Jaafari, Zahra
McFarland, Willi
Eybpoosh, Sana
Tabatabaei, Seyed Vahid Ahmadi
Bafti, Mehdi Shafiei
Ranjbar, Ebrahim
Sharifi, Hamid
Funding for this research was provided by:
Kerman University of Medical Sciences (98001029, 98001029, 98001029, 98001029, 98001029, 98001029, 98001029)
Article History
Received: 31 December 2021
Accepted: 24 August 2022
First Online: 29 August 2022
Declarations
:
: The study protocol was reviewed and approved by the ethics committee of Kerman University of Medical Sciences (Ethics code: IR.KMU.REC.1398.631). Before each interview, the purpose and methods of the research were explained to potential participants. Oral informed consent was obtained due to HIV stigma and patients' fear of signing documents in writing. The ethics committee also approved the oral informed consent method. Interviews were conducted with the commitment of the researcher to maintain anonymity and confidentiality of the information and the right of participants to leave the research at any time. Audio recording of the interview was done with the consent of the participants. No participant information was provided to VCT staff, and all interviews were stored in a password-protected folder. The receipt of services was not affected in any way by their participation or non-participation in the interview. The study method was conducted in accordance with available regulations and guidelines.
: Not applicable.
: The authors have no competing interests.