Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41652614›Full record

ArticleArchives of public health = Archives belges de sante publique2026

Linkage of HIV treatment and population-based surveillance records in rural South Africa: the AHRI Unified Data Platform (AUDP).

Dickman Gareta, Evelyn Lauren, Khumbo Shumba, Cornelius Nattey, Matthew P Fox, Koleka Mlisana, Matthias Egger, Dorina Onoya, Kobus Herbst, Jacob Bor

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In one paragraph

Article in Archives of public health = Archives belges de sante publique, 2026. 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. Trial
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

10 authors.

Dickman GaretaAfrica Health Research Institute, Somkhele campus, R618 enroute to Hlabisa, Mtubatuba, Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, 3935, South Africa. Dickman.Gareta@ahri.org.
Evelyn LaurenDepartment of Biostatistics, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
Khumbo ShumbaHealth Economics and Epidemiology Research Office, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Cornelius NatteyHealth Economics and Epidemiology Research Office, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Matthew P FoxHealth Economics and Epidemiology Research Office, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Koleka MlisanaSchool of Laboratory Medicine and Medical Sciences, University of KwaZulu Natal, Durban, South Africa.
Matthias EggerCentre for Infectious Disease Epidemiology and Research, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
Dorina OnoyaHealth Economics and Epidemiology Research Office, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Kobus HerbstAfrica Health Research Institute, Somkhele campus, R618 enroute to Hlabisa, Mtubatuba, Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, 3935, South Africa.
Jacob BorHealth Economics and Epidemiology Research Office, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.

Funding

NIH HHS R01 AI 152149-01A1
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundIntegrating HIV clinical records with population-based surveillance data allows the study of health care seeking behaviours, access to care, and predictors of patient outcomes. We implemented a graph-based record linkage algorithm to deduplicate and link HIV clinical and population-based surveillance records in an HIV-endemic setting in rural South Africa.

methodsWe linked four data sources to create the Africa Health Research Institute (AHRI) Unified Data Platform: AHRI's Health and Demographic Surveillance System (HDSS), AHRI Clinic and Hospital Information System (AHRILink), National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS), and Three Integrated Electronic Registers (TIER.Net) HIV care and treatment records. HDSS data were collected between January 1, 2000, and July 31, 2024, through repeated household surveys of over 140,000 individuals. Clinical and laboratory data were obtained for one hospital and 17 clinics in Hlabisa, KwaZulu-Natal, covering the HDSS surveillance area. We implemented a probabilistic record linkage algorithm trained and validated on a subset of records with national identity numbers. We assessed linkage accuracy, computed descriptive statistics for the linked database, and estimated the HIV care cascade for this population.

resultsA total of 986,832 records were successfully linked across the four databases, achieving a sensitivity of 92.7% and a positive predictive value of 96.5% (F-score=0.95). The average number of records (standard deviation (SD)) in TIER.Net, HDSS, AHRILink and NHLS were 1.18 (0.44),1.05 (0.23),1.13 (0.40), and 5.21 (4.24), respectively. The linked data indicated that 12,293 HDSS resident adults (≥15 years) were living with HIV at some point during the 2022 and 2024 surveillance rounds. Of these, 10,622 (86.4%) had ever sought HIV care in the public sector, of whom 10,492 (98.8%) had ever started ART and 7,065 (66.5%) were currently on ART, of whom 6,301 (89.2%) were virally suppressed(viral load<200 copies/mL).

conclusionHIV care and population surveillance records from four data sources were deduplicated and linked with high accuracy, revealing persistent gaps in retention in care and viral suppression in an HIV-endemic region in rural South Africa. The AHRI Unified Data Platform offers the potential to deepen our understanding of HIV epidemiology in a well-described population and to improve services for HIV.

trial registrationNot applicable.

Indexed as

HIV care cascadeHIV epidemiologyHIV treatment outcomesProbabilistic record linkageSouth africa

Identifiers

PMID41652614
PMCPMC12977758

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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.