This project will provide evidence to scale a connected multiplexed strategy that screens for multiple co-infections with point-of-care tests, facilitated by an app. It will be operationalized at the point of clinical care by health care professionals.
An estimated 300 million people worldwide are living with undiagnosed HIV and related co-infections. Lack of awareness, rampant social stigma, and discrimination impedes early screening, resulting in disease progression and serious reproductive issues in both men and women. Available screening methods take up time and money, usually entailing multiple visits which discourage individuals in rural communities from seeking help. This project, the AideSmart! app based rapid point-of-care multiplexed co-infection screening strategy, attempts to simplify this process by:
- Integrating any rapid point-of-care screening device for STIs
- Engaging and counselling patients
- Communicating test results
- Geotracking and rapidly linking participants to the nearest provider or facility.
This project has been pilot tested for feasibility in 510 rural Indian women.
RESEARCH TEAM
Dr. Nitika Pant Pai, McGill University, Canada
Dr. Suma Nair, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, India
