Bakari Salim, Whitney Biegon, Dennis Munyoro, Hassan Shukri, Bernard Caitlin, Kaguiri Eunice, Maju Mehar, Apondi Edith, Were Edwin, Patel Rena C
Department of Pediatrics Research Programs, Academic Model Providing Access to Healthcare (AMPATH), Eldoret, Kenya.
Department of Medicine, Division of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
J Int Assoc Provid AIDS Care. 2025 Jan-Dec;24:23259582241303579. doi: 10.1177/23259582241303579.
Long-acting antiretroviral treatment (LA ART) is a forthcoming option for adolescents and young people living with HIV (AYPLHIV), but perspectives on using peer mentors to implement LA ART for AYPLHIV are unknown. We conducted seven focus group discussions ( = 58 participants) from November 2021 to April 2022 in Kenya with four stakeholder groups, including AYPLHIV, healthcare providers, advocates, and policymakers. We used inductive coding and thematic analysis. Our stakeholders articulated peer mentors are crucial in the implementation of LA ART for AYPLHIV in leading communication, facilitating referrals, and providing empathy from lived experiences. Additionally, they can serve as early adopters, help navigate service points, and provide messaging on the benefits and drawbacks of LA ART. They emphasized the necessity of training peer mentors for the LA ART scale-up. Peer mentors are essential for linkage and referring of AYPLHIV to LA ART, and peer mentors' involvement should be integrated into a national implementation plan.
长效抗逆转录病毒治疗（LA ART）是即将为感染艾滋病毒的青少年和年轻人（AYPLHIV）提供的一种选择，但对于利用同伴辅导员为AYPLHIV实施LA ART的看法尚不清楚。2021年11月至2022年4月，我们在肯尼亚与包括AYPLHIV、医疗保健提供者、倡导者和政策制定者在内的四个利益相关者群体进行了七次焦点小组讨论（58名参与者）。我们采用归纳编码和主题分析。我们的利益相关者明确表示，同伴辅导员在为AYPLHIV实施LA ART过程中至关重要，可引领沟通、促进转诊并凭借生活经历给予同理心。此外，他们可以成为早期采用者，帮助指引服务点，并就LA ART的利弊提供信息。他们强调了为扩大LA ART规模培训同伴辅导员的必要性。同伴辅导员对于将AYPLHIV与LA ART联系起来并进行转诊至关重要，同伴辅导员的参与应纳入国家实施计划。
