Patient accessibility and utilization of behavioral sleep medicine referrals in an academic center.

STUDY OBJECTIVES: Behavioral sleep medicine (BSM) is a subspecialty that combines behavioral psychology and sleep medicine specialties. The objective of this study was to analyze referral patterns to a BSM clinic. The three specific aims were: (1) describe factors that predict referral acceptance, (2) identify barriers to attending initial appointment, and (3) describe variables associated with the number of visits attended. METHODS: Retrospective chart reviews were conducted as part of a quality improvement project by this study team's clinical setting. Adults over 21 years of age who were referred to a behavioral sleep medicine clinic in an urban Midwestern academic healthcare system between 2014-2019 were included in this study. RESULTS: Sleep medicine was the main referral source for BSM patients (74.2%), followed by internal medicine (9.3%) and neurology/psychiatry (7.3%). Thirty-eight percent of patients did not schedule an appointment after a referral for BSM was initiated. Younger age, longer distance from clinic, commercial insurance and out of network insurance were all significantly greater for non-schedulers. Eighty-three percent of patients did attend the initial intake session with BSM providers. Older age was associated with lower likelihood of not attending scheduled BSM appointments. CONCLUSIONS: Patient characteristics of older age, closer distance from clinic, and in network insurance coverage were found to significantly increase the likelihood of BSM scheduling, while younger age, Black race and not getting a primary sleep disorder diagnosis (versus a diagnosis of Insomnia Disorder) and shorter days from referral to appointment were associated with an increased likelihood of not attending the scheduled BSM treatment engagement.

Adaptation of the Client Diagnostic Questionnaire for East Africa.

Research increasingly involves cross-cultural work with non-English-speaking populations, necessitating translation and cultural validation of research tools. This paper describes the process of translating and criterion validation of the Client Diagnostic Questionnaire (CDQ) for use in a multisite study in Kenya and Uganda. The English CDQ was translated into Swahili, Dholuo (Kenya) and Runyankole/Rukiga (Uganda) by expert translators. The translated documents underwent face validation by a bilingual committee, who resolved unclear statements, agreed on final translations and reviewed back translations to English. A diagnostic interview by a mental health specialist was used for criterion validation, and Kappa statistics assessed the strength of agreement between non-specialist scores and mental health professionals' diagnoses. Achieving semantic equivalence between translations was a challenge. Validation analysis was done with 30 participants at each site (median age 32.3 years (IQR = (26.5, 36.3)); 58 (64.4%) female). The sensitivity was 86.7%, specificity 64.4%, positive predictive value 70.9% and negative predictive value 82.9%. Diagnostic accuracy by the non-specialist was 75.6%. Agreement was substantial for major depressive episode and positive alcohol (past 6 months) and alcohol abuse (past 30 days). Agreement was moderate for other depressive disorders, panic disorder and psychosis screen; fair for generalized anxiety, drug abuse (past 6 months) and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD); and poor for drug abuse (past 30 days). Variability of agreement between sites was seen for drug use (past 6 months) and PTSD. Our study successfully adapted the CDQ for use among people living with HIV in East Africa. We established that trained non-specialists can use the CDQ to screen for common mental health and substance use disorders with reasonable accuracy. Its use has the potential to increase case identification, improve linkage to mental healthcare, and improve outcomes. We recommend further studies to establish the psychometric properties of the translated tool.

Real-World Cervical Cancer Screening Uptake and Predictors of Visual Inspection With Acetic Acid Positivity Among Women Living With HIV in Care Programs in Western Kenya.

PURPOSE: To achieve the WHO cervical cancer elimination targets, countries globally must achieve 70% cervical cancer screening (CCS) coverage. We evaluated CCS uptake and predictors of screening positive at two public HIV care programs in western Kenya. METHODS: From October 2007 to February 2019, data from the Family AIDS Care and Education Services (FACES) and Academic Model Providing Access to Healthcare (AMPATH) programs in western Kenya were analyzed. The study population included women age 18-65 years enrolled in HIV care. Screening uptake was calculated annually and overall, determining the proportion of eligible women screened. Multivariate logistic regression assessed predictors of positive screening outcomes. RESULTS: There were 57,298 women living with HIV (WLWHIV) eligible for CCS across both programs during the study period. The mean age was 31.4 years (IQR, 25.9-37.8), and 39% were on antiretroviral therapy (ART) at the first CCS-eligible visit. Of all eligible women, 29.4% (95% CI, 29.1 to 29.8) underwent CCS during the study period, 27.0% (95% CI, 26.5 to 27.4) in the AMPATH program, and 35.6% (95% CI, 34.9 to 36.4) in the FACES program. Annual screening uptake varied greatly in both programs, with coverage as low as 1% of eligible WLWHIV during specific years. Age at first screening, CD4 count within 90 days of screening, current use of ART, and program (AMPATH v FACES) were each statistically significant predictors of positive screening. CONCLUSION: CCS uptake at two large HIV care programs in Kenya fell short of the WHO's 70% screening target. Screening rates varied significantly on the basis of the availability of funding specific to CCS, reflecting the limitations of vertical funding programs.