Trial reportBMC health services research2020
Acceptability of point-of-care viral load testing to facilitate differentiated care: a qualitative assessment of people living with HIV and nurses in South Africa.
Trial report in BMC health services research, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT03066128 (Point-of-care Viral Load Testing to Enable Streamlined Care and Task Shifting for Chronic HIV Care), which is not on this map. Cited by 13 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Point-of-care Viral Load Testing to Enable Streamlined Care and Task Shifting for Chronic HIV Care
Who cites it
13 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 18 citations in OpenAlex.
- The value of qualitative research in randomized controlled trials involving drugs and medical devices: a systematic mapping review.International journal of technology assessment in health care · 2026Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Clinical Outcomes in a Randomized Controlled Trial Comparing Point-of-Care With Standard Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Viral Load Monitoring in Nigeria.Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America · 2023Trial
- Feasibility, Acceptability, and Test Performance of Point-of-Care Nucleic Acid Tests for HIV Testing and Viral Load Monitoring in the United States: Prospective Longitudinal Mixed-Methods Study.JMIR research protocols · 2026Article
- Article
- Point-of-care HIV viral load testing in a community antiretroviral therapy delivery programme: A randomised controlled trial (PHILA).PLOS global public health · 2026Article
- The potential promise and pitfalls of point-of-care viral load monitoring to expedite HIV treatment decision-making in rural Uganda: a qualitative study.BMC health services research · 2024Article
- POC Viral Load Testing in an Antenatal Clinic Setting for Ugandan Pregnant Women Living with HIV: An Implementation Process Analysis.Discover health systems · 2024Article
- "Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Facilitators and barriers of the implementation of point-of-care devices for cardiometabolic diseases: a scoping review.BMC health services research · 2023Article
- Human-centered design of a smartphone-based self-test for HIV viral load monitoring.Journal of clinical and translational science · 2023Article
- "After viral load testing, I get my results so I get to know which path my life is taking me": qualitative insights on routine centralized and point-of-care viral load testing in western Kenya from the Opt4Kids and Opt4Mamas studies.BMC health services research · 2022Article
- Assessment of the Impact of Rapid Point-of-Care CD4 Testing in Primary Healthcare Clinic Settings: A Survey Study of Client and Provider Perspectives.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2020Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors at 5 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundProviding viral load (VL) results to people living with HIV (PLHIV) on antiretroviral therapy (ART) remains a challenge in low and middle-income countries. Point-of-care (POC) VL testing could improve ART monitoring and the quality and efficiency of differentiated models of HIV care. We assessed the acceptability of POC VL testing within a differentiated care model that involved task-shifting from professional nurses to less highly-trained enrolled nurses, and an option of collecting treatment from a community-based ART delivery programme.
methodsWe undertook a qualitative sub-study amongst clients on ART and nurses within the STREAM study, a randomized controlled trial of POC VL testing and task-shifting in Durban, South Africa. Between March and August 2018, we conducted 33 semi-structured interviews with clients, professional and enrolled nurses and 4 focus group discussions with clients. Interviews and focus groups were audio recorded, transcribed, translated and thematically analysed.
resultsAmongst 55 clients on ART (median age 31, 56% women) and 8 nurses (median age 39, 75% women), POC VL testing and task-shifting to enrolled nurses was acceptable. Both clients and providers reported that POC VL testing yielded practical benefits for PLHIV by reducing the number of clinic visits, saving time, travel costs and days off work. Receiving same-day POC VL results encouraged adherence amongst clients, by enabling them to see immediately if they were 'good' or 'bad' adherers and enabled quick referrals to a community-based ART delivery programme for those with viral suppression. However, there was some concern regarding the impact of POC VL testing on clinic flows when implemented in busy public-sector clinics. Regarding task-shifting, nurses felt that, with extra training, enrolled nurses could help decongest healthcare facilities by quickly issuing ART to stable clients. Clients could not easily distinguish enrolled nurses from professional nurses, instead they highlighted the importance of friendliness, respect and good communication between clients and nurses.
conclusionsPOC VL testing combined with task-shifting was acceptable to clients and healthcare providers. Implementation of POC VL testing and task shifting within differentiated care models may help achieve international treatment targets.
trial registrationNCT03066128 , registered 22/02/2017.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.