Table 3.

Data analysis outline

Study objective	Outcome variable	Type of analysis
Objective 1: effectiveness of intervention	Primary outcome
	HIV viral load	χ2 test or Fisher’s exact test
	Secondary outcomes
	CD4+ count	Within group: paired-sample t tests or Wilcoxon signed-rank tests; between group – Student’s t test or Wilcoxon signed-rank tests
	Adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART)	χ2 test or Fisher’s exact test
	Adherence to hospital appointment	Within group: paired-sample t tests or Wilcoxon signed-rank tests; between group – Student’s t test or Wilcoxon signed-rank tests
Objective 2: cost-effectiveness analysis	Cost-effectiveness of intervention	Incremental cost-effectiveness ratio
Objective 3: qualitative assessment of implementer’s perspective	Programme implementer’s perspective	In-depth interview (thematic content analysis)