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Observational Study
. 2014 May-Jun;13(3):232-41.
doi: 10.1177/2325957413514631. Epub 2014 Feb 3.

Retention in care within 1 year of initial HIV care visit in a multisite US cohort: who's in and who's out?

Ellen M Tedaldi  1 , James T Richardson, Rachel Debes, Benjamin Young, Joan S Chmiel, Marcus D Durham, John T Brooks, Kate Buchacz; HOPS Investigators
Collaborators, Affiliations
Observational Study

Retention in care within 1 year of initial HIV care visit in a multisite US cohort: who's in and who's out?

Ellen M Tedaldi et al. J Int Assoc Provid AIDS Care. 2014 May-Jun.

Abstract

Biannual attendance at medical visits is an established measure of retention in HIV care. We examined factors associated with attending at least 2 clinic visits at least 90 days apart among HIV-infected, antiretroviral therapy (ART)-naive HIV Outpatient Study participants entering care during 2000 to 2011. Of 1441 patients, 85% were retained in care during the first year of observation. Starting ART during the year was the strongest correlate of retention (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 6.4, 95% confidence interval [CI] 4.4-9.4). After adjusting for starting ART, publicly insured patients (aOR 0.6, 95% CI 0.4-1.0), and patients with baseline CD4 counts <200 cells/mm(3) (aOR 0.5, 95% CI 0.3-0.9) or missing CD4 counts (aOR 0.3, 95% CI 0.2-0.6) were less likely to be retained in care. Although most patients had recommended biannual care visits, some ART-naive individuals may require additional interventions to remain in care. Promptly initiating ART may facilitate engagement in care.

Keywords: HIV infection; antiretroviral adherence; retention.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Conflicting Interests

The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. The findings and conclusions of this paper are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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