Barriers and Facilitators to HIV and Viral Hepatitis Testing in Primary Health Care Settings in the Kyrgyz Republic (BarTest): Protocol for a Mixed Methods Study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

In the Kyrgyz Republic, it is estimated that 18% of people living with HIV are undiagnosed and more than half are diagnosed late (CD4 lymphocyte count of <350 cells/μL). For viral hepatitis, before 2023, free testing was only available to people living with HIV, which led to a low testing uptake. A new national program on the elimination of HIV and viral hepatitis infection for the years 2023-2027 recognizes the need to scale up testing to reduce the gap in undiagnosed people in the country.

Objective

This study aimed to identify and describe the most important barriers and facilitators to HIV and viral hepatitis B, C, and D testing from the perspective of health care workers working in primary health care settings in the Kyrgyz Republic.

Methods

A cross-se

SUBMITTER: Sperle I 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12159551 | biostudies-literature | 2025 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature