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Abstract Background HIV testing is the entry point into the HIV care continuum and critical for HIV epidemic control. Facility-based HIV testing services (HTS) reach individuals who are already seeking clinical care and engaging with the medical care system. For this reason, individuals diagnosed with HIV during facility-based HIV testing are more likely to continue into HIV care. To increase the number of PLHIV who are diagnosed and initiated on ART, in 2015, the South African Department of Health instituted Provider-Initiated Counselling and Testing (PICT) policy—encouraging healthcare providers to recommend HIV testing, but this strategy remains under-utilized. We aimed to identify key constraints to the normalization of PICT implementation in 10 Ekurhuleni District healthcare facilities in South Africa. Methods In-depth interviews were conducted with 40 healthcare workers (28 clinicians and 12 lay counsellors). Health care workers were purposefully selected to participate in the interviews, stratified by health facility and work category. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and translated for analysis. Thematic analysis was guided by the normalization process theory (NPT). NPT theory explains how practices are routinely embedded within organizational contexts. We used NVivo 10 software for qualitative data management. Results Both clinicians and lay counsellors exhibited a clear understanding of the PICT policy— acknowledging its purpose and value. The identified barrier to normalization of PICT among clinicians was offering HIV testing based on suspicion of HIV despite understanding that PICT involves offering testing to all clients. Additionally, clinicians perceived PICT as incongruent with their clinical roles and perceived it to be lay counsellors’ responsibility. The main facilitator was the participation of all healthcare workers, specifically the presence of lay counsellors, although they also faced barriers such as a lack of workspace and under-appreciation. Conclusions Use of NPT helped identify barriers that prevent the normalization of PITC and its integration into routine patient care. These barriers can be modified by low-cost interventions that promote congruence of PICT to the roles of clinicians and integrate the role of lay counsellors within the patient flow in the facility.

Female sex workers (FSW) are highly mobile, which may result in reduced access to and use of health services and increased risk for poor health outcomes, particularly for those living with HIV. Mobility includes spatial, temporal, and social elements that are not fully captured by quantitative measures. We conducted two rounds of in-depth interviews with FSW living with HIV in Iringa, Tanzania (n = 20), and Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic (n = 20), to describe mobility experiences and compare mobility narratives across settings. We integrated a thematic analysis of all interviews with a narrative analysis of a subset of 10 information-rich interviews (five in each country) with women who had recently traveled, for sex work or another reason, outside of their hometown. Across narratives, FSW living with HIV traveled locally or to seasonal destinations, for short and long periods. Social factors influencing mobility included economic drivers; risk of arrest, harassment, or violence; anonymity and/or familiarity; social relationships; and clients' mobility. Spatial, temporal, and social factors intersected in unique ways in FSW's mobility experiences, yet distinct mobility typologies were evident across settings and destinations. Together, mobility narratives of FSW living with HIV can inform quantitative research on mobility typologies in Tanzania, the Dominican Republic, and elsewhere. With the potential for economic circumstances, climate change, and other emergencies to increase people's mobility around the world, researchers and practitioners can learn from the lived experiences of FSW to inform whether and how to tailor and improve the accessibility of HIV care and treatment interventions based on spatial, temporal, and social characteristics of mobility.

Researchers are increasingly recognizing the importance of studying and addressing intersectional stigma within the field of HIV. Yet, researchers have, arguably, struggled to operationalize intersectional stigma. To ensure that future research and methodological innovation is guided by frameworks from which this area of inquiry has arisen, we propose a series of core elements for future HIV-related intersectional stigma research. These core elements include multidimensional, multilevel, multidirectional, and action-oriented methods that sharpen focus on, and aim to transform, interlocking and reinforcing systems of oppression. We further identify opportunities for advancing HIV-related intersectional stigma research, including reducing barriers to and strengthening investments in resources, building capacity to engage in research and implementation of interventions, and creating meaningful pathways for HIV-related intersectional stigma research to produce structural change. Ultimately, the expected payoff for incorporating these core elements is a body of HIV-related intersectional stigma research that is both better aligned with the transformative potential of intersectionality and better positioned to achieve the goals of Ending the HIV Epidemic in the United States and globally. ( Am J Public Health . 2022;112(S4):S413-S419. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2021.306710).