Retaining HIV-positive patients in HIV care: a personalised approach for those at risk of loss to follow-up at an inner city sexual health service

Sexual Health ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 91
Author(s):  
Loretta Healey ◽  
Catherine C. O'Connor
Keyword(s):  
Health Service ◽  
Sexual Health ◽  
Text Messages ◽  
Hiv Care ◽  
Hiv Positive ◽  
Hiv Patients ◽  
Loss To Follow Up ◽  
Sexual Health Service ◽  
Lost To Follow Up

In 2013 a personalised approach to follow-up of HIV patients who had withdrawn from HIV care was taken at RPA Sexual Health, a Sydney metropolitan sexual health service. HIV patients were telephoned, sent text messages, emailed and sent letters multiple times where applicable. With this intervention 20 of 23 people who had withdrawn from HIV care re-engaged. Since that time, active follow-up of all people diagnosed with HIV has resulted in only 2% of HIV patients at RPA Sexual Health being lost to follow-up.

scholarly journals The cost and effect of expanding a Patient Tracer programme to identify and return patients loss to follow up at a large HIV Clinic in Trinidad

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Jeffrey Edwards ◽  
Nyla Lyons ◽  
Wendy Samaroo-Francis ◽  
Leon-Omari Lavia ◽  
Isshad John ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Viral Suppression ◽  
Hiv Care ◽  
Loss To Follow Up ◽  
Treatment Clinic ◽  
The Status ◽  
Clinic Medical ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Lost To Follow Up ◽  
Over Time

Abstract Background: Patients who default from HIV care are usually poorly adherent to antiretroviral treatment which results in suboptimal viral suppression. The study evaluated the effect and cost of expanding an intervention using two Patient Tracers to track and return to care patients lost to follow up at a large HIV Clinic in Trinidad.Methods: Two Social Workers were trained as Patient Tracers and hired initially for 6 months (April –September 2017), then extended to 15 months (April 2017 – June 2018) to call patients who were lost to follow up for 30 days or more during the period July 2016 – May 2018 at the HIV Clinic Medical Research Foundation of Trinidad and Tobago. Both the outcomes of the intervention, and costs were assessed over time. Results: Over the 15 month period, of the of 2,473 patients who missed their scheduled visits for one month or more, 261 (10.6%) patients were no longer in active care - 89 patients dead, 65 migrated, 55 hospitalized, 33 transferred to another treatment clinic and 19 incarcerated. Of the remaining 2,212 patients eligible for tracing, 1,794 (81.1%) patients were returned to care at an average cost of $38.09 USD per patient returned to care as compared to 589 of 866 (68%) patients returned to care over the 6 month period (p < 0.001) at an estimated cost of $47.72 USD per patient returned to care (p<0.001). Of the 1,794 patients returned to care, 1,686 (94%) were re-initiated/started on anti-retroviral therapy and 72.7% of these were virally suppressed (viral load <1,000 copies/ml) as of December 2018.Conclusions: Patient Tracing is a feasible and effective intervention to identify and resolve the status of patients who are loss to follow up to bring these patients back into care with the aim of achieving viral suppression on antiretroviral therapy. Over time the effect of costs of patients returned to care demonstrated greater yields making patient tracing a sustainable intervention for programmes to identify and return patients to care.

scholarly journals Factors Associated With Loss-To-Follow-Up Of Hiv-Positive Mothers And Their Infants Enrolled In Hiv Care Clinic: A Qualitative Study

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel Lawrent Mpinganjira ◽  
Timothy Tchereni ◽  
Andrews Gunda ◽  
Victor Mwapasa
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Health Facilities ◽  
System Level ◽  
Hiv Care ◽  
Hiv Positive ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Care Clinic ◽  
Loss To Follow Up ◽  
Factors Associated

Abstract Background In Malawi, loss to follow-up (LTFU) of HIV-positive pregnant and postpartum women on Option B+ regimen greatly contributes to sub-optimal retention, estimated 74% at 12 months postpartum. This threatens Malawi’s efforts to eliminate mother-to-child transmission of HIV. We investigated factors associated with LTFU among Mother-Infant Pairs. Methods We conducted a qualitative study, nested within the “Promoting Retention Among Infants and Mothers Effectively (PRIME)” study, a 3-arm cluster randomized trial assessing the effectiveness of strategies for improving retention of mother-infant pairs in HIV care in Salima and Mangochi districts, Malawi. From July to December 2016, we traced 19 LTFU women and conducted in-depth interviews with them and also with 30 healthcare workers from health facilities where the LTFU women were receiving care. Recorded interviews were transcribed and translated and, then, analysed using deductive content analysis. Results The following reasons were reported contributing to LTFU: lack of support from husbands or family members; long distance to health facilities; food insecurity; community-level stigma; ART side effects; perceived good health after taking ART and adoption of other alternative HIV treatment options. Conclusion Our study has found multiple factors at personal, family, community and health system level which contribute to poor retention of mother-infant pairs in HIV care. Key words PRIME, PMTCT, EMTCT, loss to follow up, mother-infant pairs, Option B+

scholarly journals The expansion of a patient tracer programme to identify and return patients loss to follow up at a large HIV clinic in Trinidad

