Results of the included studies by PMTCT outcome
| PMTCT outcome | Author, year | EPOC category(ies) | Intervention | Outcome Intervention group, n (%) | Outcome Control group, n (%) | Risk ratio (95% CI) |
| ART use in pregnancy | Turan, 2015 | Integration. | Integration of ANC and HIV services. | 138/173 (80) | 75/152 (49) | 1.61 (1.35 to 1.93)* |
| Killam, 2010 | Integration. | Integration of ANC and HIV services. | 278/846 (32.9) | 103/716 (14.4) | 2.28 (1.86 to 2.80)* | |
| Ezeanolue, 2015 | Outreach services. | Monthly church-based ‘baby showers’, including educational games, delivery supply packs, lab testing and contact point for follow-up. | 24/41 (65) | 12/32 (50) | 1.56 (0.93 to 2.62)* | |
| Phiri, 2017 | Role expansion or task shifting: outreach services: the use of information and communication technology. | Facility-based peer support from mentor mothers arm. Community-based peer support from mentor mothers arm. | 355/394 (90) 366/428 (86) | 361/447 (81) | 1.06 (1.00 to 1.12) 1.12 (1.06 to 1.18)* | |
| Aliyu, 2016 | Role expansion/task shifting: Integration: packages of care. | Integrated package of PMTCT services: point-of-care CD4 testing, decentralised PMTCT care, integrated mother/infant services, community champions. | 166/172 (97) | 77/197 (39) | 2.47 (2.07 to 2.95)* | |
| Dryden-Peterson, 2015 | The use of information and communication technology: educational meetings. | Staff training and support to antenatal clinics, SMS transmission of HIV results to clinic staff. | 56/154 (36.4) | 37/153 (24.2) | 1.50 (1.06 to 2.13) | |
| Oyeledun, 2017 | Continuous quality improvement. | A quality improvement initiative. | 261/264 (98.9) | 233/247 (94.3) | 1.05 (1.01 to 1.08) | |
| Rotheram-Borus, 2014 | Role expansion or task shifting: outreach services. | Antenatal and postnatal home community health worker home visits. | 169/179 (94.4) | 149/159 (93.7) | 1.01 (0.95 to 1.06) | |
| Rustagi, 2016 | Continuous quality improvement. | Facility-level system analysis and improvement intervention. | 575/839 (69) | 664/1037 (64) | 1.07 (1.00 to 1.14) | |
| Richter, 2014 | Role expansion or task shifting: educational meetings. | Peer-led educational meetings. | 340/377 (90.2) | 455/466 (95.5) | 0.92 (0.89 to 0.96)** | |
| ART in labour and delivery | Kieffer, 2011 | Educational meetings. | 1-day PMTCT knowledge and skills training for nurses and midwives. | 373/465 (80) | 325/472 (69) | 1.17 (1.08 to 1.26)* |
| Weiss, 2014 | Group (couple) vs individual care. | Couples-based HIV/PMTCT counselling. | 9/12 (75) | I6/12 (50) | 1.50 (0.78 to 2.88) | |
| Richter, 2014 | Role expansion or task shifting: educational meetings. | Peer-led education meetings. | 282/377 (74.8) 361/377 (95.8) | 334/466 (71.7) 456/466 (97.9) | 1.04 (0.96 to 1.13) 0.98 (0.95 to 1.00) | |
| Geelhoed, 2013 | Integration: educational meetings. | Integration of maternal/child health and HIV services antepartum and post partum. | 112/121 (93) | 93/96 (97) | 0.96 (0.90 to 1.02) | |
| Rotheram-Borus, 2014 | Role expansion or task shifting: outreach services. | Antenatal and postnatal community health worker home visits. | 164/179 (91.6) 166/179 (92.7) | 147/159 (92.5) 142/159 (89.3) | 0.99 (0.93 to 1.06) 1.04 (0.97 to 1.11) | |
| Turan, 2015 | Integration. | Integration of ANC and HIV services. | 28/173 (16) | 84/152 (55) | 0.29 (0.20 to 0.42)** | |
| ART in postpartum period | Turan, 2015 | Integration | Integration of ANC and HIV services. | 22/173 (13) | 57/152 (38) | 0.34 (0.22 to 0.53)** |
| ART across the PMTCT cascade | Yotebieng, 2016 | Conditional cash transfers. | Conditional cash transfers. | 146/216 (67.6) | 116/217 (53.5) | 1.26 (1.08 to 1.48)* |
| Turan, 2015 | Integration. | Integration of ANC and HIV services. | 37/176 (21.0) | 23/153 (15.0) | 1.40 (0.87 to 2.24) | |
| Infant prophylaxis at birth | Rotheram-Borus, 2014 | Role expansion or task shifting: outreach services. | Antenatal and postnatal home community health worker home visits. | 171/179 (95.5) | 141/159 (88.7) | 1.08 (1.01 to 1.14)* |
| Reynolds, 2010 | Self-management: educational outreach. | Take-home infant prophylaxis. | 80/85 (94) | 66/75 (88) | 1.07 (0.97 to 1.18) | |
| Richter, 2014 | Role expansion or task shifting: educational meetings. | Peer-led educational meetings. | 364/377 (96.6) 348/377 (92.3) | 451/466 (96.8) 374/466 (80) | 1.00 (0.97 to 1.02) 1.15 (1.09 to 1.21) | |
| Oyeledun, 2017 | Continuous quality improvement. | Quality improvement intervention. | 138/209 (66) | 145/194 (74.7) | 0.88 (0.78 to 1.00) | |
