{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,30]],"date-time":"2026-07-30T18:25:15Z","timestamp":1785435915182,"version":"3.56.0"},"reference-count":46,"publisher":"AOSIS","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,13]],"date-time":"2025-08-13T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1755043200000},"content-version":"unspecified","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Retention in care is vital for the successful management of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). About 20% of clients interrupt their HIV therapy within 6 months of starting it. Lay healthcare workers complement the healthcare professionals to provide services across the HIV care continuum. However, there is limited support for lay healthcare workers as compared to healthcare professionals. Therefore, this study was conducted at a primary healthcare centre in South Africa to develop a support model for lay healthcare workers to improve clients\u2019 retention in HIV care.\n\nMethods: Interviews were conducted with the lay healthcare workers, their supervisors, nurses and clients on antiretroviral therapy. The support model was then developed by following Dickoff\u2019s survey list of a theoretical framework and the theory development processes of Chinn et al.\n\nResults: The context, agent, recipient, dynamics, procedure and outcomes of support were described in the support model. To nurture lay healthcare workers, the nurses, supervisors and department of health must provide a good environment, recognise each person\u2019s needs, offer both practical and emotional support, encourage mutual reliance and provide feedback.\n\nConclusion: Support is an ongoing, mutually beneficial action that is essential to the efficient operation of lay healthcare workers.\n\nContribution: Improved motivation, job satisfaction, competence and thriving are possible outcomes of the support for lay healthcare workers. This would increase the number of clients retained in HIV care, improve viral suppression and reduce transmission.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.4102\/safp.v67i1.6115","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,12]],"date-time":"2025-08-12T14:45:21Z","timestamp":1755009921000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.4102\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["An integrated support model for lay health care workers to improve clients\u2019 retention in HIV care"],"prefix":"10.4102","volume":"67","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2938-1084","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Sarah B.","family":"Pitse","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/00g0p6g84","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}],"name":"University of Pretoria"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5320-1303","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Patrone R.","family":"Risenga","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/00g0p6g84","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}],"name":"University of Pretoria"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"2580","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,13]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref0","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Hall BJ, Sou KL, Beanland R, et al. Barriers and facilitators to interventions improving retention in HIV care: A qualitative evidence meta-synthesis. AIDS Behav. 2017;21:1755\u20131767. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/s10461-016-1537-0","DOI":"10.1007\/s10461-016-1537-0"},{"key":"ref1","unstructured":"Allinder SM. South Africa\u2019s future at the brink: Emergency in the World\u2019s largest HIV epidemic [homepage on the Internet]. Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS): Washington; 2020 [cited 2024 Jun 16]. Available from: https:\/\/www.csis.org\/analysis\/south-africas-future-brink-emergency-worlds-largest-hiv-epidemic"},{"key":"ref2","unstructured":"Gopal, T. In-depth: The problem of stopping or not starting HIV treatment [homepage on the Internet]. Spotlight; 2019 [cited 2024 Jun 30]. Available from: https:\/\/www.spotlightnsp.co.za\/2019\/03\/06\/in-depth-the-problem-of-stopping-or-not-starting-hiv-treatment\/"},{"key":"ref3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Osler M, Hilderbrand K, Goemaere E, et al. The continuing burden of advanced HIV disease over 10 years of increasing antiretroviral therapy coverage in South Africa. Clin Infect Dis. 2018;66(suppl_2):S118\u2013S125. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1093\/cid\/cix1140","DOI":"10.1093\/cid\/cix1140"},{"key":"ref4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Kaplan SR, Oosthuizen C, Stinson K, et al. Contemporary disengagement from antiretroviral therapy in Khayelitsha, South Africa: A cohort study. PLoS Med. 2017;14(11):e1002407. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pmed.1002407","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pmed.1002407"},{"key":"ref5","unstructured":"Roscoe C, Hachey DM. Retention in HIV care [homepage on the Internet]. National HIV curriculum; 2020 [cited 2024 Mar 11]. 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