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. 2023 May 17;23(1):503.
doi: 10.1186/s12913-023-09500-w.

Rapid start antiretroviral therapies for improved engagement in HIV care: implementation science evaluation protocol

Beth Bourdeau  1 , Starley B Shade  2 , Kimberly A Koester  2 , Greg M Rebchook  2 , Wayne T Steward  2 , Bruce M Agins  2 , Janet J Myers  2 , Son H Phan  3 , Marlene Matosky  3
Affiliations

Rapid start antiretroviral therapies for improved engagement in HIV care: implementation science evaluation protocol

Beth Bourdeau et al. BMC Health Serv Res. .

Abstract

Background: In 2020, the Health Resources and Services Administration's HIV/AIDS Bureau funded an initiative to promote implementation of rapid antiretroviral therapy initiation in 14 HIV treatment settings across the U.S. The goal of this initiative is to accelerate uptake of this evidence-based strategy and provide an implementation blueprint for other HIV care settings to reduce the time from HIV diagnosis to entry into care, for re-engagement in care for those out of care, initiation of treatment, and viral suppression. As part of the effort, an evaluation and technical assistance provider (ETAP) was funded to study implementation of the model in the 14 implementation sites.

Method: The ETAP has used implementation science methods framed by the Dynamic Capabilities Model integrated with the Conceptual Model of Implementation Research to develop a Hybrid Type II, multi-site mixed-methods evaluation, described in this paper. The results of the evaluation will describe strategies associated with uptake, implementation outcomes, and HIV-related health outcomes for patients.

Discussion: This approach will allow us to understand in detail the processes that sites to implement and integrate rapid initiation of antiretroviral therapy as standard of care as a means of achieving equity in HIV care.

Keywords: Evaluation; HIV; Implementation science; Learning collaborative; Mixed methods; Rapid start antiretroviral therapy; United States.

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Conflict of interest statement

I declare that the authors have no competing interests as defined by BMC, or other interests that might be perceived to influence the results and/or discussion reported in this paper.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Rapid ART Start Initiative Implementation Conceptual Framework (Dynamic Capabilities and Proctor Model)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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