Dataset Information

Retention in Care and Patient-Reported Reasons for Undocumented Transfer or Stopping Care Among HIV-Infected Patients on Antiretroviral Therapy in Eastern Africa: Application of a Sampling-Based Approach.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Improving the implementation of the global response to human immunodeficiency virus requires understanding retention after starting antiretroviral therapy (ART), but loss to follow-up undermines assessment of the magnitude of and reasons for stopping care.

Methods

We evaluated adults starting ART over 2.5 years in 14 clinics in Uganda, Tanzania, and Kenya. We traced a random sample of patients lost to follow-up and incorporated updated information in weighted competing risks estimates of retention. Reasons for nonreturn were surveyed.

Results

Among 18 081 patients, 3150 (18%) were lost to follow-up and 579 (18%) were traced. Of 497 (86%) with ascertained vital status, 340 (69%) were alive and, in 278 (82%) cases, updated care status was obtained. Among all patients initiating ART, weighted estimates incorporating tracing outcomes found that 2 years after ART, 69% were in care at their original clinic, 14% transferred (4% official and 10% unofficial), 6% were alive but out of care, 6% died in care (<60 days after last visit), and 6% died out of care (? 60 days after last visit). Among lost patients found in care elsewhere, structural barriers (eg, transportation) were most prevalent (65%), followed by clinic-based (eg, waiting times) (33%) and psychosocial (eg, stigma) (27%). Among patients not in care elsewhere, psychosocial barriers were most prevalent (76%), followed by structural (51%) and clinic based (15%).

Conclusions

Accounting for outcomes among those lost to follow-up yields a more informative assessment of retention. Structural barriers contribute most to silent transfers, whereas psychological and social barriers tend to result in longer-term care discontinuation.

SUBMITTER: Geng EH

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4787603 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Retention in Care and Patient-Reported Reasons for Undocumented Transfer or Stopping Care Among HIV-Infected Patients on Antiretroviral Therapy in Eastern Africa: Application of a Sampling-Based Approach.

Geng Elvin H EH Odeny Thomas A TA Lyamuya Rita R Nakiwogga-Muwanga Alice A Diero Lameck L Bwana Mwebesa M Braitstein Paula P Somi Geoffrey G Kambugu Andrew A Bukusi Elizabeth E Wenger Megan M Neilands Torsten B TB Glidden David V DV Wools-Kaloustian Kara K Yiannoutsos Constantin C Martin Jeffrey J

Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America 20151217 7

<h4>Background</h4>Improving the implementation of the global response to human immunodeficiency virus requires understanding retention after starting antiretroviral therapy (ART), but loss to follow-up undermines assessment of the magnitude of and reasons for stopping care.<h4>Methods</h4>We evaluated adults starting ART over 2.5 years in 14 clinics in Uganda, Tanzania, and Kenya. We traced a random sample of patients lost to follow-up and incorporated updated information in weighted competing ...[more]

PMID: 26679625

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Project description:IntroductionLinkage to care and mobility postpartum present challenges to long-term retention after initiating antiretroviral therapy (ART) in pregnancy, but there are few insights from sub-Saharan Africa. We aimed to describe postpartum linkage to care, mobility, retention and viral suppression after ART initiation in pregnancy.MethodsUsing routine electronic data we assessed HIV-specific health contacts and clinic movements among women initiating ART in an integrated antenatal care (ANC) and ART clinic in Cape Town, South Africa. The local care model includes mandatory transfer to general ART clinics postpartum. We investigated linkage to care after leaving the integrated clinic and mobility to new clinics until 30 months on ART. We used Poisson regression to explore predictors of linkage, retention (accessing care at least once at both 12 [6 to <18] and 24 [18 to <30] months on ART), and viral suppression (HIV viral load [VL] ≤50 and ≤1000 copies/mL after 12 months on ART).ResultsAmong 617 women, 23% never linked to care; 71% and 65% were retained at 12 and 24 months on ART respectively, with 59% retained in care at both times. Those who linked (n = 485) accessed HIV care at 98 different clinics and 21% attended ≥2 clinics. Women >25 years, married/cohabiting or presenting early for ANC were more likely to link. Younger and unemployed women were more likely to attend ≥2 clinics (adjusted risk ratio [aRR] 1.10 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.02 to 1.18 and aRR 1.06 95% CI 0.99 to 1.12 respectively). Age >25 years (aRR 1.17 95% CI 1.02 to 1.33) and planned pregnancy (aRR 1.20 95% CI 1.09 to 1.33) were associated with being retained. Among 338 retained women with VL available, attending ≥2 clinics reduced the likelihood of viral suppression when defined as ≤50 copies/mL (aRR 0.81 95% CI 0.69 to 0.95). Distance moved was not associated with VL.ConclusionsThese data show that a substantial proportion of women do not link to postpartum ART care in this setting and, among those that do, long-term retention remains a challenge. Women move to a variety of clinics and young women appear particularly vulnerable to attrition. Interventions promoting linkage and continued retention for women initiating ART during pregnancy warrant urgent consideration.

