WelTel Retain: Promoting Engagement in Pre-ART HIV Care Through SMS

• Patient retention in care [ Time Frame: 12 months ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  

• First ART eligibility assessment [ Time Frame: 3 months ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  Proportion of patients completing 1st eligibility assessment within 3 months
  
  
• Enrolment in HIV care and treatment program [ Time Frame: 2 months ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  Proportion of patients who complete counselling sessions (3) and are eligible to enrol in the HIV care and treatment program
  
  

Patient retention in care is critical to the success of programs funded by the President's Emergency Relief Plan for HIV/AIDS (PEPFAR). High levels of patient retention after first clinical contact contribute to the timely initiation of antiretroviral therapy (ART) and better health outcomes for patients. With the dramatic proliferation of cell phone use in Africa, telecommunications technology offers new opportunities to improve retention using a low-cost, culturally appropriate format. In Kenya (WelTel Kenya1), a weekly short message service (SMS) text message led to improved ART adherence and viral load suppression. This study, WelTel Retain, will evaluate the effect of WelTel on retaining pre-ART patients in care and determine the cost-effectiveness of the intervention. Specific objectives include: 1) determining if the WelTel SMS intervention improves patient retention in the first stage of HIV care; 2) determining whether the WelTel SMS intervention improves 12-month retention; and 3) evaluating the cost-effectiveness of the WelTel SMS intervention. We will fulfil these objectives by conducting a randomized controlled trial at the Kibera Community Health Centre in Nairobi, Kenya. Over one year, HIV positive individuals newly enrolling at the clinic will be recruited and randomly allocated to an intervention or control arm at a 1:1 ratio. Intervention arm participants will receive a weekly SMS 'check-in' to which they will be required to respond within 48 hours. An HIV clinician will follow-up and triage any problems that are identified. The control arm will receive standard of care. Patients will be followed for one year. The WelTel Retain study will contribute critical information on the effectiveness of an mHealth program to engage patients in care during the first year of HIV care. This research has the potential to demonstrate that the WelTel SMS intervention is an effective, feasible retention strategy, which can contribute significantly to the long-term success of PEPFAR-funded programs and towards a sustainable global HIV/AIDS response.