July 8, 2009. After more than a year of development, CCNMTL and partners from the HIV Center for Clinical and Behavioral Studies and the University of Cape Town have begun collecting data from the pilot launch of Masivukeni, a multimedia HIV treatment and care adherence intervention, implemented at the Hout Bay clinic outside Cape Town, South Africa.

Masivukeni is a computer-based intervention used by non-professional peer counselors in South Africa to help HIV-positive adults improve adherence to treatment by enlisting the support of a "treatment buddy" (e.g., a partner, friend, or family member), so that together they can understand the importance of taking their medication and maintaining high levels of overall treatment adherence. The intervention features enhanced text, imagery, animations, audio, and video and is designed to incorporated culturally relevant South African themes. Masivukeni is funded by a grant from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and is based on the proven dyadic-focused adherence program, "SMART Couples," developed by Dr. Robert H. Remien and his colleagues at the HIV Center.

During the Masivukeni pilot test, counselors at the Hout Bay clinic are delivering the intervention to 30 HIV-positive patients and the local standard of care to another 30 HIV-positive patients. All patients have been screened, assessed, and randomized by the counselors, and will participate in the test until March 2010. Following its completion, the project team from CCNMTL and the HIV Center will evaluate data collected by the counselors and apply for more funding in effort to continue testing Masivukeni and distribute the intervention more broadly.

Related links:
Read more about Masivukeni