Category Archives: Retention in care
A review of factors associated with methadone maintenance treatment adherence and retention in Vietnam
BACKGROUND: Starting in 2008, Vietnam’s national MMT program expanded quickly, but it is struggling with increasing attrition rates and poor adherence among patients. Several studies have reported on MMT retention...
Web-based service provision of HIV, viral hepatitis, and sexually transmitted infection prevention, testing, linkage, and treatment for key populations: Systematic review and meta-analysis
BACKGROUND: Despite the growth of web-based interventions for HIV, viral hepatitis (VH), and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) for key populations, the evidence for the effectiveness of these interventions has not...
Mental health problems across the HIV care continuum for adolescents living with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa: A scoping review
Mental health problems (e.g., anxiety, depression) are frequently experienced by adolescents living with HIV (ALWH) and can worsen HIV-related outcomes. This scoping review synthesizes the existing research on ALWHs’ mental...
Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on HIV healthcare service engagement, treatment adherence, and viral suppression in the United States: A systematic literature review
The COVID-19 pandemic has necessitated adaptations in how healthcare services are rendered. However, it is unclear how these adaptations have impacted HIV healthcare services across the United States. We conducted...
Leveraging resilience-supportive strategies to enhance protective factors in young sexual minority men: A scoping review of HIV behavioral interventions implemented in high-income countries
Behavioral HIV interventions focused on strengthening young sexual minority men’s (SMM) internal (assets) and external (resources) protective factors are promising, yet their evaluation as resilience-supportive strategies to minimize or negate...
Systematic review of interventions aimed at improving HIV adherence to care in low- and middle-income countries in Sub-Saharan Africa
Long-term adherence to antiretroviral medication continues to present as a challenge along the continuum of the HIV care cascade. HIV interventions and support programs are significantly threatened in resource-limited settings...
Measuring patient engagement with HIV care in sub-Saharan Africa: a scoping study
INTRODUCTION: Engagement with HIV care is a multi-dimensional, dynamic process, critical to maintaining successful treatment outcomes. However, measures of engagement are not standardized nor comprehensive. This undermines our understanding of...
Interventions addressing the adolescent HIV continuum of care in South Africa: A systematic review and modified Delphi analysis
INTRODUCTION: Compared with adults, adolescents in South Africa have larger gaps at each step of the HIV continuum of care resulting in low levels of viral suppression. METHODS: We conducted...
Viral load monitoring for people living with HIV in the era of test and treat: progress made and challenges ahead—A systematic review
BACKGROUND: In 2016, we conducted a systematic review to assess the feasibility of treatment monitoring for people living with HIV (PLHIV) receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART) in low and middle-income countries...
Strategies to improve HIV care outcomes for people with HIV who are out of care
Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of five intervention strategies: patient navigation, appointment help/alerts, psychosocial support, transportation/appointment accompaniment, and data-to-care on HIV care outcomes among persons...
A systematic review of factors critical for HIV health literacy, ART adherence and retention in care in the U.S. for racial and ethnic minorities
Despite advances in antiretroviral treatment (ART), the HIV epidemic persists in the United States (U.S.), with inadequate adherence to treatment and care a major barrier to ending the epidemic. Health...
Interventions to improve early retention of patients in antiretroviral therapy programmes in sub-Saharan Africa: A systematic review
BACKGROUND: Several interventions to improve long term retention (12 months and above) on treatment have been rigorously evaluated in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). However, research on interventions to improve retention of...