Preferences for services in a patient’s first six months on antiretroviral therapy for HIV in South Africa and Zambia (PREFER): research protocol for a prospective observational cohort study [version 2; peer review: 2 approved]

Background For patients on HIV treatment in sub-Saharan Africa, the highest risk for loss from care remains the first six months after antiretroviral (ART) initiation, when patients are not yet eligible for differentiated service delivery (DSD) models that offer lower-burden, patient-centred care and thus improve treatment outcomes. To reduce early disengagement from care, the PREFER study will use a sequential mixed-methods approach to describe the characteristics, needs, concerns, and preferences of patients in South Africa and Zambia 0-6 months after ART initiation or re-initiation. Protocol PREFER is an observational, prospective cohort study of adults on ART for ≤6 months at 12 public healthcare facilities in Zambia and 18 in South Africa. Its objective is to describe and understand the needs and preferences of initiating and re-initiating ART clients to inform the design of DSD models for the early HIV treatment period, improve early treatment outcomes, and distinguish the barriers encountered by naïve patients from those facing re-initiators. It has four components: 1) survey of clients 0-6 months after ART initiation (identify characteristics and preferences of clients starting ART); 2) follow up through routinely collected medical records for <24 months after enrollment (describe resource utilization and patterns and predictors of engagement in care); 3) focus group discussions and discrete choice experiment (explore reported barriers to and facilitators of retention); and 4) in South Africa only, collection of blood samples (assess the prevalence of ARV metabolites indicating prior ART use). Conclusions PREFER aims to understand why the early treatment period is so challenging and how service delivery can be amended to address the obstacles that lead to early disengagement from care. It will generate information about client characteristics and preferences to help respond to patients’ needs and design better strategies for service delivery and improve resource allocation going forward

Preferences for services in a patient’s first six months on antiretroviral therapy for HIV in South Africa and Zambia (PREFER): research protocol for a prospective observational cohort study

Study protocol and supplementary files for protocol manuscript in Gates Open Research.BACKGROUND: For patients on HIV treatment in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), the highest risk for loss from care consistently remains the first six months after antiretroviral (ART) initiation, when patients are not yet eligible for most existing differentiated service delivery (DSD) models. To reduce disengagement from care during this period, we must gain a comprehensive understanding of patients’ needs, concerns, resources, and preferences for service delivery during this period. The PREFER study will use a sequential mixed-methods approach to survey a sample of patients in South Africa and Zambia 0-6 months after ART initiation to develop a detailed profile of patient characteristics and needs. PROTOCOL: PREFER is an observational, prospective cohort study of adult patients on ART for ≤6 months at 12 public sector healthcare facilities in Zambia and 18 in South Africa that aims to inform the design of DSD models for the early HIV treatment period. It has four components: 1) survey of clients 0-6 months after ART initiation; 2) follow up through routinely collected medical records for <12 or <24 months after enrollment; 3) focus group discussions to explore specific issues raised in the survey; and 4) in South Africa only, collection of blood samples self-reported naïve participants to assess the prevalence of ARV metabolites indicating prior ART use. Results will include demographic and clinical characteristics of patients, self-reported HIV care histories, preferences for treatment delivery, and predictors of disengagement. CONCLUSIONS: PREFER aims to understand why the early treatment period is so challenging and how service delivery can be amended to address the obstacles that lead to early disengagement from care and to distinguish the barriers encountered by naïve patients to those facing re-initiators. The information collected by PREFER will help respond to patients’ needs and design better strategies for service delivery and improve resource allocation going forward.Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, INV-031690 to Boston Universit

Additional file 1 of The SENTINEL study of differentiated service delivery models for HIV treatment in Malawi, South Africa, and Zambia: research protocol for a prospective cohort study

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Effect of differentiated service delivery models for HIV treatment on healthcare providers’ job satisfaction and workloads in sub-Saharan Africa: a mixed methods study from Malawi, Zambia, and South Africa

Abstract Introduction HIV care providers are often overworked and suffer from burnout and low job satisfaction. Differentiated service delivery (DSD) models for HIV treatment aim to decongest clinics and improve providers’ quality of professional life by reducing the client/provider ratio and allowing for more time with clients in need. We investigated current job satisfaction and perceived changes in job satisfaction among HIV care providers in Malawi, South Africa, and Zambia after the adoption of DSD models of care in each country. Methods We conducted a concurrent, cross-sectional mixed methods survey with clinical and non-clinical HIV care providers between April 2021 and January 2022 at public sector clinics in Malawi (n = 12), South Africa (n = 21), and Zambia (n = 12). Questions investigated the effect of DSD models on provider responsibilities, work burden, time allocation, and job satisfaction. We conducted a principal components analysis of survey responses to create a job satisfaction index and estimated odds ratios (OR) using logistic regression for associations between key variables and low reported job satisfaction. We reported emerging qualitative themes. We used Herzberg’s two-factor theory to organize and interpret results, identifying motivating factors (which lead to job satisfaction) and hygiene factors (which we refer to as maintenance factors, that lead to dissatisfaction if lacking). Results Providers had generally high job satisfaction. Providers from Malawi were more likely to report lower job satisfaction than those from South Africa or Zambia (adjusted OR (aOR) 4.56; 95% confidence interval (CI) [2.12–9.80]). Providers who believed that their jobs became harder after the introduction of DSD models (2.82; [1.14–6.96]) or that their jobs did not change (6.50; [2.50–16.89]) were more likely to report lower job satisfaction than those who believed their jobs became easier. Qualitatively, providers felt DSD models improved their working conditions by easing clinic congestion and allowing them to spend more time on other tasks. Providers were particularly motivated when they could spend more time with clients. Conclusion Findings highlight the importance of DSD models in maintaining or improving healthcare providers' quality of professional life and underscore the need for continued monitoring of the impact of these models on job satisfaction among HIV care providers in resource-constrained settings

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