MOAE0203 | DESIGN AND CONTENT FEATURES OF AN mHEALTH APP FOR RETENTION IN HIV CARE: AN EXPLORATORY STUDY ON UGANDAN YOUTH PREFERENCES

Dennis Ernest Ssesanga^1|4, Anna Hettinga⁴, Joanne Leerlooijer⁴, Candice Chetty-Makkan^2|3, Bernard Kikaire¹, Annemien Haveman-Nies⁴ | ¹EDCTP Funded Projects, Uganda Virus Research Institute, Eastern Africa Consortium for Clinical Research, Entebbe, Uganda; ²Health Economics and Epidemiology Research Office, Wits Health Consortium, , South Africa; ³Health Sciences Research Office, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, , South Africa; ⁴Consumption & Healthy Lifestyles Group, Wageningen University & Research, The Netherlands

Retention in HIV care is pivotal for improved treatment outcomes and prevention of drug resistance. In Uganda, 85% of youth living with HIV receive care, but less than 80% maintain their care. Patient navigators, community and peer outreach, financial incentives, and case management are in place, yet retention in care remains a challenge. Limited studies have investigated how mobile technology applications could improve retention in care. We explored the design features and contents of a mobile health (mHealth) tool to understand the preferences of youth living with HIV in Uganda and retain them in HIV care. The study took place between 7 and 13 February 2024 at the TASO Jinja and TASO Mulago sites. Youth living with HIV (YLHIV) between 15 and 24 years and healthcare workers (HCWs) took part in audio-recorded focus group discussions (FGD) and key informant interviews (KII). With YLHIV, we conducted 2 FGDs with a total of 12 youth and 6 KIIs. We also conducted 4 KIIs with HCWs from 2 clinics. Thematic analysis with a deductive approach was used to derive themes and results were aligned with the user-centered design framework. This exploratory qualitative study contributed to intervention mapping of a larger study. Four dominant themes emerged where YLHIV preferred: (1) An mHealth app that supported two-way engagement, (2) A platform where YLHIV could share experiences, (3) Built-in reminders to visit the health facility and to take medication, and (4) User-friendly navigation features for assisting with retention in HIV care and clinic attendance. A user-friendly mobile app with supportive features for informing, reminding, and facilitating the exchange of experiences may improve youth retention in care. These results informed product usability features that design consultants can consider for an app to improve retention in care among YLHIV in resource-limited settings.