Access to HIV Viral Load Testing and Antiretroviral Therapy Switch Practices: A Multicountry Prospective Cohort Study in Sub-Saharan Africa.

ABSTRACT: Poor access to HIV viral load (VL) testing prevents the timely monitoring of HIV treatment adherence and efficacy. Factors enabling clinical benefits of VL testing when added to local standards of care, can inform the development of more cost-effective routine VL scale-up plans. We compared antiretroviral therapy (ART) switch practices in 13 clinics across 6 countries, with full (N = 8), phasing-in (N = 3) or no onsite access (N = 2) to VL. The analysis used data from the Pan-African Studies to Evaluate Resistance (PASER), observing virological and drug resistance outcomes among adults receiving first- or second-line ART between 2008 and 2015. Study plasma viral load (sVL) determined at baseline, every 12 months thereafter and at the time of switch served for retrospec

SUBMITTER: Ondoa P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7709893 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature