Bibliographic information
GuidelineConsolidated HIV guidelines: service delivery
Year of Publication2026
Issuing InstitutionWorld Health Organization
Recommendation
New
People established on ART should be offered clinical visits every 3–6 months, preferably every six months if feasible
Recommended in favor
Strong
Certainty of evidence
Moderate
Notes and Remarks
- Reduced dispensing frequency requires reliable drug supply and adequate storage capacity for clients, including for community ART delivery.
- Multimonth prescribing can be implemented even when multimonth dispensing is not feasible due to supply limitations.
- Health-care services for chronic conditions, contraceptive care and TB preventive therapy should be integrated and schedules aligned to minimize clinical visits.
- Extended refills are recommended only for children older than two years, since younger children require more frequent visits for dose adjustments and routine services (such as immunization).
- Some higher-risk groups (such as adolescents and pregnant and postpartum women) may require adapted clinical and refill schedules or additional community support to address access challenges related to schooling and adherence challenges and to provide specific medical interventions.