Testing and Linkage to HIV Care in China (CTN 0056)

The study consists of a cluster randomized trial (CRT) at county hospitals in Guangxi, China to assess the effectiveness of a structural intervention: a new testing algorithm, consisting of rapid point-of-care (POC) HIV and CD4 testing, with viral load (VL) testing in parallel, designed to ensure completeness of diagnostic assessment and accelerate time to ART initiation for patients deemed ART eligible (hereafter called the One4all Test Intervention).

This CRT will be conducted in 12 county general hospitals with an estimated average of 30 participants per hospital, totaling an estimated 360 participants. The unit of randomization is the hospital. Hospitals will be randomized to 1) theOne4all Test Intervention, or 2) the control condition, consisting of the current standard of care (SOC). The efficacy of the intervention will be evaluated at 1, 3, and 12 month follow-up assessments, and the differential efficacy for drug users (DUs) and non-drug users will be examined.

The study population will consist of adult participants who screen positive on an initial HIV enzyme immunoassay (EIA) in the 12 study hospitals. Since the study will be conducted in China, the vast majority of participants will be of Chinese or Asian descent. Women will be included and are expected to represent approximately 26% of the study population.

Eligibility Criteria:

Site Eligibility Criteria: The location of our study is Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (Guangxi). We will select county-level general hospitals in order to ensure sufficient caseload at each hospital and homogeneity across hospitals. Guangxi counties usually have one general hospital (a limited number of counties have two or more general hospitals); this hospital has been designated as the only setting for delivering ART services in the respective county.

Study hospitals (n=12) will be selected based on the number of reported HIV positive screenings in the first 6 months of the previous year (2012) and on homogeneity in testing procedures between hospitals. Selected hospitals will have reported at least 30 patients who screened positive during the period of January to June 2012. Should more than 12 hospitals be identified the lowest screen positive hospital will not be considered for participation.

Participant Eligibility Criteria: Inclusion criteria will be 1) age 18 or older, 2) seeking care in study hospitals, 3) local residency or intent to live in study area for at least 90 days, and 4) received HIV positive results on the initial screening test. Any patient who does not meet these inclusion criteria will be excluded from the study. Additionally, patients who are pregnant or who have previously received confirmation of HIV infection in other care settings (e.g. CDC clinic, infectious disease hospital, sub-county-level hospital) are not eligible to participate. Any patient who is a prisoner or detainee at the time of initial screening will be excluded from the study. In the event that a participant is enrolled at a study hospital and subsequently incarcerated, data will be collected.