Diagnosis Journey and Future Outlook Among Young People Living with HIV in Bangladesh: protocol for a qualitative study

Introduction Bangladesh is a country with low HIV prevalence, but case detection has more than doubled in 2020–24, reaching 1,891 cases in the most recently reported year, and the number of cases is growing in the 18-24 age group. There is little qualitative evidence that describes the journey from suspected exposure to diagnosis for young people in Bangladesh, and no comparative evidence of this journey between key-population and general-population youth. Objective To explore the pathway to HIV testing and diagnosis, what motivated testing, and the life outlook of people living with HIV in Bangladesh aged 18–30 years, and to compare these between key-population and general-population participants. Methods This qualitative exploratory study uses semi-structured in-depth interviews, guided by the theory of emerging adulthood and the HIV Stigma Framework. Purposive maximum-variation sampling (20–30 participants) will recruit people aged 18–30, diagnosed within that age range and currently on antiretroviral therapy, balanced between key and general populations. Participants will be recruited through Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital and Ashar Alo Society, Dhaka, and interviewed privately in Bangla. Recordings will be transcribed, translated into English, and analysed with the Framework Method in MAXQDA, with saturation judged within each group. Ethical concerns The study is approved by the Ethical Review Board, Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Dhaka with written consent from Ashar Alo Society and PLHIV Network Bangladesh. All participants will be asked for written informed consent, identifiers will be removed and distressed participants will be referred for counselling and psychosocial support. Findings will be shared via a technical report, a policy brief for the National AIDS/STD Programme and partner organisations, conference presentations and peer-reviewed publication. Limitations The recruitment process via one gatekeeper organisation in Dhaka and the need for the participants to be on treatment may exclude young people not in care.