Project description:INTRODUCTION:Differentiated models of care that include referral of antiretroviral treatment (ART) clients to adherence clubs are an important strategy to help clinics manage increased number of clients living with HIV in resource-constrained settings. This study reported on (i) clinical outcomes among ART clients attending community-based adherence clubs and (ii) experiences of adherence clubs and perceptions of factors key to successful adherence club implementation among clients and healthcare workers. METHODS:A retrospective cohort analysis of routine data and a descriptive analysis of data collected through self-administered surveys completed by clients and healthcare workers were completed. Clients starting ART at the study clinic, between January 2014 and December 2015, were included in the cohort analysis and followed up until December 2016. The survey data were collected from August to September 2017. The primary outcome for the cohort analysis was a comparison of loss to follow-up (LTFU) between clients staying in clinic care and those referred to adherence clubs. Survey data reported on client experiences of and healthcare worker perceptions of adherence club care. RESULTS:Cohort analysis reported on 465 participants, median baseline CD4 count 374 (IQR: 234 to 532) cells/μl and median follow-up time 20.7 (IQR 14.1 to 27.7) months. Overall, 202 (43.4%) participants were referred to an adherence club. LTFU was lower in those attending an adherence club (aHR =0.25, 95% CI: 0.11 to 0.56). This finding was confirmed on analysis restricted to those eligible for adherence club referral (aHR =0.28, 95% CI: 0.12 to 0.65). Factors highlighted as associated with successful adherence club implementation included: (i) referral of stable clients to the club, (ii) an ideal club size of ≥20 members, (iii) club services led by a counsellor (iv) using churches or community halls as venues (v) effective communication between all parties, and (vi) timely delivery of prepacked medication. CONCLUSIONS:This study showed good clinical outcomes, positive patient experiences and healthcare worker perceptions of the adherence club model. Factors associated with successful adherence club implementation, highlighted in this study, can be used to guide implementers in the scale-up of adherence club services across varied high-burden settings.

Project description:BackgroundLong-term retention of patients in Africa's rapidly expanding antiretroviral therapy (ART) programs for HIV/AIDS is essential for these programs' success but has received relatively little attention. In this paper we present a systematic review of patient retention in ART programs in sub-Saharan Africa.Methods and findingsWe searched Medline, other literature databases, conference abstracts, publications archives, and the "gray literature" (project reports available online) between 2000 and 2007 for reports on the proportion of adult patients retained (i.e., remaining in care and on ART) after 6 mo or longer in sub-Saharan African, non-research ART programs, with and without donor support. Estimated retention rates at 6, 12, and 24 mo were calculated and plotted for each program. Retention was also estimated using Kaplan-Meier curves. In sensitivity analyses we considered best-case, worst-case, and midpoint scenarios for retention at 2 y; the best-case scenario assumed no further attrition beyond that reported, while the worst-case scenario assumed that attrition would continue in a linear fashion. We reviewed 32 publications reporting on 33 patient cohorts (74,192 patients, 13 countries). For all studies, the weighted average follow-up period reported was 9.9 mo, after which 77.5% of patients were retained. Loss to follow-up and death accounted for 56% and 40% of attrition, respectively. Weighted mean retention rates as reported were 79.1%, 75.0% and 61.6 % at 6, 12, and 24 mo, respectively. Of those reporting 24 mo of follow-up, the best program retained 85% of patients and the worst retained 46%. Attrition was higher in studies with shorter reporting periods, leading to monthly weighted mean attrition rates of 3.3%/mo, 1.9%/mo, and 1.6%/month for studies reporting to 6, 12, and 24 months, respectively, and suggesting that overall patient retention may be overestimated in the published reports. In sensitivity analyses, estimated retention rates ranged from 24% in the worse case to 77% in the best case at the end of 2 y, with a plausible midpoint scenario of 50%.ConclusionsSince the inception of large-scale ART access early in this decade, ART programs in Africa have retained about 60% of their patients at the end of 2 y. Loss to follow-up is the major cause of attrition, followed by death. Better patient tracing procedures, better understanding of loss to follow-up, and earlier initiation of ART to reduce mortality are needed if retention is to be improved. Retention varies widely across programs, and programs that have achieved higher retention rates can serve as models for future improvements.

Project description:BACKGROUND:Adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART), especially during the postpartum period, remains a major challenge in the efforts towards eliminating mother-to-child transmission of HIV. This study examined the levels and determinants of postpartum adherence to ART among mothers with HIV in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. METHODS:In this cross-sectional analytical study, we interviewed 495 postpartum women with HIV between January and May 2018. We measured postpartum adherence using six questions probing participants' adherence behaviours since child birth. We categorised the adherence behaviours into complete adherence (mothers who reported no missed episode(s) of ART since child birth) and suboptimal adherence (mothers with any missed episode(s) of ART). Adjusted and unadjusted logistic regression models were used to examine the determinants of postpartum adherence to ART. RESULTS:Overall, 63.9% reported complete adherence during the postpartum period but the rates varied by socio-demographic and behavioural characteristics. The adjusted logistic regression analysis showed that younger mothers were 70% less likely to report complete adherence to ART compared to mothers aged 40 and above. Likewise, mothers who currently use alcohol were 53% less likely to report complete postpartum adherence to ART compared to those who did not use alcohol. However, mothers who knew their partner's status were twice more likely to report complete postpartum adherence compared to those who did not. There was no statistically significant relationship between ART adherence and breastfeeding durations. CONCLUSION:Postpartum adherence to ART is suboptimal in the study setting, and younger mothers and those who use alcohol have a lower odds of complete adherence. Knowing a partner's status improves adherence, but infant feeding practices did not influence postpartum adherence behaviours. It is critical to design and strengthen interventions which target young mothers and alcohol users. Also, HIV sero-status disclosure should be encouraged among mothers to facilitate partner support.

Dataset Information

Retention in Care and Patient-Reported Reasons for Undocumented Transfer or Stopping Care Among HIV-Infected Patients on Antiretroviral Therapy in Eastern Africa: Application of a Sampling-Based Approach.

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Publications

Retention in Care and Patient-Reported Reasons for Undocumented Transfer or Stopping Care Among HIV-Infected Patients on Antiretroviral Therapy in Eastern Africa: Application of a Sampling-Based Approach.

Similar Datasets

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