RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Understanding the impact of a residential housing programme for people living with HIV/AIDS: a realist evaluation protocol
JF BMJ Open
JO BMJ Open
FD British Medical Journal Publishing Group
SP e044522
DO 10.1136/bmjopen-2020-044522
VO 11
IS 4
A1 Shaneice Fletcher-Hildebrand
A1 Hubert Alimezelli
A1 Tracey Carr
A1 Karen Lawson
A1 Anum Ali
A1 Gary Groot
YR 2021
UL http://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/11/4/e044522.abstract
AB Introduction Housing instability and homelessness are significant barriers to medical treatment for people living with HIV/AIDS. For these individuals, lack of stable housing and stigma is associated with insufficient access to care, poor adherence to medication and higher cost burdens to the healthcare system. This protocol reports on the efforts to evaluate Sanctum V.1.0, a hospice and transitional care home for adults with HIV/AIDS in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. The current project was developed out of a need to identify how Sanctum V.1.0 produces varying programme outcomes to assist in endeavours to replicate the programme in other geographic locations.Methods and analysis A realist evaluation will be conducted to explore how and why Sanctum V.1.0 is successful or unsuccessful, in which circumstances and for whom. Rather than explore the degree to which a programme is effective, realist evaluations seek to uncover mechanisms that explain processual links between programme inputs and outcomes. The completed first phase of the project involved the development of an initial realist programme theory. Phases 2 and 3 will consist of methods to test, refine and validate the initial theory using various data sources.Ethics and dissemination Ethics approval was obtained from the institutional review board at the University of Saskatchewan on 2 July 2020. Results will be disseminated according to stakeholders’ desires.