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NCT07074899Completed

Evaluation of a Multi-Component Intervention to Support HIV Testing and Linkage to Services Among MSM in Peru

Development and Evaluation of a Multi-Component Intervention to Support HIV Testing and Linkage to Services Among Men Who Have Sex With Men (MSM) in Perú ("PROJECT MERCURY")

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Last updated 16 Jun 2026

Brief summary (registry, in English)

This study is testing a new program designed to improve access to HIV testing and help connect people with available treatment or prevention services, based on their test result. The version of the program being tested in this study was designed for men who have sex with men (MSM) in Lima, Peru. The program has two main parts: 1) offering HIV testing at venues where people go for sex (called "sex-on-premises venues" or SOPVs), and 2) a text messaging app that shares useful information about HIV treatment/prevention; users can also message back to get support from a healthcare worker. Before doing this study, the researchers worked with community members and healthcare providers in the area to make sure that the HIV testing approach and mobile app were designed in a way that would be engaging and meet their needs. Every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night during recruitment, the researchers will go to SOPVs popular among the MSM community in Lima and invite people to take an HIV test. On each recruitment date, they will offer one of the following HIV testing options: 1. A rapid HIV test done on-site (participants will get their result right away) 2. An HIV self-testing kit to take home 3. A coupon for a free HIV test at a participating health center 4. Their choice of any one of the previous three options Only one of these options will be offered at a time, depending on the date. The specific HIV testing option offered on each date will be randomly assigned. All participants will receive the mobile app, which will send weekly messages with links to different types of online content (infographics, maps, videos) over the next 3 months. The specific sequence of messages and content will be different depending on the type of HIV test the person received and their HIV test result, once it is known. The study will measure two main outcomes related to the acceptability and feasibility of the program: * The number and percentage of people who accept the program when offered * The number and percentage of participants who continue to engage with the mobile app after 3 months The study will also measure: * overall satisfaction with the app (based on a questionnaire sent at 3 months) * the number and percentage of participants who completed any form of HIV testing after 3 months * the number and percentage of participants who started HIV treatment (out of those with a positive HIV test) * the number and percentage of participants who started HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis, or "PrEP" (out of those with a negative HIV test) All follow-up will be done remotely. Participants will have the app for 3 months. After 3 months, they will get a follow-up questionnaire asking about their experiences with the program. The researchers will keep tracking results related to the HIV treatment/prevention services that people receive for up to 6 months.

Status (registry)
Completed
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
161 (actual)
First submitted
11 Jul 2025
Start date
12 Jun 2025
Primary completion date
13 Dec 2025
Lead sponsor
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center
Diseases
HIV
NCT number
NCT07074899

What you commit to

  • Study type: Interventional
  • Participants enrolled: 161
  • From 12 Jun 2025 to the primary completion date, 13 Dec 2025
  • 2 sites in 1 country
  • Visits and tests: ask the trial team, the registry does not list them

Built from the registry fields of ClinicalTrials.gov. It describes the study, not your situation.

Who cannot take part

Copied verbatim from ClinicalTrials.gov and grouped by topic. Only the trial team decides who can take part.

Prior treatment

  • self-reports having a previous HIV diagnosis

Other illness

  • cognitively or psychologically unable to participate in HIV testing (e.g. visibly intoxicated or self-reports being intoxicated)

Other

  • unable to provide informed consent

Who the study is looking for

  • age ≥ 18 years
  • identifies as gay, bisexual, or other man who has sex with men (MSM)
  • attendance at the designated recruitment venue (SOPV) and is willing to receive the form HIV testing (i.e., intervention arm) offered on that recruitment date
  • has a mobile phone device and service capable of two-way SMS text messaging via the WelTel platform and is willing to send/receive text messages using their primary mobile phone number
  • able to read and write

Age in the registry: 18 years to - · Sex: Male · Accepts healthy volunteers

Full criteria on ClinicalTrials.gov

Sites (2)

Sites in registry order. Pick your city on the disease page to sort them by distance.

SiteCityCountrySite status
Via Libre
Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status
LimaPeruUnknown status
Epicentro
Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status
LimaPeruUnknown status

This page is information, not medical advice. Discuss any trial with your doctor.