Using positive deviance to enhance HIV care retention in South Africa: development of a compassion-focused program to improve the staff and patient experience.

Background: HIV burden remains high in South Africa despite intensive efforts to curtail the epidemic. Public primary care facilities, where most people with HIV (PWH) in South Africa receive treatment, face myriad challenges retaining patients on antiretroviral therapy (ART). Nevertheless, some facilities manage to consistently retain PWH in care.