Positive Deviance to Improve Retention in HIV Care HIV Care in South Africa

The goal of this pilot trial is to test the effectiveness of a newly developed multicomponent clinic-level intervention for improving retention in HIV care among people living with HIV in South Africa. The intervention was developed based on intensive study of clinics with high retention rates. The main question this study aims to answer is: Does the intervention improve retention in HIV care for people with HIV (PWH)? The intervention, called "Connect," consists of several strategies within three domains, as follows: Domain 1: Engage, Encourage, Support Staff Strategy 1a: Monthly staff huddle with staff recognition activities and compassion-focused rounds Strategy 1b: Compassion training Domain 2: Create a welcome physical environment Strategy 2a: Aesthetic improvements toward a warm, welcoming environment Domain 3: Expedite and augment workflow practices Strategy 3a: Pre-pull patient folders; hold folders for immediate tracking; map patients to identify locations Strategy 3b: Integrate welcome-back services for those who miss follow-up appointments HIV staff at three clinics with below-average retention rates who consent to participate will take part in intervention activities. Results will be compared to those of all other lower-retention clinics within the same health system.