frequency of care delivery, healthcare cadre delivering the care, as well as the number of EGPAF-supported facilities supporting each type of DSD model. A range of DSD models were identified. While facility-based models predominate, several countries support community-based models. Despite significant uptake of various DSD models for children and adolescents, there was variable coverage within countries and variability in age criteria for each model. While the recent uptake of DSD models for children and adolescents suggests feasibility, more can be done to optimise and extend the use of DSD models for children and adolescents living with HIV. Barriers to further DSD uptake are described and solutions proposed. DSD models for children and adolescents are a critical tool that can be optimised to improve the quality of HIV care and outcomes for children and adolescents.

2011 ◽  
Vol 15 (5) ◽  
pp. 938-947 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aranka Anema ◽  
Wendy Zhang ◽  
Yingfeng Wu ◽  
Batya Elul ◽  
Sheri D Weiser ◽  
...  

AbstractObjectiveTo examine the availability of nutritional support services in HIV care and treatment sites across sub-Saharan Africa.DesignIn 2008, we conducted a cross-sectional survey of sites providing antiretroviral therapy (ART) in nine sub-Saharan African countries. Outcomes included availability of: (i) nutritional counselling; (ii) micronutrient supplementation; (iii) treatment for severe malnutrition; and (iv) food rations. Associations with health system indicators were explored using bivariate and multivariate methods.SettingPresident's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief-supported HIV treatment and care sites across nine sub-Saharan African countries.SubjectsA total of 336 HIV care and treatment sites, serving 467 175 enrolled patients.ResultsOf the sites under study, 303 (90 %) offered some form of nutritional support service. Nutritional counselling, micronutrient supplementation, treatment for severe acute malnutrition and food rations were available at 98 %, 64 %, 36 % and 31 % of sites, respectively. In multivariate analysis, secondary or tertiary care sites were more likely to offer nutritional counselling (adjusted OR (AOR): 2·2, 95 % CI 1·1, 4·5). Rural sites (AOR: 2·3, 95 % CI 1·4, 3·8) had increased odds of micronutrient supplementation availability. Sites providing ART for >2 years had higher odds of availability of treatment for severe malnutrition (AOR: 2·4, 95 % CI 1·4, 4·1). Sites providing ART for >2 years (AOR: 1·6, 95 % CI 1·3, 1·9) and rural sites (AOR: 2·4, 95 % CI 1·4, 4·4) had greater odds of food ration availability.ConclusionsAvailability of nutritional support services was high in this large sample of HIV care and treatment sites in sub-Saharan Africa. Further efforts are needed to determine the uptake, quality and effectiveness of these services and their impact on patient and programme outcomes.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 104-110
Author(s):  
A. T. Boyd ◽  
B. Moore ◽  
M. Shah ◽  
C. Tran ◽  
H. Kirking ◽  
...  

Global HIV program stakeholders, including the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), are undertaking efforts to ensure that eligible people living with HIV (PLHIV) receiving antiretroviral treatment (ART) receive a course of TB preventive treatment (TPT). In PEPFAR programming, this effort may require providing TPT not only to newly diagnosed PLHIV as part of HIV care initiation, but also to treatment-experienced PLHIV stable on ART who may not have been previously offered TPT. TPT scale-up is occurring at the same time as a trend to provide more person-centered HIV care through differentiated service delivery (DSD). In DSD, PLHIV stable on ART may receive less frequent clinical follow-up or receive care outside the traditional clinic-based model. The misalignment between traditional delivery of TPT and care delivery in innovative DSD may require adaptations to TPT delivery practices for PLHIV. Adaptations include components of planning and operationalization of TPT in DSD, such as determination of TPT eligibility and TPT initiation, and clinical management of PLHIV while on TPT. A key adaptation is alignment of timing and location for TPT and ART prescribing, monitoring, and dispensing. Conceptual examples of TPT delivery in DSD may help program managers operationalize TPT in HIV care.


2013 ◽  
Vol 62 (5) ◽  
pp. e124-e130 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruby N. Fayorsey ◽  
Suzue Saito ◽  
Rosalind J. Carter ◽  
Eduarda Gusmao ◽  
Koen Frederix ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 177
Author(s):  
Sydney Rosen ◽  
Brooke Nichols ◽  
Teresa Guthrie ◽  
Mariet Benade ◽  
Salome Kuchukhidze ◽  
...  

Introduction: “Differentiated service delivery” (DSD) for antiretroviral therapy (ART) for HIV is rapidly being scaled up throughout sub-Saharan Africa, but only recently have data become available on the costs of DSD models to providers and patients. We synthesized recent studies of DSD model costs in five African countries. Methods: The studies included cluster randomized trials in Lesotho, Malawi, Zambia, and Zimbabwe and observational studies in Uganda and Zambia. For 3-5 models per country, studies collected patient-level data on clinical outcomes and provider costs for 12 months, and some studies surveyed patients about costs they incurred. We compared costs of differentiated models to those of conventional care and identified drivers of cost differences. We also report patient costs of seeking care. Results: The studies described 22 models, including facility-based conventional care. Of these, 13 were facility-based and 9 community-based models; 15 were individual and 7 group models. Average provider cost/patient/year ranged from $100 in Zambia to $187 in Zimbabwe, in both cases for facility-based conventional care. Conventional care was less expensive than any other model in the Zambia observational study, more expensive than any other model in Lesotho, Malawi, and Zimbabwe, and in the middle of the range in the Zambia trial and the observational study in Uganda. Models incorporating 6-month dispensing were consistently less expensive to the provider per patient treated. Savings to patients were substantial for most models, with patients’ costs roughly halved. Conclusion: In five field studies of the costs of DSD models for HIV treatment, most models within each country had relatively similar costs, except for 6-month dispensing models, which were slightly less expensive. Most models provided substantial savings to patients. Research is needed to understand the effect of DSD models on the costs of ART programmes as a whole.


BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. e047443
Author(s):  
Jonathan Ross ◽  
Gad Murenzi ◽  
Sarah Hill ◽  
Eric Remera ◽  
Charles Ingabire ◽  
...  

IntroductionCurrent HIV guidelines recommend differentiated service delivery (DSD) models that allow for fewer health centre visits for clinically stable people living with HIV (PLHIV). Newly diagnosed PLHIV may require more intensive care early in their treatment course, yet frequent appointments can be burdensome to patients and health systems. Determining the optimal parameters for defining clinical stability and transitioning to less frequent appointments could decrease patient burden and health system costs. The objectives of this pilot study are to explore the feasibility and acceptability of (1) reducing the time to DSD from 12 to 6 months after antiretroviral therapy (ART) initiation,and (2) reducing the number of suppressed viral loads required to enter DSD from two to one.Methods and analysesThe present study is a pilot, unblinded trial taking place in three health facilities in Kigali, Rwanda. Current Rwandan guidelines require PLHIV to be on ART for ≥12 months with two consecutive suppressed viral loads in order to transition to less frequent appointments. We will randomise 90 participants to one of three arms: entry into DSD at 6 months after one suppressed viral load (n=30), entry into DSD at 6 months after two suppressed viral loads (n=30) or current standard of care (n=30). We will measure feasibility and acceptability of this intervention; clinical outcomes include viral suppression at 12 months (primary outcome) and appointment attendance (secondary outcome).Ethics and disseminationThis clinical trial was approved by the institutional review board of Albert Einstein College of Medicine and by the Rwanda National Ethics Committee. Findings will be disseminated through conferences and peer-reviewed publications, as well as meetings with stakeholders.Trial registration numberNCT04567693.


2017 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sharon Tsui ◽  
Julie A. Denison ◽  
Caitlin E. Kennedy ◽  
Larry W. Chang ◽  
Olivier Koole ◽  
...  

2017 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 109-138 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark J. Siedner

Objective: The number of people living with HIV (PLWH) over 50 years old in sub-Saharan Africa is predicted to triple in the coming decades, to 6-10 million. Yet, there is a paucity of data on the determinants of health and quality of life for older PLWH in the region. Methods: A review was undertaken to describe the impact of HIV infection on aging for PLWH in sub-Saharan Africa. Results: We (a) summarize the pathophysiology and epidemiology of aging with HIV in resource-rich settings, and (b) describe how these relationships might differ in sub-Saharan Africa, (c) propose a conceptual framework to describe determinants of quality of life for older PLWH, and (d) suggest priority research areas needed to ensure long-term gains in quality of life for PLWH in the region. Conclusions: Differences in traditional, lifestyle, and envirnomental risk factors, as well as unique features of HIV epidemiology and care delivery appear to substantially alter the contribution of HIV to aging in sub-Saharan Africa. Meanwhile, unique preferences and conceptualizations of quality of life will require novel measurement and intervention tools. An expanded research and public health infrastructure is needed to ensure that gains made in HIV prevention and treamtent are translated into long-term benefits in this region.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (8) ◽  
pp. e0256537
Author(s):  
Neelam Ismail ◽  
Nancy Matillya ◽  
Riaz Ratansi ◽  
Columba Mbekenga

Introduction Disclosure of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) status is important to prevent the spread of HIV and maintain the health of people living with HIV, their spouses, and the community. Despite the benefits of disclosure, many people living with HIV delay disclosing their status to those close to them thereby increasing the risk for disease transmission. This study aimed to determine the barriers to timely disclosure of HIV serostatus for people living with HIV in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and identify what motivated disclosure. Methods A qualitative descriptive study using in-depth individual interviews was conducted with10 participants attending HIV care and treatment centers in Dar es Salaam. The participants were people living with HIV who had delayed disclosing their serostatus for more than one month after diagnosis. Data was analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Results Three categories emerged from the analysis: Barriers hindering timely disclosure, motivation for disclosure of serostatus, and consequences of delayed disclosure. Barriers to timely disclosure included denial of one’s status, the fear of stigmatization, fear of being separated or divorced, the need to protect loved ones, and lack of adequate knowledge about the disease. Reasons that motivated disclosure included gaining social support, preventing disease transmission and wanting to be at peace. Conclusion Timely disclosure is hindered by stigma because HIV is negatively perceived by the public. People living with HIV prefer not to disclose to avoid the negative consequences of disclosure, especially because of fear of being discriminated against and losing their social status, which plays a major role in social status in Tanzania. Trust and adequate counseling from health care workers helps prompt disclosure.


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