Expert Consensus on the Rehabilitation Framework Guiding a Model of Care for People Living With HIV in a South African Setting

Disabilities and treatments related to HIV are a focus for rehabilitation professionals in HIV-endemic countries, yet these countries lack guidance to integrate rehabilitation into a model of care for people living with HIV. We asked HIV and rehabilitation experts in South Africa to engage in a modified Delphi survey based on findings from (a) an enquiry into stakeholder perspectives of a context-specific rehabilitation framework at a semi-rural setting and (b) an analysis of international models of care-guiding rehabilitation. Consensus was determined by an a priori threshold of 70% of agreement and interquartile range (≤ 1 on criterion) to be included as essential or useful in the model of care framework. Experts agreed that improving access to care, optimal communication between stakeholders, education and training for health care workers, and home-based rehabilitation were essential for the model. Furthermore, task shifting and evidence-based practice were seen as fundamental for optimal care.