Helping people in Zambia return to HIV care and stay in it
Tests ways to bring back adults with HIV who missed care.
Plain-language title generated from the registry record
Registry title: Bwelela Easy Study
Key facts
- Where
- Lusaka, ZambiaSee the site
Where in Zambia
- Centre for Infectious Disease Research in Zambia (CIDRZ)Lusaka, ZambiaNo longer taking part
Questions to ask the study team
- How often do I need to come in, and for how long each time?
- Are travel costs paid?
- Can I keep my own doctor?
- What happens if I want to stop?
Trial details
- Who runs it
- Washington University School of Medicine
- Trial code
- NCT07900750
- Record updated
- 28 October 2026
- Original description
Treatment interruption in HIV care is one of the most enduring challenges to HIV programs globally and is associated with high rates of detectable virus in the blood and overall morbidity and mortality. Existing approaches to reengaging people living with HIV (PLH) have largely focused on return-to-care strategies but have not adequately addressed long-term retention after return. Effective strategies must integrate interventions that not only facilitate the return to care but also sustain engagement to prevent future lapses. Active follow-up of clients is a strategy that can promote both timely return to care and sustained long-term engagement.Read full original descriptionShow less
Sequential Strategies to Reach and Reengage Individuals After Lapses From HIV Care in Zambia (Bwelela Easy) Study
Treatment interruption in HIV care is one of the most enduring challenges to HIV programs globally and is associated with high rates of detectable virus in the blood and overall morbidity and mortality. Existing approaches to reengaging people living with HIV (PLH) have largely focused on return-to-care strategies but have not adequately addressed long-term retention after return. Effective strategies must integrate interventions that not only facilitate the return to care but also sustain engagement to prevent future lapses. Active follow-up of clients is a strategy that can promote both timely return to care and sustained long-term engagement.
The Bwelela Easy study seeks to identify person centered strategies using combinations of navigation and community-based medication delivery to both facilitate return to HIV care as well as sustain long-term reengagement post-return among individuals with treatment lapses in Zambia. The study is designed to randomly assign participants to different approaches at two different points, with the second assignment based on their earlier response. This is to compare different step-by-step combinations of approaches for improving return to care and staying in care after treatment interruptions for people living with HIV.
In the first stage (return) we will randomly assign individuals who are more than 30 days late for an appointment to routine phone outreach alone (control) versus Navigator+ Community Based medication groups. Among those who return to care, we will then re-randomly assign them in the second-stage (return and stay in care) to routine care and counseling (control), Navigator only, Navigator+ Community Based medication groups. This study advances a high priority research agenda to identify the most effective and efficient strategies for improving reengagement in care and will help maximize not only the public health impact of HIV programs but also advance strategies to improve care delivery for chronic diseases worldwide.
Inclusion: Adults living with HIV age≥18 years; Between 30 and 180 days late for a scheduled appointment at one of the study clinics based on EHR and clinic registers; Previously agreed to be contacted by the clinic for routine care purposes (e.g., track and trace).
Exclusion: Previously refused being contacted by the clinic for routine care purposes; Due for switch to second-line ART regimens due to two or more consecutive elevated viral loads; Individuals who have documented transfers or death in the EHR or clinic registers.