Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41469583›Full record

ArticleBMC infectious diseases2025

Effect of facility- versus community-based HIV testing services on the diagnosis of advanced HIV disease in Uganda: a quasi-experimental study.

Jonathan Izudi, Saadick Mugerwa Ssentongo, Saidi Appeli, Francis Bajunirwe

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC infectious diseases, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Jonathan IzudiDirectorate of Graduate Training, Research and Innovation, Muni University, Arua, Uganda. jonahzd@gmail.com.
Saadick Mugerwa SsentongoDirectorate of Program Management and Capacity Development, AIDS Information Centre, Kampala, Uganda.
Saidi AppeliDepartment of Agribusiness and Extension, Faculty of Agriculture and Animal Sciences, Busitema University, Soroti, Uganda.
Francis BajunirweDepartment of Community Health, Mbarara University of Science and Technology, Mbarara, Uganda.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAdvanced HIV disease (AHD) at first diagnosis remains a significant barrier to HIV epidemic control. We evaluated whether health facility-based or community-based HIV testing services (HTS) better impact the yield of AHD at diagnosis among newly diagnosed people with HIV (PWH) in rural eastern Uganda.

methodsWe designed a quasi-experimental study and applied instrumental variable analysis, a causal inference methodology, to compare the effect of facility-based HTS versus community-based HTS on the yield of AHD at diagnosis among newly diagnosed PWH. The exposure was HTS comparing community-based versus facility-based, and the outcome was AHD at diagnosis, defined as CD4 < 200 cells/µL or WHO clinical stage 3 or 4 disease at baseline. The instrumental variable was the HTS access radius that reflects the HTS geographical coverage for each health facility. The instrumental variable ensured the categorization of health facilities as offering HTS within a 5 km radius only or both within and beyond 5 km. The relevance of the instrumental variable was assessed using the F-statistic and independence from measured covariates. We used a two-stage residual inclusion approach to estimate the effect of HTS on AHD at diagnosis. Causal effect was reported as an odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI).

resultsOf 1,233 participants included in the analysis, AHD prevalence was 1.9% (24/1,233). The instrumental variable was strongly correlated with HTS (First-stage F-statistic = 28.05, p < 0.0001) and uncorrelated with AHD and all measured covariates. Facility-based HTS has no significant effect on AHD at diagnosis compared to community-based HTS (OR 1.20, 95% CI 0.49–2.90).

conclusionsPersons with AHD at diagnosis are a minority. Facility- and community-based HTS do not differ in identifying AHD among newly diagnosed PWH, but moderate effects cannot be excluded. These findings support efforts to implement both strategies for HIV testing to reach and test persons with advanced HIV.

Indexed as

Community Health ServicesHealth FacilitiesHIV InfectionsHIV TestingMass ScreeningAdultFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedRural PopulationUgandaYoung AdultAdvanced HIV diseaseHIV testing serviceInstrumental variable analysisLate HIV diagnosisUganda

Identifiers

PMID41469583
PMCPMC12860039

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.