Official websites use. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Despite being so well connected; identifying, reaching and linking vulnerable populations to HIV clinical services remains a global challenge.
This review highlights the emerging online-to-offline O2O models, their potential in scaling-up services, and evaluating impact, and implications for future research. Globally, four major types of O2O models have been implemented, primarily in the West and Asia, especially among men who have sex with men MSM and transgender women TG. These models have varying levels of impact in terms of reach, engagement, participation, linkage, and ability to track and monitor participants, and assess outcomes.
O2O models are ideal for at-risk, stigmatized, criminalized populations and for scaling-up biomedical prevention interventions such as pre- and post-exposure prophylaxis. O2O models represent novel and powerful solutions to reverse the pandemic, and could help fill significant programmatic gaps in tracking individuals through HIV cascades.
Providers, especially in resource-limited settings could choose between a variety of current approaches highlighted in this review, and employ no-cost or cost-effective technologies to transform their traditional models and leverage O2O models. Despite remarkable advances in prevention sciences and compelling evidence that biomedical interventions significantly prevent HIV [ 1 — 7 ], and reduce new HIV infections and AIDS-related mortality [ 8 — 11 ], HIV transmission rates remain common among key populations namely men who have sex with men MSM , transgender women TG , people who inject drugs PWIDs and sex workers [ 12 ].
HIV testing is the first critical entry point into HIV prevention and treatment cascades, however testing uptake remains suboptimal. Almost half of all people living with HIV are unaware of their status [ 13 ]. However, despite exponential proliferation of technologies and near-ubiquitous Internet access among vulnerable populations and healthcare providers [ 14 — 17 ], HIV service delivery for the most part remains traditional.
