On March 27, 2024, the “Integrating sexual and reproductive health into clinic-based HIV services using experience-based co-Design in Zimbabwe” study (TSIME) was officially launched in the Mazowe District. The study team hosted an interdisciplinary stakeholder meeting at the Mazowe Rural District Council Headquarters in Concession. The meeting included heads of departments, health leaders and practitioners, community leaders such as Chiefs and Church leaders, and community members. Principal Investigator Rumbi Gumbie and Assistant Study Coordinator Onismo Mufare presented the study, with visiting Fellow Lu Niu from LSHTM also in attendance.
Stakeholders engaged in insightful discussions, sharing their perspectives on integrating sexual and reproductive health (SRH) into HIV care. They raised various issues, including the selection of clinics for research, factors influencing the delivery and access to HIV care in the district, and their views on research being conducted in their communities. The presentation covered TSIME’s aims and objectives, research methods, and research activities, which include conducting observations and in-depth interviews in selected clinics, participatory action research through co-design workshops, and a pilot implementation of an integrated SRH and HIV package of services for people living with HIV.
The overarching aim of TSIME is to develop and pilot an integrated SRH and HIV package of services as a proof of concept for a larger-scale implementation of integrated services. The project launch marks the first step in the evidence-based Experience-Based Co-Design (EBCD) method adapted for this study, using the Medical Research Council (MRC) and National Institute for Health Research’s new framework for developing and evaluating complex interventions. Through this co-design approach, TSIME aims to significantly impact the sustainable integrated services offered to people living with HIV in clinical settings in Zimbabwe
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