Does peer-navigated linkage to care work? A cross-sectional study of active linkage to care within an integrated non-communicable disease-HIV testing centre for adults in Soweto, South Africa
Fig 2
Standard of care HTS and integrated NCD-HTS care and treatment cascades in Soweto, South Africa.
(A: Top Left) Standard of Care HTS Cascade with Passive Linkage to Care; (B: Top Right) Overall Integrated NCD-HTS Cascade; (C: Lower Left) Integrated NCD-HTS Cascade with Passive Linkage to Care; (D: Lower Right) Integrated NCD-HTS Cascade with Active Linkage to Care. Only HIV-infected clients who were not already initiated on ART were referred. Abnormal results for BP took the average of two readings, while clients were referred for two abnormal readings. One integrated NCD-HTS client with high cholesterol was not referred. Significantly more clients referred for ART and STIs were linked to care in NCD-HTS as compared to standard of care HTS (76.7%[n = 66/86] vs. 52.4%[n = 22/42], p = 0.0052; and 85.2%[n = 23/27] vs. 45.5%[n = 5/11], p = 0.0117; respectively). Significantly more Phase 2 clients chose passive referral over active referral (89.1% [n = 212/238] vs. 10.9% n = 26/238]; p<0.0001). Of the STI referrals, significantly more clients were linked to care passively as compared to actively (91.7% [n = 22/24] vs. 33.3% [n = 1/3]; p = 0.0073). Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs), Tuberculosis (TB), Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), Antiretroviral Therapy (ART).