Adaption and pilot testing of a lay HIV supporter program for traditional healers: a mixed methods study in rural Uganda.

BACKGROUND: Half of people living with HIV (PLWH) in sub-Saharan Africa default from care within two years. In Uganda, and across sub-Saharan Africa, traditional healers (TH) are ubiquitous and often serve as the first line of health care. We hypothesized that with lay support training, TH could support relinkage to HIV care and ART adherence among rural Ugandan PLWH who have defaulted from HIV care. METHODS: Following the ADAPT-ITT framework, we adapted an evidence-based layperson HIV support program from South Africa for delivery by Ugandan TH. The ADAPT-ITT framework consists of (1) Assessment of needs; (2) Deciding which evidence-based interventions to adapt; (3) Adaptation of interventions; (4) Production of drafted adapted interventions; (5) Topical expert feedback; (6) Integration of expert feedback; (7) Training personnel; and (8) Testing the adapted intervention. The Testing phase was completed via a pilot mixed methods prospective cohort study. The study population included 12 TH practicing in Mbarara Township and 20 adult PLWH with suboptimal ART adherence (CASE adherence index score < 10) who received care from a participating TH and who resided in Mbarara Township. Primary outcome was re-linkage to HIV care within 14 days. Secondary outcomes were ART re-initiation, ART adherence, retention in care after 9 months, and implementation measures. Qualitative interviews were conducted with all participants. RESULTS: Data from the Assessment phase indicated that logistical challenges played an important role in disengagement from care among PLWH who receive care from TH, notably geographical distance to clinics and transportation costs. Additionally, HIV-related stigma and lack of social support were identified as barriers to entering and remaining in HIV care. Two core elements of the intervention were identified during the Production phase: (1) TH facilitating rapid re-linkage to HIV care and (2) TH provision of psychosocial support. In the pilot study phase, baseline median CASE adherence score was 3; only 5% of PLWH were adherent to ART via 4-day recall. The TH-delivered support achieved 100% linkage and ART initiation within 14 days, 95% ART adherence, and 100% of PLWH were retained in HIV care after 9 months. CONCLUSIONS: The ADAPT-ITT framework successfully guided the adaption of a community health worker-delivered intervention for delivery by TH. TH successfully facilitated re-linkage to HIV care, support ART adherence, and retention in care for PLWH when trained as part of a lay support person program. Future studies are needed to evaluate scale-up and long-term impact.

Understanding traditional healer utilisation for hypertension care using the Andersen model: A qualitative study in Mwanza, Tanzania.

ABSTRACTHypertension disproportionately affects people living in African countries, where there are many challenges to appropriate diagnosis and treatment, and many people with hypertension utilise traditional healers as their primary source of healthcare. In this study, we sought to understand factors driving healer utilisation among people with hypertension. We conducted 52 semi-structured interviews with traditional healers, patients and healthcare providers in the Mwanza region of Tanzania. We used the Andersen model of healthcare utilisation to organise our findings on factors driving utilisation of traditional healers for hypertension care. Traditional healers routinely provide care to hypertensive patients and are a critical component of the healthcare landscape. However, healers also operate independently of the biomedical healthcare system, and biomedical providers may hold negative perceptions of healers. Further, healers were described as preferential by patients due to the convenient locations of their practices and perceived improvement of hypertension symptoms with traditional treatment. Finally, healers expressed a desire for more formal collaboration with biomedicine to improve patient care. Our findings may guide future interventions in Tanzanian communities and elsewhere where traditional healers may act as partners to allopathic providers and patients in the continuum of hypertension care.

Linear brain atrophy measures in multiple sclerosis and clinically isolated syndromes: a 30-year follow-up.

OBJECTIVE: To determine 30-year brain atrophy rates following clinically isolated syndromes and the relationship of atrophy in the first 5 years and clinical outcomes 25 years later. METHODS: A cohort of 132 people who presented with a clinically isolated syndrome suggestive of multiple sclerosis (MS) were recruited between 1984-1987. Clinical and MRI data were collected prospectively over 30 years. Widths of the third ventricle and the medulla oblongata were used as linear atrophy measures. RESULTS: At 30 years, 27 participants remained classified as having had a clinically isolated syndrome, 34 converted to relapsing remitting MS, 26 to secondary progressive MS and 16 had died due to MS. The mean age at baseline was 31.7 years (SD 7.5) and the mean disease duration was 30.8 years (SD 0.9). Change in medullary and third ventricular width within the first 5 years, allowing for white matter lesion accrual and Expanded Disability Status Scale increases over the same period, predicted clinical outcome measures at 30 years. 1 mm of medullary atrophy within the first 5 years increased the risk for secondary progressive MS or MS related death by 30 years by 583% (OR 5.83, 95% CI 1.74 to 19.61, p<0.005), using logistic regression. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings show that brain regional atrophy within 5 years of a clinically isolated syndrome predicts progressive MS or a related death, and disability 25 years later.