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Jeffrey Edwards ◽  
Nyla Lyons ◽  
Wendy Samaroo-Francis ◽  
Leon-Omari Lavia ◽  
Isshad John ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Viral Suppression ◽  
Retention In Care ◽  
Hiv Care ◽  
Loss To Follow Up ◽  
Targeted Interventions ◽  
The Status ◽  
Care Models ◽  
Clinic Medical ◽  
Lost To Follow Up

Abstract Background Patients who default from HIV care are usually poorly adherent to antiretroviral treatment which results in suboptimal viral suppression. The study assessed the outcomes of retention in care and viral suppression by expansion of an intervention using two patient tracers to track patients lost to follow up at a large HIV clinic in Trinidad. Methods Two Social Workers were trained as patient tracers and hired for 15 months (April 2017–June 2018) to call patients who were lost to follow up for 30 days or more during the period July 2016–May 2018 at the HIV clinic Medical Research Foundation of Trinidad and Tobago. Results Over the 15-month period, of the of 2473 patients who missed their scheduled visits for 1 month or more, 261 (10.6%) patients were no longer in active care—89 patients dead, 65 migrated, 55 hospitalized, 33 transferred to another treatment clinic and 19 incarcerated. Of the remaining 2212 patients eligible for tracing, 1869 (84.5%) patients were returned to care, 1278 (68.6%) were virally unsuppressed (viral load > 200 copies/ml) and 1727 (92.4%) were re-initiated on ART. Twelve months after their return, 1341 (71.7%) of 1869 patients were retained in care and 1154 (86.1%) of these were virally suppressed. Multivariate analysis using logistic regression showed that persons were more likely to be virally suppressed if they were employed (OR, 1.39; 95% CI 1.07–1.80), if they had baseline CD4 counts < 200 cells/mm3 (OR, 1.71; 95% CI 1.26–2.32) and if they were retained in care at 12 months (OR, 2.48; 95% CI 1.90–3.24). Persons initiated on ART for 4–6 years (OR, 3.09; 95% CI 1.13–8.48,), 7–9 years (OR, 3.97; 95% CI 1.39–11.31), > 10 years (OR, 5.99; 95% CI 1.74–20.64 were more likely to be retained in care. Conclusions Patient Tracing is a feasible intervention to identify and resolve the status of patients who are loss to follow up and targeted interventions such as differentiated care models may be important to improve retention in care.

scholarly journals Loss to Follow-Up among HIV Positive Pregnant and Lactating Mothers on Lifelong Antiretroviral Therapy for PMTCT in Rural Uganda

2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matilda Kweyamba ◽  
Esther Buregyeya ◽  
Joy Kusiima ◽  
Vianney Kweyamba ◽  
Aggrey David Mukose
Keyword(s):  
Health Facilities ◽  
Hiv Positive ◽  
Peer Educators ◽  
Mother To Child Transmission ◽  
Child Transmission ◽  
Loss To Follow Up ◽  
Lactating Mothers ◽  
Lost To Follow Up ◽  
Mother To Child

Background. Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV accounts for more than 90% of all pediatric HIV infections. However, Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission (PMTCT) of HIV through provision of lifelong ART to HIV positive mothers faces various challenges which affect its success. One of such challenges is the loss to follow-up (LTFU) of mothers. Methodology. We conducted a cross-sectional study utilizing both quantitative and qualitative data collection methods. We were able to trace 279 HIV positive, pregnant, and lactating mothers among mothers who were initiated on lifelong ART for PMTCT in public health facilities in Ntungamo district, Western Uganda. The proportion of those who were lost to follow-up was determined, and Log binomial regression with stepwise backward elimination method was employed to identify factors associated with LTFU. Focus group discussions (FDGs) of women on lifelong ART and key informant interviews (KIIs) of peer educators were also performed. Results. Out of the 279 mothers that were successfully traced and interviewed, 103 (37%) were identified as lost to follow-up. The prevalence of LTFU was higher among those whose transport costs were above $2.75, adj (adjusted) PR (Prevalence Ratio) 1.6 (95% CI; 1.02-2.55); those who waited beyond one hour before being attended to, adj PR 1.74 (95% CI; 1.02-2.96); and those who assumed that their infant was already infected, adj PR 1.76 (95% CI; 1.15-2.70). On interviews, LTFU in these mothers was attributed to fear of swallowing antiretroviral drugs, HIV related stigma and discrimination, inadequate facilitation of the peer educators, long patient waiting time, and transportation to the health facilities. Conclusion. More than one-third of mothers initiated on lifelong ART for PMTCT in Ntungamo district were lost to follow-up over a period of 25 months. Recommendations. Provision of regular and adequate pre-ART and ART adherence counseling and provision of routine health education would reduce LTFU.

scholarly journals Factors Associated With Loss-to-follow-up Of Hiv-positive Mothers And Their Infants Enrolled In Hiv Care Clinic: A Qualitative Study

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel Lawrent Mpinganjira ◽  
Timothy Tchereni ◽  
Andrews Gunda ◽  
Victor Mwapasa
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Health Facilities ◽  
System Level ◽  
Hiv Care ◽  
Hiv Positive ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Care Clinic ◽  
Loss To Follow Up ◽  
Factors Associated

Abstract Background In Malawi, loss to follow-up (LTFU) greatly contributes to sub-optimal retention (74%) of HIV-positive (HIV+) women initiated on antiretroviral therapy (ART) during pregnancy under Option B+ strategy. This threatens Malawi’s efforts to eliminate mother-to-child transmission of HIV. We investigated factors associated with LTFU among Mother-Infant Pairs (MIP). Methods We conducted a qualitative study, nested within the “Promoting Retention Among Infants and Mothers Effectively (PRIME)” study, a 3-arm cluster randomized trial assessing the effectiveness of strategies for improving retention of MIPs in HIV care in Salima and Mangochi districts, Malawi. From July to December 2016, we traced 19 LTFU women and conducted in-depth interviews (IDIs) with them and also with 30 healthcare workers (HCWs) from health facilities where the LTFU women were receiving care. Recorded interviews were transcribed and translated and, then, analysed using deductive content analysis. Results The following reasons were reported contributing to LTFU: lack of support from husbands or family members; long distance to health facilities; food insecurity; community-level stigma; ART side effects; perceived good health after taking ART and adoption of other alternative treatment options. Conclusion Our study has found multiple factors at personal, family, community and health system level which contribute to poor retention of MIPs in HIV care. Key words PRIME, PMTCT, eMTCT, loss to follow up, mother-infant pairs, Option B+

scholarly journals P307 Linkage to HIV care from sexual health center rotterdam: timely entrance to care, but worrying loss to follow-up in migrants

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hannelore Götz ◽  
Denise Twisk ◽  
Jannigje Smit ◽  
Jan Beek ◽  
Candace Breman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Health ◽  
Health Center ◽  
Hiv Care ◽  
Loss To Follow Up ◽  
Linkage To Hiv Care

scholarly journals 764. Correlates of Lost to Follow-up Among Newly Diagnosed Older People with HIV in Ukraine

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S427-S428
Author(s):  
Amy J Allen ◽  
Oleksandr Zeziulin ◽  
Oleksandr Postnov ◽  
Julia Rozanova ◽  
Taylor Litz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older People ◽  
Retrospective Chart Review ◽  
Hiv Care ◽  
People Living With Hiv ◽  
Newly Diagnosed ◽  
Loss To Follow Up ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Lost To Follow Up ◽  
The City

Abstract Background Ukraine has the second largest HIV epidemic in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Older People with HIV (OPWH) are at increased risk of poor outcomes compared to younger patients. We examined the prevalence and correlates of loss to follow-up (LTFU) among newly diagnosed patients in Ukraine. Methods Retrospective chart review was conducted of 400 patients newly diagnosed with HIV July 1, 2017 - Dec 1, 2018. Data was collected from clinics in the city of Odessa and surrounding regions. OPWH were ≥50 years old at diagnosis and LTFU was defined as no contact with the HIV clinic for 90 days. Demographic, clinical characteristics, and follow-up outcomes were examined, and multivariate logistic regression was used to estimate the adjusted odds ratios at 95% confidence intervals. Results Of the 400 people living with HIV, median age was 50 (IQR35-55), 196 (49%) were women, and 177 (44%) had CD4&lt; 200cell/mm3 at diagnosis. Overall, 65 (16.5%) were LTFU from diagnosis and 54/65 (83%) were lost after their first appointment at the HIV clinic. Among those lost to follow-up, 49 (75%) were ≥50 at the time of diagnosis. Multivariate analysis showed LTFU was associated with age &gt;50years (aOR 3.6, CI 1.8-7.3, p=0.001), lack of ART prescription (aOR 16.4, CI 8.5-31.8, p= 0.001), and living outside the city of Odessa (aOR 2.9, CI 1.5-5.7, p=0.002). Figure 1 shows the breakdown of lost to follow-up for OPWH. Figure 1. Retainment in HIV Care for OPWH compared to those &lt;50 years old. Conclusion LTFU among OPWH is significantly greater than younger people with HIV, and associated with lack of ART and living in nonurban settings. OPWH may benefit from differentiated HIV service delivery to reduce loss to follow up and interventions tailored to improving HIV outcomes for OPWH in resource-limited settings are urgently needed. Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures

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