Effect and cost of two successive home visits to increase HIV testing coverage: a prospective study in Lesotho, Southern Africa.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Home-based HIV testing and counselling (HB-HTC) is frequently used to increase awareness of HIV status in sub-Saharan Africa. Whereas acceptance of HB-HTC is usually high, testing coverage may remain low due to household members being absent during the home visits. This study assessed whether two consecutive visits, one during the week, one on the weekend, increase coverage.

Methods

The study was a predefined nested-study of the CASCADE-trial protocol and conducted in 62 randomly selected villages and 17 urban areas in Butha-Buthe district, Lesotho. HB-HTC teams visited each village/urban area twice: first during a weekday, followed by a weekend visit to catch-up for household members absent during the week. Primary outcome was HTC coverage after first and second

SUBMITTER: Labhardt ND 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6825349 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature