Risk Screening Tools Could Potentially Miss HIV-Positive Individuals Who Seek Testing Services: A Secondary Program Data Analysis on the Performance Characteristics of an Adolescent and Adult HIV Risk Screening Tool in Uganda.

Improving HIV testing efficiency saves financial and material resources for health. We conducted a secondary data analysis of routinely collected HIV risk-screening program data in Uganda, from October to November 2019, to determine the performance characteristics of the adolescent and adult HIV risk screening tools in public health facilities. A total of 19,854 clients had been screened for HIV testing eligibility and tested for HIV.

Predicting Lost to Follow-Up Status Using an Adolescent HIV Psychosocial Attrition Risk Assessment Tool: Results From a Mixed Methods Prospective Cohort Study in Uganda.

Background: Low retention in care for adolescents living with HIV (ALHIV) has been a key driver of suboptimal viral load suppression rates in Uganda. The objective of this study was to develop a psychosocial risk assessment tool and evaluate its ability to predict the risk of attrition of ALHIV between the ages 15 and 19 years.

Setting: The study was conducted in 20 facilities in Central and Western Uganda from August 2021 through July 2022.

Strengthening systems to provide long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs) in public sector health facilities in Uganda and Zambia: Program results and learnings.

Introduction: In Uganda and Zambia, both supply- and demand-side factors hamper availability of long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs), including implants and intrauterine devices (IUDs), at public sector facilities. This paper discusses results of a program aimed at increasing access to and uptake of LARC services in public sector facilities through capacity building of government health workers, strengthening government supply chains, and client mobilization.

Methods: From 2018-2021, the Ministries of Health (MOHs) in Uganda and Zambia and Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) worked to increase readiness to provide LARC services within 51 focal facilities in Uganda and 85 focal facilities in Zambia.

High acceptability and viral suppression of patients on Dolutegravir-based first-line regimens in pilot sites in Uganda: A mixed-methods prospective cohort study.

Uganda adopted the integrase inhibitor dolutegravir (DTG) as part its preferred first-line HIV treatment regimen in 2018. Prior to the national rollout, the Uganda Ministry of Health and Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) launched a pilot study in July 2017 aimed at better understanding patients' and prescribers' experience and acceptability of DTG. Patients were enrolled in the study if they were newly initiating treatment or switched from an NNRTI regimen due to intolerance.

Increasing coverage of pediatric diarrhea treatment in high-burden countries.

Background: Diarrhea is the second leading cause of infectious deaths in children under-five globally. Oral rehydration salts (ORS) and zinc could avert an estimated 93% of deaths, but progress to increase coverage of these interventions has been largely stagnant over the past several decades. The Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI), along with donors and country governments in India, Kenya, Nigeria, and Uganda, implemented programs to scale-up ORS and zinc coverage from 2012 to 2016.

Results from a proactive follow-up intervention to improve linkage and retention among people living with HIV in Uganda: a pre-/post- study.

Background: Despite gains in HIV testing and treatment access in sub-Saharan Africa, patient attrition from care remains a problem. Evidence is needed of real-world implementation of low-cost, scalable, and sustainable solutions to reduce attrition. We hypothesized that more proactive patient follow-up and enhanced counseling by health facilities would improve patient linkage and retention.

Assessing linkage to and retention in care among HIV patients in Uganda and identifying opportunities for health systems strengthening: a descriptive study.

Background: While antiretroviral therapy (ART) availability for HIV patients has increased dramatically in Uganda, patient linkage to and retention in care remains a challenge. We assessed patterns of engagement in care in 20 Ugandan health facilities with low retention based on national reporting.

Methods: We assessed patient linkage to care (defined as registering for pre-ART or ART care at the facility within 1 month of HIV diagnosis) and 6-month retention in care (having a visit 3-6 months after ART initiation) and associations with patient-/facility-level factors using multivariate logistic regression.