Community-based accompaniment with supervised antiretrovirals in Lima, Peru

Brigham And Women'S Hospital, Boston MA

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): We propose a cluster-randomized trial to assess the impact of community-based DOT-HAART on HIV-positive individuals and community members in Lima, Peru. We will enroll individuals living in extreme poverty who are starting either first-line HAART or salvage therapy due to virologic failure. Those residing in intervention clusters will receive 12 months of DOT-HAART. We aim to 1) assess the proportion with suppressed HIV viral load at 18 and 24 months after starting HAART among those receiving community-based DOT-HAART versus the control group; 2) compare social capital among community members in DOT-HAART versus control communities; and 3) assess the cost-effectiveness of community-based DOT-HAART. Innovative aspects of this proposal include 1) a targeted intervention for the most vulnerable subgroup of individuals starting HAART (i.e. those living in extreme poverty); 2) a community- based DOT-HAART intervention designed specifically to achieve long-term efficacy; 3) cost- effectiveness analysis; and 4) assessment of the intervention effect on community-level social capital. These study components will inform how best to design and implement DOT-HAART strategies in Peru and other resource-poor settings. By offering a practical, efficacious and cost-effective model of DOT-HAART for resource-poor settings, the findings of this study could improve global efforts to achieve excellent long-term clinical outcomes among individuals on HAART.