The ICAP Model of Care is characterized by the delivery of comprehensive and integrated services along the HIV care continuum for adults, children, and pregnant women, with a focus on the family. Other elements of the model include a multidisciplinary team of providers; an emphasis on adherence and prevention; strong linkages between clinical services; and strong linkages with community resources. The ICAP Model of Care defines a Comprehensive Package of Care for adults and children living with HIV that should be considered in all ICAP-supported sites, and within the comprehensive package, a set of Core Interventions that should be prioritized and made available in all sites. The ICAP Package of Care encompasses the full continuum of HIV care from linkage of those found to be HIV positive to retention in care, prompt determination of eligibility for antiretroviral therapy (ART), and initiation of ART with provision of adherence support. “Care”, when used here, is defined as all clinical services, including ART, provided to people living with HIV (PLHIV). The evidence-based interventions included in the ICAP Package of Care have been selected based upon their impact on morbidity and mortality, with Core Interventions having the highest impact. Priority should be placed on implementing and achieving targets for the Core Interventions. Programs can also integrate additional interventions into HIV care delivery based upon their epidemiologic, health system, political, and financial context.
The purpose of this document is to describe the Core Interventions included in the ICAP Package of Care, as well as to summarize the evidence supporting them. This document can be used to guide newer programs in establishing HIV services, as well as to remind more established programs about the importance of ensuring high quality implementation of Core Interventions. The target audience includes clinical officers and other technical staff in ICAP country programs. Examples of standard operating procedures (SOPs) and tools developed and used by ICAP country programs to implement the Core Interventions included in the Package of Care are listed in the Appendix.
Other tools in the ICAP Package of Care: