Patient-reported Reasons for Stopping Care or Switching Clinics in Zambia: A Multisite, Regionally Representative Estimate Using a Multistage Sampling-based Approach in Zambia.
Clin Infect Dis
; 73(7): e2294-e2302, 2021 10 05.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-33011803
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Understanding patient-reported reasons for lapses of retention in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) treatment can drive improvements in the care cascade. A systematic assessment of outcomes among a random sample of patients lost to follow-up (LTFU) from 32 clinics in Zambia to understand the reasons for silent transfers and disengagement from care was undertaken.METHODS:
We traced a simple random sample of LTFU patients (>90 days from last scheduled visit) as determined from clinic-based electronic medical records from a probability sample of facilities. Among patients found in person, we solicited reasons for either stopping or switching care and predictors for re-engagement. We coded reasons into structural, psychosocial, and clinic-based barriers.RESULTS:
Among 1751 LTFU patients traced and found alive, 31% of patients starting antiretroviral therapy (ART) between 1 July 2013 and 31 July 2015 silently transferred or were disengaged (40% male; median age, 35 years; median CD4 level, 239 cells/µL); median time on ART at LTFU was 480 days (interquartile range, 110-1295). Among the 544 patients not in care, median prevalences for patient-reported structural, psychosocial, and clinic-level barriers were 27.3%, 13.9%, and 13.4%, respectively, and were highly variable across facilities. Structural reasons, including, "relocated to a new place" were mostly cited among 289 patients who silently transferred (35.5%). We found that men were less likely to re-engage in care than women (odds ratio, .39; 95% confidence interval, .22-.67; P = .001).CONCLUSIONS:
Efforts to improve retention of patients on ART may need to be tailored at the facility level to address patient-reported barriers.Palabras clave
Texto completo:
1
Bases de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Infecciones por VIH
/
Fármacos Anti-VIH
Tipo de estudio:
Prognostic_studies
Límite:
Adult
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
País/Región como asunto:
Africa
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Clin Infect Dis
Asunto de la revista:
DOENCAS TRANSMISSIVEIS
Año:
2021
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
Zambia