| Geelhoed, 2013 | Integration: educational meetings. | Integration of maternal/child health and HIV services antepartum and post partum. | 117/126 (93) | 95/95 (100) | 0.93 (0.88 to 0.97) | |
| Turan, 2015 | Integration. | Integration of ANC and HIV services. | 50/173 (29) | 106/152 (70) | 0.41 (0.32 to 0.54)** | |
| Infant HIV testing at 6–10 weeks | Oyeledun, 2017 | Continuous quality improvement. | Quality improvement intervention. | 102/209 (48.8) | 49/194 (25.3) | 1.93 (1.46 to 2.55)* |
| Tomlinson, 2014 | Role expansion or task shifting: outreach services. | Increased training of and home visits by community health workers. | 420/571 (73.6) | 465/698 (66.6) | 1.10 (1.03 to 1.19)* | |
| Odeny, 2014 | The use of information and communication technology. | Antenatal and postnatal SMS texts to patients. | 172/187 (92.0) | 154/181 (85.1) | 1.08 (1.00 to 1.16)* | |
| Turan, 2015 | Integration. | Integration of ANC and HIV services. | 143/568 (25) | 106/594 (18) | 1.41 (1.13 to 1.76) | |
| Rotheram-Borus, 2014 | Role expansion or task shifting: outreach services. | Antenatal and postnatal home community health worker home visits. | 155/160 (96.9) | 132/140 (94.3) | 1.03 (0.98 to 1.08) | |
| Rustagi, 2016 | Continuous quality improvement. | Facility-level system analysis and quality improvement intervention. | 283/604.4 (47) | 270/710.6 (38) | 1.23 (1.09 to 1.40) | |
| Phiri, 2017 | Role expansion or task shifting: outreach services: the use of information and communication technology. | Facility-level peer mentor support arm. Community-based peer mentor support arm. | 200/289 (69) 95/286 (68) | 169/273 (62) | 1.12 (0.99 to 1.26) 1.23 (1.11 to 1.38)* | |
| Infant HIV-positive at 6 weeks | Turan, 2015 | Integration. | Integration of ANC and HIV services. | I6/143 (4.2) | 7/106 (6.6) | 0.64 (0.22 to 1.84) |
| Weiss, 2014 | Group (couple) vs individual care. | Couples-based HIV/PMTCT counselling. | 1/30 (3.3) | 3/39 (7.7) | 0.43 (0.05 to 3.96) | |
| Yotebieng, 2016 | Conditional cash transfers. | Conditional cash transfers. | 5/169 (3.0) | 6/156 (3.9) | 0.77 (0.24 to 2.47) | |
| Phiri, 2017 | Role expansion or task shifting: outreach services: the use of information and communication technology. | Facility-level peer mentor support arm. Community-based peer mentor support arm. | 1/199 (1) 2/195 (2) | 2/169 (1) | 0.42 (0.04 to 4.64) 0.87 (0.12 to 6.09) | |
| Retention in care at 6–8 weeks | Yotebieng, 2016 | Conditional cash transfers. | Conditional cash transfers. | 174/216 (80.6) | 157/217 (72.4) | 1.11 (1.00 to 1.23)* |
| Aliyu, 2016 | Role expansion/task shifting: Integration: packages of care. | Integrated package of PMTCT services: point-of-care CD4 testing, decentralised PMTCT care, integrated mother/infant services, community champions. | 125/150 (83) | 15/170 (9) | 9.44 (5.60 to 15.4)* | |
| Ezeanolue, 2015 | Outreach services. | Monthly church-based ‘baby showers’ including educational games, delivery supply packs, lab testing and contact point for follow-up. | 33/41 (81) | 28/32 (88) | 0.92 (0.75 to 1.12) | |
| Retention in care at 12 months | Mwapasa, 2017 | Integration: the use of information and communication technology. | Integration of ANC and HIV care and routine patient tracing arm. Integration of ANC and HIV care and SMS enhanced patient tracing arm. | M: 89/461 (19.3) M: 334/461 (72.4) I: 32/386 (8.3) I: 291/386 (75.4) M: 115/493 (23.3) M: 332/493 (67) I: 82/399 (20.1) I: 323/399 (80.9) | M: 90/396 (22.7) M: 274/396 (69.1) I: 32/300 (10.7) I: 234/300 (78.0) | M: 0.85 (0.65 to 1.10) M: 1.05 (0.96 to 1.14) I: 0.78 (0.49 to 1.24) I: 0.97 (0.89 to 1.05) M: 1.03 (0.81 to 1.31) M: 0.97 (0.89 to 1.06) I: 1.93 (1.32 to 2.82) I: 1.04 (0.96 to 1.12) |
| Phiri, 2017 | Role expansion or task shifting: outreach services: the use of information and communication technology. | Facility-level peer mentor support arm. Community-based peer mentor support arm. | 277/366 (78) 258/355 (74) | 261/361 (74) | 1.05 (0.96 to 1.14) 1.01 (0.92 to 1.10)* | |
| Retention in care at 24 months | Phiri, 2017 | Role expansion or task shifting: outreach services: the use of information and communication technology. | Facility-level peer mentor support arm. Community-based peer mentor support arm. | 223/428 (52) 298/428 (70) 211/394 (54) 292/394 (74) | 169/447 (38) 255/447 (57) | 1.38 (1.19 to 1.60) 1.22 (1.10 to 1.35)* 1.42 (1.22 to 1.65)* 1.30 (1.18 to 1.43)* |
*significant in favor of intervention.
**significant in favor of control.
ANC, antenatal care; ART, antiretroviral therapy; EPOC, Effective Practice Organisation of Care; I, infant; M, maternal; PMTCT, prevention of mother to child transmission; SMS, short message service.