Home-based rehabilitation interventions for adults living with HIV: a scoping review

ABSTRACT

Home-based rehabilitation (HBR) has been shown to improve the lives of people living with a wide range of chronic diseases in resource-rich settings. This may also be a particularly effective strategy in resource-poor settings; where access to institution-based rehabilitation is limited. This review aimed to summarise and discuss the evidence related to the effectiveness of home-based rehabilitation (HBR) interventions designed specifically for adults living with HIV. A scoping review methodology was employed; involving systematic search techniques and appraisal of appropriate evidence. eng-language journal articles that assessed the quality of life or functional ability outcomes of HBR interventions for adults living with HIV were considered for this review. Out of an initial 1 135 publications retrieved from the search of databases; six articles met this review's inclusion criteria. While this review highlights the scarcity of empirical evidence related to HBR interventions for adults living with HIV; the findings of these six articles are that HBR is a safe management option that may confer a number of physical and psychological benefits for this population. Future research on HBR interventions should include a wider range of assessment measures; including cost-benefit analyses and specific tools designed to assess the functional ability and participation in activities of daily living of participants involved in these programmes. In particular; more research on HBR is required in resource-poor environments; such as sub-Saharan Africa where HIV is endemic; to assess whether this is a feasible strategy that is both effective and practical in the areas that may need it most