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Table 3 Key populations WP

From: Describing, analysing and understanding the effects of the introduction of HIV self-testing in West Africa through the ATLAS programme in Côte d’Ivoire, Mali and Senegal

Sub-study

Aims

Population

Methods

Themes explored

Sub-study 1:

Factors related to the introduction of HIVST in the health care system

To assess the perception of HIVST as a factor favouring and limiting the deployment of HIVST among key populations.

Public health stakeholders, association and representatives of key populations

15–20 in-depth interviews will be conducted in each country.

Difficulties, opportunities and obstacles to the introduction of HIVST and its support system in the country’s associative and health system;

Difficulties and obstacles related to secondary distribution;

Difficulties and obstacles specific to each population;

Perceptions of the support system (advice, green line, tools); Recommended adjustments for key populations.

Sub-study 2: Collective attitudes and perceptions of HIVST

To analyse perceptions, motivations and barriers to use HIVST among key populations

Members of the three key population communities (FSW, MSM, PWuID), whether or not they have used HIVST, identified by peer educators from ATLAS partner community associations

3 focus group discussions (FGDs) will be conducted with members of each key population in each country (i.e., 9 FGDs in Côte d’Ivoire, 6 FGDs in Mali and 9 FGDs in Senegal, i.e., 24 FGDs in total).

Each group will be composed of 8 to 10 members of the key population under consideration.

Perceptions of HIVST (information circulating about HIVST in the community, opinions on the advantages/disadvantages of HIVST compared to routine testing, advantages/risks of introducing HIVST in each community);

Motivations and barriers for HIVST (self-confidence to carry out the test, testing and testing offer practices, conditions under which HIVST can be accepted/refused, facilitating and limiting factors for the practice of confirmatory testing);

Motivations and barriers to secondary distribution;

Suggestions for promoting the practice of HIVST for each key population and in each country.

Sub-study 3: Experience of HIVST

To analyse the use of HIVST, the social experience of HIVST users and linkage to care

HIVST users:

• identified by peer educators from the community partners of the ATLAS programme (primary distribution)

• identified via coupon survey (secondary distribution)

5 in-depth face-to-face interviews will be conducted per key population in each country.

5 additional interviews will be conducted by phone with people recruited through the Coupons survey, who have declared that they have had a reactive self-test and have agreed to be recontacted for an additional qualitative interview during phase 2 of the Coupons survey in each country.

Recourse to HIVST (motivations, circumstances: primary or secondary distribution, perceptions of the process, screening itineraries before HIVST, satisfaction);

Social experience (social context of implementation, relations with the applicant, violence or coercion suffered/exercised on the partner/girlfriend, stigmatisation, abuse, changes in terms of prevention strategies and social relations);

Difficulties and satisfaction (access to HIVST, implementation, suggestions).

Sub-study 4: Appropriation and integration of HIVST

To explore the level of ownership of HIVST by key populations and key stakeholders and to analyse the integration into the health care system after at least 2 years of implementation of the ATLAS programme

Public health stakeholders, association and representatives of key populations

15–20 interviews will be conducted with the same type of stakeholders as those surveyed in sub-study 1 in each country

Perceptions and attitudes at the end of the intervention (sub-themes similar to survey 1);

Integration of the system and impact on the healthcare system;

Challenges of providing HIVST to key populations (compared to the general population).