Using traditional healers to offer HIV testing and counseling instead of standard clinic-based care in rural South Africa
Know Your Status: A Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial Comparing Healer-initiated HIV Counseling and Testing to Standard of Care in Rural South Africa
This project will test whether training traditional healers to offer free HIV counseling, testing, and linkage services helps more adults in rural South Africa get tested and linked to care compared with standard clinic-based services.
Quick facts
| Phase | Not applicable |
|---|---|
| Study type | Interventional |
| Enrollment | 230907 (estimated) |
| Ages | 18 Years and up |
| Sex | All |
| Sponsor | Vanderbilt University Medical Center Academic / other |
| Locations | 1 site (Agincourt, MP) |
| Trial ID | NCT06483854 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
What this trial studies
The trial is a cluster randomized controlled design in 42 clinical catchment areas in rural Bushbuckridge (Agincourt), building on a successful pilot where trained healers offered testing within their local clinics. Traditional healers will be trained to advertise free healer-initiated counseling and testing, provide point-of-care HIV tests, and facilitate linkage to public HIV care and treatment services. Adult community members (≥18) who choose to receive an HIV test from a participating healer will be enrolled and outcomes will include testing uptake, number of new HIV diagnoses, and successful linkage to care. The intervention will be compared to standard of care catchment areas to measure whether healer-initiated services increase testing and treatment entry among populations who underutilize clinic-based services.
Who should consider this trial
Good fit: Adults (18 years and older) living in the study catchment areas who choose to receive an HIV test from a participating traditional healer are ideal candidates.
Not a fit: People under 18, those who do not visit traditional healers, or individuals unable to provide informed consent (for example due to intoxication or acute mental health conditions) are unlikely to benefit from participation.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could increase HIV testing and rapid linkage to care among people who avoid clinics, helping close gaps in diagnosis and treatment.
How similar studies have performed: A prior pilot with 15 trained healers reached 463 clients, with 77% of eligible participants agreeing to test and 95% of those testing positive linked to HIV care, indicating promising initial results.
Eligibility criteria
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * Community members \> 18 years of age, who chose to receive an HIV test from a traditional healer. Exclusion Criteria: * Community members who are not of sound mind or body during the recruitment (inebriated, experiencing a mental health issue).
Where this trial is running
Agincourt, MP
- Bushbuckridge — Agincourt, Mp, South Africa (Recruiting)
Study contacts
- Principal investigator: Carolyn Audet, PhD — Vanderbilt University
- Study coordinator: Carolyn M Audet, PhD
- Email: carolyn.m.audet@vumc.org
- Phone: 6153432118
How to participate
- Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
- Visit the official trial page on ClinicalTrials.gov for the most current contact information and recruitment status.
- Contact the listed study coordinator or principal investigator to request pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.