HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) — Pre-ART Retention in Care in Tanzania
Citation(s)
Fox MP, Rosen S Patient retention in antiretroviral therapy programs up to three years on treatment in sub-Saharan Africa, 2007-2009: systematic review. Trop Med Int Health. 2010 Jun;15 Suppl 1:1-15. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-3156.2010.02508.x. Review.
Rosen S, Fox MP, Gill CJ Patient retention in antiretroviral therapy programs in sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review. PLoS Med. 2007 Oct 16;4(10):e298. Review.
WHO (2009) Rapid advice: antiretroviral therapy for HIV infection in adults and adolescents - November 2009. Geneva, World Health Organization.
WHO (2009) Towards Universal Access: Scaling up priority HIV/AIDS Interventions in the Health Sector: Progress report 2009. Geneva, WHO.
Retention and Engagement in Care of Patients Prior to ART Initiation in the Kagera Region of Tanzania
Interventional studies are often prospective and are specifically tailored to evaluate direct impacts of treatment or preventive measures on disease.
Observational studies are often retrospective and are used to assess potential causation in exposure-outcome relationships and therefore influence preventive methods.
Expanded access is a means by which manufacturers make investigational new drugs available, under certain circumstances, to treat a patient(s) with a serious disease or condition who cannot participate in a controlled clinical trial.
Clinical trials are conducted in a series of steps, called phases - each phase is designed to answer a separate research question.
Phase 1: Researchers test a new drug or treatment in a small group of people for the first time to evaluate its safety, determine a safe dosage range, and identify side effects.
Phase 2: The drug or treatment is given to a larger group of people to see if it is effective and to further evaluate its safety.
Phase 3: The drug or treatment is given to large groups of people to confirm its effectiveness, monitor side effects, compare it to commonly used treatments, and collect information that will allow the drug or treatment to be used safely.
Phase 4: Studies are done after the drug or treatment has been marketed to gather information on the drug's effect in various populations and any side effects associated with long-term use.
