Introduction: Modern antiretroviral therapy is associated with reduced rates of HIV-related morbidity and mortality. HIV viral suppression and retention in care are critically important outcomes requiring successful continuous patient engagement. However, barriers to such engagement are complex and require innovative solutions.
Areas covered: A multistakeholder group of experts comprising clinicians and service delivery researchers assembled to clarify what constitutes engagement in HIV care and identify overarching themes that inform strategies in this field. This article captures this expert opinion and adds relevant literature on selected current best practices.
Expert opinion: The multistakeholder group felt strongly that a better understanding of the facilitators of continuous care engagement was critical. Unlike 'retention in care,' 'engagement in care' for an individual is nuanced, flexible, evolves and requires ongoing communication between patients, providers, and other key stakeholders. The following approaches highlight care engagement strategies at different stakeholder levels: 1) patient-level: personalized care and incentivization; 2) clinic-level: wraparound, co-localized, patient-centered low-barrier care, a diverse multidisciplinary team, patient support networks, and expanded use of telemedicine; 3) healthcare system-level: utilization of external partnerships. We propose a series of diverse and complementary approaches based on a more nuanced understanding of the qualitative aspects of engagement in care.
Keywords: Antiretroviral therapy; HIV; engagement in care; patient-centered; viral suppression.