Simplifying TREAtment and Monitoring for HIV (STREAM HIV): protocol for a randomised controlled trial of point-of-care urine tenofovir and viral load testing to improve HIV outcomes.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Substantial improvements in viral suppression among people living with HIV (PLHIV) are needed to end the HIV epidemic, requiring extensive scale-up of low-cost HIV monitoring services. Point-of-care (POC) tests for monitoring antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence and viral load (VL) may be efficient and effective tools for real-time clinical decision making. We aim to evaluate the effects of a combined intervention of POC ART adherence and VL testing compared with standard-of-care on ART adherence, viral suppression and retention at 6 and 18 months post-ART initiation among PLHIV.

Methods and analysis

Simplifying TREAtment and Monitoring for HIV (STREAM HIV) is a two-arm, open-label, randomised controlled superiority trial of POC urine tenofovir (POC TFV) and V

SUBMITTER: Bardon AR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8493905 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature