Background In human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) care, key populations are sex workers, people who inject drugs, prisoners, transgender people, and men who have sex with men (MSM), who are at high risk and burden of HIV infection but face barriers to HIV prevention, treatment, and health services. HIV self-testing (HIVST) is effective in scaling up HIV testing uptake among key populations due to its cost-effective, confidential, and convenient feature. However, lacking linkage to care support remains a key challenge. This scoping synthesised the global evidence regarding implementing strategies to promote linkage to care for key populations after HIVST. Methods This scoping review was conducted according to the Joanna Briggs Institute Manual for Evidence Synthesis. A data search was conducted on September 1, 2021. The searched databases were PubMed, Embase, EBSCOhost, Cochrane Library, Wan Fang Data (Chinese), China National Knowledge Infrastructure (Chinese), and Japan Medical Abstracts Society (Japanese). Results Twenty studies from 2011 records met the eligibility criteria and were included for review. The study populations were MSM (9), mixed high-risk populations (7), female sex workers (3), and transgender youth (1). Implementation strategies to promote linkage to care for key populations after HIVST were classified into seven categories: 1) HIVST kits with linkage-to-care information, 2) web-based or mobile app-guided HIVST, 3) remote HIVST counselling, 4) intensive follow-up, 5) HIVST promotion through social media and key opinion leaders, 6) community engagement in HIVST and 7) financial incentive. The digital-supported intervention mainly targeted MSM in high-income settings, and the community-based approach and financial incentive strategies were mainly implemented in low and middle-income settings. Comparison of linkage outcomes between studies is problematic due to mixed interpretation and measurement of linkage to care after HIVST. Conclusions Implementation strategies to promote linkage to care for key populations are diverse and should be incorporated in different settings and backgrounds. Innovative digital-supported HIVST research for female sex workers and high-risk populations in low and middle-income settings is warranted. A standardised definition of linkage to care following HIVST and a unified measurement of linkage outcomes should be developed and applied in future research.

Background Globally, China has the highest prevalence and incidence of pneumoconiosis, which mainly occurs among migrant workers employed in dusty work environments. Pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) is recommended as the most effective therapeutic strategy in managing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and recent quantitative studies have validated PR’s effect on the health outcomes of patients with pneumoconiosis. However, qualitative evidence regarding PR’s impact on pneumoconiosis patients’ health and lives is lacking in the literature. Therefore, this study aimed to address this knowledge gap by exploring the experience of pneumoconiosis patients in community-based PR (CBPR). Methods A qualitative study based on the phenomenological perspective was conducted. The convenience　sampling method was used to recruit pneumoconiosis patients attending a CBPR program supported by a patient advocacy non-governmental organisation. Web-based semi-structured interviews were conducted using a self-made interview guide. Thematic analysis was performed to analyse the interview data. This study was conducted after gaining ethical approval and informed consent from all participants. Results Fifteen migrant workers with pneumoconiosis patients aged 49 to 71 years old (median: 54 years old) participated in this study. Four themes were identified from the interview data: triggering of a difficult life, reconstruction of life, sense of empowerment, and gaps in PR. Pneumoconiosis severely impaired participants’ well-being, and it triggered heavy financial strain and care burden in their families. The CBPR program allowed them to restore their physical and psychosocial health, and they achieved reconstructing their lives by leading a PR-centred life. Participating in the CBPR program, pneumoconiosis patients recognised multiple supports and were empowered with enhanced disease-coping abilities and strengthened hope to survive. Overall, participants reflected on their positive experience in the CBPR program, despite their unmet needs and existing barriers in PR. Conclusions The CBPR program integrating multiple supports empowered the vulnerable migrant workers with pneumoconiosis and facilitated their health transition and life reconstruction experience. To optimise their PR experience and improve their QoL, health service addressing their unmet needs and barriers in PR is needed. PR for pneumoconiosis patients with different sociodemographic characteristics and family-oriented management of pneumoconiosis should be explored in future research.