An observational study in HIV and Antiretroviral Therapy, sponsored by Boston University. Completed at 1 site in South Africa. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2024-12-27.
Sponsored by Boston University · Observational
In its 2017 revision of the global guidelines for HIV care and treatment, the World Health Organization called for rapid or same-day initiation of antiretroviral treatment (ART) for eligible patients testing positive for HIV. The South African National Department of Health adopted this recommendation in October 2017. Neither organization provided detailed guidance, however, on how to implement the recommendation.
In sub-Saharan Africa, where most HIV patients are located, studies continue to document high losses of treatment-eligible patients from care before they receive their first dose of antiretroviral medications (ARVs). Among facility-level reasons for these losses are treatment initiation protocols that require multiple clinic visits and long waiting times before a patient who tests positive for HIV is dispensed an initial supply of medications. There is very little published evidence on the practical details of the process and the extent to which it varies by facility, setting, or country. Without a robust baseline evidence base, it is challenging to identify opportunities for making improvements. The SPRINT (Survey of Procedures and Resources for Initiating Treatment of HIV in Africa) study will begin to develop this evidence base. SPRINT will combine a facility-level description of the standard of care with a retrospective record review of patients who recently initiated ART at the study sites. Data will be collected from 12 clinics across 3 provinces in South Africa (KwaZuluNatal Province, Gauteng Province, and Limpopo Province). The survey will elicit detailed information about current procedures through structured interviews with clinic staff. The record review for a retrospective cohort of patients eligible for ART will estimate actual numbers of clinic visits, services provided, and duration of the steps for treatment initiation from start to finish. SPRINT is expected to identify differences in approaches to treatment initiation and potential opportunities for improvement.
Boston University is the lead sponsor of 266 studies on the registry; 37 are open to participants now.
Of its 30 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 24 (80%) have results posted.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
Patients who became eligible for ART at a study facility between 1 January 2018 and 31 December 2018.
Exclusion Criteria:
Other: Routine medical record data collection
Other: Interviews with service providers
The study will collect routine medical record data from the electronic medical record system, other electronic databases, and paper charts.
Clinicians and lay staff will be interviewed regarding the ART initiation process.
Average numbers of visits required to start ART
Number of health system interactions required between HIV diagnosis and first dispensing of ARVs
Time frame: Up to 6 months after treatment eligibility determined
Time to ART initiation
Average number of days required between HIV diagnosis and first dispensing
Time frame: Up to 6 months after treatment eligibility determined
Plan to share: No
This study is completed, as verified in Dec 2024. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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