Limitations
MAY
This study has several limitations that should be acknowledged. First, the implementation of this study was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly during the lockdown period (February to May 2020) in China during which HIV testing services were disrupted. Second, this study lacked sufficient resources to investigate alters who failed to be recruited by egos, which is essential to guide future efforts for e-report promotion in such populations. Third, this was a baseline analysis for an RCT targeting alters; as such, available data on egos’ characteristics were insufficient. Therefore, qualitative interviews were conducted to explore the reasons for forwarding and not forwarding e-reports.