HIV self-testing for partners of postpartum women to facilitate HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis and antiretroviral therapy uptake: a protocol to adapt and pilot an intervention via a pilot randomised controlled trial in South Africa

Introduction South African women are vulnerable to HIV acquisition during the postpartum period which can result in perinatal transmission via breastfeeding; many male partners do not know their HIV status. Biomedical approaches to preventing HIV for postpartum women include pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and antiretroviral treatment for male partners with HIV.

Gaps in implementation include low uptake of PrEP among postpartum women and infrequent testing of men who may be motivated to test for HIV to protect the health of their infant. Methods and analysis We will conduct a randomised pilot trial in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Province, South Africa among postpartum women and their male partners.

The study will pilot a combination intervention consisting of cognitive behavioural strategies (including communication skills training, motivational interviewing and problem-solving) to promote H IV self-testing (HIVST) for P artners and P rEP uptake for HIV-uninfected P ost p artum Women, the 'H4P' intervention. The study aims to determine the feasibility, acceptability and preliminary effectiveness of the H4P intervention.