Initiating Antiretroviral Therapy for HIV at a Patient's First Clinic Visit: The RapIT Randomized Controlled Trial.

ABSTRACT:

Background

High rates of patient attrition from care between HIV testing and antiretroviral therapy (ART) initiation have been documented in sub-Saharan Africa, contributing to persistently low CD4 cell counts at treatment initiation. One reason for this is that starting ART in many countries is a lengthy and burdensome process, imposing long waits and multiple clinic visits on patients. We estimated the effect on uptake of ART and viral suppression of an accelerated initiation algorithm that allowed treatment-eligible patients to be dispensed their first supply of antiretroviral medications on the day of their first HIV-related clinic visit.

Methods and findings

RapIT (Rapid Initiation of Treatment) was an unblinded randomized controlled trial of single-visit ART initiation

SUBMITTER: Rosen S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4862681 | biostudies-literature | 2016 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature