Immediate and early engagement of same-day antiretroviral therapy initiation among newly diagnosed people living with HIV in urban Zambia: a retrospective cohort study

Abstract

Introduction: as Zambia moves towards attaining human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) epidemic control, it is clear significant efforts are required to facilitate achievement of UNAIDS treatment targets by 2030. To accelerate progress towards global target of 95% of people living with HIV (PLHIV) knowing their status, country is promoting community-based HIV testing and same-day antiretroviral therapy (ART) initiation. However, there are uncertainties of how this strategy affects immediate and early engagement in program settings. To address this research gap, we analysed a programme data of PLHIV newly diagnosed and initiated on ART in community and health facility settings. Study objectives were to estimate the proportion of immediate engagement, to estimate early engagement among newly diagnosed PLHIV and, to examine factors independently associated with immediate and early engagement in care among newly diagnosed PLHIV offered same-day ART initiation.