Expanded HIV Care in Opioid Substitution Treatment (EHOST) Trial

Simon Fraser University

Status: Completed

Conditions: HIV; Opioid Use Disorder

Treatments: Other: Expanded HIV care in Opioid Substitution Treatment

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT02440256

MOP313184

Details and patient eligibility

About

Opioid Substitution Treatment (OST) provides a critical opportunity for HIV testing and linkage to antiretroviral treatment. The EHOST study will evaluate a prescriber-focused intervention to increase HIV testing rates, and optimize antiretroviral treatment, re-engagement and retention outcomes among individuals engaged in OST. 46 OST sites in British Columbia will be randomly allocated into three clusters. Clusters will initiative the intervention at different time points, or steps, with every cluster receiving the intervention.

Full description

The public health response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic has turned its focus on means of optimizing health care delivery, and re-engineering delivery systems to maximize case identification, as well as access and sustained engagement in antiretroviral treatment. Opioid Substitution Treatment (OST) provides a critical opportunity for HIV testing and linkage to antiretroviral treatment. The EHOST study is a cluster-randomized, stepped-wedge trial to evaluate a prescriber-focused intervention to increase HIV testing rates, and optimize antiretroviral treatment re-engagement and retention outcomes among individuals engaged in OST. The study will encompass all drug treatment clinics currently admitting patients for the treatment of opioid dependence across the province of British Columbia, which are thought to treat 90% of the OST caseload. The trial will be executed over a 24-month period, with groups of clinics receiving the intervention in 6-month intervals. Evaluation of the effectiveness of the proposed intervention will be conducted entirely through existing data collection mechanisms, and focuses on three primary outcomes: (i) the HIV testing rate among those not known to be HIV positive; (ii) the rate of Highly Active Antiretroviral (HAART) initiation among those not on HAART; and (iii) the rate of HAART continuation among those on HAART. Despite the randomized delivery of the intervention, a difference-in-differences analytical framework will be applied to adjust for potential residual heterogeneity in patient case mix, volume, and quality of care across OST clinics. Facilitated by established collaborations between key stakeholders across the province, we hypothesize that the EHOST intervention will optimize HIV testing and care within this marginalized and hard-to-reach population.

Enrollment: 49 patients

Sex: All

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Drug treatment clinic currently admitting patients for the treatment of opioid dependence across the province of British Columbia

Exclusion criteria

• Private office-based setting

Trial design

Primary purpose: Health Services Research

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Crossover Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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49 participants in 3 patient groups

Cluster 1

Other group

Description:

Cluster 1 is the first OST cluster (with an estimated 15-16 OST sites) to receive the 'Expanded HIV care in Opioid Substitution Treatment' intervention, to be administered during the sixth month of the trial. Cluster 1 will be a 'no intervention' arm in the first 6 months of the study, and will cross-over to an experimental arm for months 6-24.

Treatment:

Other: Expanded HIV care in Opioid Substitution Treatment

Cluster 2

Other group

Description:

Cluster 2 is the second OST cluster (with an estimated 15-16 OST sites) to receive the 'Expanded HIV care in Opioid Substitution Treatment' intervention, to be administered during the twelfth month of the trial. Cluster 2 will be a 'no intervention' arm in the first 12 months of the study, and will cross-over to a experimental arm for month 12-24.

Treatment:

Other: Expanded HIV care in Opioid Substitution Treatment

Cluster 3

Other group

Description:

Cluster 3 is the final OST cluster (with an estimated 15-16 OST sites) to receive the 'Expanded HIV care in Opioid Substitution Treatment' intervention, to be administered during the 18th month of the trial. As such, Cluster 3 will be a 'no intervention' arm in the first 18 months of the study, and will cross-over to an experimental arm for months 18-24.

Treatment:

Other: Expanded HIV care in Opioid Substitution Treatment