Testing and Linkage to HIV Care in China: a Cluster Randomized Trial

The high proportions of patients lost at each step along the continuum of HIV care result in suboptimal benefits of life-saving antiretroviral therapy (ART) in developing countries.  The goal of this study is to determine whether implementation of two structural interventions based on the Seek, Test, Treat and Retain strategy will increase the proportion of HIV-positive, treatment-eligible patients, who are identified and linked to ART and who achieve VL suppression, thereby reducing mortality.  The proposed study will examine the effects of two hospital-based structural interventions, one designed to ensure that HIV-positive individuals receive a confirmed HIV diagnosis and determination of treatment eligibility, and the other designed to ensure that treatment-eligible patients achieve VL suppression after initiating ART.