Enhanced Adherence Counselling, Pre-Post Study

Viral suppression among children and adolescents in Kenya is currently sub-optimal at 60% and 63% respectively. Under the current Kenya Ministry of Health Guidelines, clients with viral load of \>1000 copies/ml, should receive a minimum of three enhanced adherence counselling (EAC) sessions offered every two weeks and have a repeat viral load conducted 3 months after EAC completion. However, delivery of the EAC is not standardized and there is limited data available to evaluate the effectiveness of the three counselling sessions. Observational data from Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation (EGPAF)-supported sites in Homa Bay and Turkana counties indicate that among children and adolescents with a viral load \> 1000 copies/ml, approximately 40% received the recommended three minimum EAC sessions and, after receiving EAC sessions, viral suppression was 33% in children aged below 9 years, 27% in adolescents aged between 10-14 years, 38% in adolescents aged 15 to 19 years and 53% in adults. The investigators propose to evaluate the implementation, effectiveness and acceptability of a standardized EAC package implemented at EGPAF-supported sites. Methods: The investigators will use mixed methods to evaluate specific clinical outcomes (viral suppression) adherence, retention) among children and adolescents who receive the EAC package after suspected treatment failure, and if applicable, after switch to second and third line. The investigators will use a pre/post intervention assessment to evaluate the effectiveness of the EAC package, and qualitative methods (in-depth individual interviews (IDI) and focus group discussions (FGD)) to identify facilitators and barriers to accessing EAC. A process evaluation will be conducted to determine whether the standardized EAC package has been implemented as intended across sites. The study population is defined as children aged 0-19 years receiving Antiretroviral therapy (ART) in selected EGPAF supported sites. Policy Signifi