CURRENT ISSUE

ABSTRACT: Background: Serodiscordant couples are relationships where one sexual partner is HIV-positive and the other is HIV-negative. Such couples experience complex relational and psychosocial challenges that significantly influence treatment adherence and health outcomes. Despite biomedical advances such as Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) and Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), the relational dynamics within these relationships remain underexplored in HIV intervention strategies.
Objective: To systematically review how HIV status disclosure and partner reactions impact treatment outcomes among serodiscordant couples.
Method: A systematic review of qualitative and mixed-methods studies published between 2010 and 2025 was conducted using databases including PubMed, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Scopus, and Google Scholar. Studies were appraised using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) Qualitative Checklist, and thematic synthesis was employed to analyze findings.
Findings and Discussion: Ninety four studies met the inclusion criteria. Key themes included HIV status disclosure, communication, partner reactions, partner support and impact on treatment adherence. Challenges such as stigma and fear of rejection hindered disclosure and engagement in care in some relationships. However, support from partners was key in boosting confidence and continuity in care. 
Conclusion: HIV status disclosure is a crucial public health issue, as it has significant impact on the trajectory of serodiscordant relationships, treatment outcomes and psychosocial wellbeing of PLHIV. Building culturally sensitive, couple-centered interventions that emphasizes increased HIV awareness and knowledge is essential for improving health outcomes among serodiscordant couples.

ABSTRACT: The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the adoption of telemedicine and artificial intelligence (AI), transforming healthcare delivery worldwide. These technologies hold promise for improving access, efficiency, and diagnostic accuracy, but their benefits remain unevenly distributed. In many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), persistent gaps in infrastructure, affordability, literacy, and governance risk turning digital innovation into a driver of health inequities. This paper examines the digital divide as a multidimensional health determinant encompassing infrastructure, affordability, human capacity, sociocultural inclusion, and governance. Using illustrative case studies from Africa, South Asia, Latin America, and high-income countries, this study highlights how telehealth and AI can enhance accessibility and enable task-shifting, while also demonstrating how exclusionary design and weak systems may perpetuate disparities. Building on these insights, the paper proposes a multi-sector framework for inclusive digital health, integrating investments in infrastructure, affordable and scalable models, digital literacy, culturally sensitive design, governance reform, sustainable financing, and public–private partnerships. To operationalize this framework, we recommend measurable indicators (e.g., affordability thresholds, literacy benchmarks, governance readiness indices) and propose implementation tools, including a logic model and barrier-to-action checklist. We argue that digital equity must be treated not as a peripheral issue but as a moral imperative for global health justice. Achieving this requires embedding equity into design, financing, and governance from the outset so that telehealth and AI reduce, rather than exacerbate, disparities in healthcare.