Interventions to Improve Linkage to HIV Care in the Era of "Treat All" in Sub-Saharan Africa: a Systematic Review

Purpose of the ReviewIn 2015, antiretroviral therapy (ART) was recommended for all people living with HIV (PLHIV) regardless of CD4 count (Treat All). To better understand how to improve linkage to care under these new guidelines, we conducted a systematic review of studies evaluating linkage interventions in Sub-Saharan Africa under Treat All.Recent FindingsWe identified 14 eligible articles and qualitatively analyzed the effectiveness of the interventions. Increases in linkage were reported by supply-side and counseling interventions. Mobile testing and economic incentives did not increase linkage.SummaryGiven the lag time between adoption and implementation, only two of the studies were conducted in a Treat All setting. None of the interventions specifically focused on re-linking PLHIV who had disengaged from care. Future studies must design interventions that target not only newly diagnosed or treatment naive PLHIV, but should explicitly focus on PLHIV who have disengaged from care.