A Multidisciplinary "Integrated Management Team to Improve Maternal-Child Outcomes (IMPROVE)" Intervention to Improve Maternal and Child Outcomes and HIV Service and Antiretroviral Therapy Uptake and Retention in Lesotho

This study aims to improve maternal and child health (MCH) outcomes by implementing and evaluating a multidisciplinary "Integrated Management Team to Improve Maternal-Child Outcomes (IMPROVE)" intervention to increase MCH, antiretroviral therapy (ART), and HIV services uptake and retention in Lesotho. The proposed intervention will focus efforts to improve the effectiveness of existing village health workers (VHW) and HIV support organizations (Lesotho Network of AIDS Service Organizations [LENASO] and Mothers2Mothers [M2M]) based at the facility and coordination between the facility and community. The IMPROVE intervention includes: (1) Multidisciplinary integrated management teams to coordinate patient-focused and outcome-oriented PMTCT and MCH services; (2) Enhanced Positive Health, Dignity, and Prevention (PHDP)-focused counseling and skills-building training and job aids; and (3) Increased early community-based counseling and support for first (antenatal care clinic) ANC attendees with particular attention to HIV-positive women to minimize loss to follow-up.

The study will be a cluster randomized design with facilities randomized to receive the IMPROVE intervention or routine services offering the national standard of care. A cohort of HIV-positive and HIV-negative pregnant women will be enrolled and prospectively followed every three months through pregnancy and until the participant's child reaches 24 months of age. The primary HIV objectives will be to evaluate the effect of the intervention on retention in HIV care, viral suppression, adherence to ART in HIV-positive women, and HIV retesting in HIV-negative women. The investigators will also assess the effect of the IMPROVE intervention on general MCH indices including antenatal care (ANC) attendance, facility delivery, family planning, and immunization coverage. Secondary objectives include evaluation of adherence self-efficacy (HIV positive) or prevention self-efficacy (HIV negative), depression and stigma as well as disclosure, knowledge of partner status, and identification of discordant couples in intervention versus control facilities. Analysis of the cost-effectiveness of the IMPROVE intervention will also be conducted. In addition, qualitative interviews and focus group discussions will be conducted with study women, health care workers (HCW), LENASO, and VHWs to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of integrating this intervention into routine care.