Category Archives: Linkage/engagement in care
Linkage to HIV care and its determinants in the late HAART era: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Poor engagement into HIV care limits the effectiveness of highly active antiretroviral therapies (HAART) to improve survival and reduce transmission. The design of effective interventions to enhance linkage to care...
Effect of point-of-care diagnostics on maternal outcomes in human immunodeficiency virus-infected women: Systematic review and meta-analysis
Introduction: The World Health Organization advocates for increased accessibility of HIV-related point-of-care (POC) diagnostics in settings that lack laboratory infrastructure. The aim of this study is to assess the impact...
Social media interventions to promote HIV testing, linkage, adherence, and retention: Systematic review and meta-Analysis
BACKGROUND: Social media is increasingly used to deliver HIV interventions for key populations worldwide. However, little is known about the specific uses and effects of social media on human immunodeficiency...
Do digital innovations for HIV and sexually transmitted infections work? Results from a systematic review (1996–2017)
OBJECTIVE: Digital innovations with internet/mobile phones offer a potential cost-saving solution for overburdened health systems with high service delivery costs to improve efficiency of HIV/STI (sexually transmitted infections) control initiatives....
A systematic review of emergency department based HIV testing and linkage to care initiatives in low resource settings
INTRODUCTION: Only 45% of people currently living with HIV infection in sub-Saharan Africa are aware of their HIV status. Unmet testing needs may be addressed by utilizing the Emergency Department...
Social network strategies to address HIV prevention and treatment continuum of care among at-risk and HIV-infected substance users: A systematic scoping review
Social network analysis (SNA) and social network-based interventions (SNI) are important analytical tools harnessing peer and family influences critical for HIV prevention and treatment among substance users. While SNA is...
Impact of SMS/GPRS printers in reducing time to early infant diagnosis compared to routine result reporting: A systematic review and meta-analysis
BACKGROUND: Despite significant gains made towards improving access, early infant diagnosis (EID) testing programs suffer from long test turnaround times that result in substantial loss to follow-up and mortality associated...
Specification of implementation interventions to address the cascade of HIV care and treatment in resource-limited settings: A systematic review
BACKGROUND: The global response to HIV has started over 18 million persons on life-saving antiretroviral therapy (ART)-the vast majority in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC)-yet substantial gaps remain: up to...
Effect of frequency of clinic visits and medication pick-up on antiretroviral treatment outcomes: A systematic literature review and meta-analysis
INTRODUCTION: Expanding and sustaining antiretroviral therapy (ART) coverage may require simplified HIV service delivery strategies that concomitantly reduce the burden of care on the health system and patients while ensuring...
Linkage-to-care methods and rates in U.S. emergency department-based HIV testing programs: A systematic literature review brief report
BACKGROUND: An increasing number of U.S. emergency departments (EDs) have implemented ED-based HIV testing programs since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued revised HIV testing recommendations for clinical...
Scaling a waterfall: A meta-ethnography of adolescent progression through the stages of HIV care in sub-Saharan Africa
INTRODUCTION: Observational studies have shown considerable attrition among adolescents living with HIV across the “cascade” of HIV care in sub-Saharan Africa, leading to higher mortality rates compared to HIV-infected adults...
A historical review of HIV prevention and care initiatives in British Columbia, Canada: 1996-2015
INTRODUCTION: British Columbia has made significant progress in the treatment and prevention of HIV since 1996, when Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART) became available. However, we currently lack a historical...
