Title:Syphilis self-testing to expand test uptake among men who have sex with men (MSM): A pilot study in Zimbabwe
Aims:
- To determine the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a community-based syphilis self-testing intervention (comprising a self-test kit with simplified pictorial guidance) to increase syphilis diagnosis and treatment among MSM (primary outcomes)
- To establish the effectiveness of the intervention to improve sexual behaviors, social outcomes, self-testing usability, and HIV test uptake (secondary outcomes).
Design: Single Blind Prospective Pilot Study and the goal was to collect initial data on the feasibility of implementing Syphilis self-testing to inform the design of a large scale-RCT of this approach. This was conducted in two stages.
Stage1: Formative work which assessed the surveys on the experience of self-testing amongst MSM and FSW on Zimbabwe. The survey instrument was used to gather which informed the data collection tools which were used in the RCT.
Stage 2: This was the pilot study. 100 MSM and 60 FSW in Harare were recruited to join the pilot program. This setting was an active MSM and FSW community that had been successfully engaged in previous HIV self-testing research. Prior to initiating this study, the local research team attended a training to review the full study protocol, qualitative data collection methods and best practices, data management, and analysis methods required for the research.
Study Sites: selected communities around Zimbabwe
Study Duration: six months
Overall Objectives:
- Pilot a comprehensive HIV/syphilis self-testing intervention among 100 MSM over a period of six months
- Measure acceptability and feasibility of using syphilis self-testing kits
- Determine optimal methods for distributing self-test kits
- Identify clinical sites in the city for the facility- testing and linkage to care
- Estimate the sample size for a future trial
- Estimate the cost of intervention delivery and inform our future trial
Study Population: One hundred MSM and sixty FSW recruited in Zimbabwe
Study Outcome: Proportion of individuals who undertake a syphilis test and link appropriately to care.