Use of an Outreach Coordinator to Reengage and Retain Patients with HIV in Care
- PMID: 28488904
- DOI: 10.1089/apc.2016.0318
Use of an Outreach Coordinator to Reengage and Retain Patients with HIV in Care
Abstract
It is well established that retention in high-quality care and regular visits with an HIV/AIDS provider improve outcomes for people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). However, nationally and regionally in South Carolina, retention rates remain low. We piloted an outreach program focused on characterizing out of care (OOC) patients to identify PLWHA who were lost to care and attempt reengagement through phone call, letter, and home visit interventions. Primary outcomes were reengagement, defined as attendance to a clinic appointment, and retention in care, defined by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) definition (two visits at least 90 days apart in 2015). There were 1242 adult clinic patients in 2014. A total of 233 patients were included in the OOC cohort, according to the inclusion criteria. Of these 233, the outreach coordinator found that a majority of patients, 119 (51%), were lost to care. Reengagement was seen in 52 (44%) patients lost to care, and among those who reengaged, 26 (50%) were retained in care in 2015. This report represents one of few interventions that target reengagement for patients who are lost to care. The use of an outreach coordinator was successful in reengaging and retaining patients in care. It represents an uncomplicated intervention, functional within the current clinic design and available funding structure of the Ryan White grant. Poor engagement and retention in care continue to be significant problems among PLWHA with resultant poor clinical outcomes. Continued focus on new interventions to improve retention in care is necessary to improve clinical outcomes.
Keywords: CD4 counts; HIV viral loads; out of care; reengagement in care; retention in care.
Similar articles
-
Use of an Outreach Coordinator to Reengage and Retain Patients at Risk of Falling Out of HIV Care, Does the Amount of Time Matter?AIDS Behav. 2018 Jan;22(1):321-324. doi: 10.1007/s10461-017-1784-8. AIDS Behav. 2018. PMID: 28451888
-
HIV patient retention: the implementation of a North Carolina clinic-based protocol.AIDS Care. 2017 May;29(5):627-631. doi: 10.1080/09540121.2016.1226478. Epub 2016 Sep 2. AIDS Care. 2017. PMID: 27590445
-
Interventions to reengage people living with HIV who are lost to follow-up from HIV treatment programs: A systematic review and meta-analysis.PLoS Med. 2022 Mar 15;19(3):e1003940. doi: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1003940. eCollection 2022 Mar. PLoS Med. 2022. PMID: 35290369 Free PMC article.
-
Increased reengagement of out-of-care HIV patients using Lost & Found, a clinic-based intervention.AIDS. 2022 Mar 15;36(4):551-560. doi: 10.1097/QAD.0000000000003147. AIDS. 2022. PMID: 34897240 Free PMC article.
-
From access to engagement: measuring retention in outpatient HIV clinical care.AIDS Patient Care STDS. 2010 Oct;24(10):607-13. doi: 10.1089/apc.2010.0086. AIDS Patient Care STDS. 2010. PMID: 20858055 Free PMC article. Review.
Cited by
-
Improving HIV Care Engagement in the South from the Patient and Provider Perspective: The Role of Stigma, Social Support, and Shared Decision-Making.AIDS Patient Care STDS. 2018 Sep;32(9):368-378. doi: 10.1089/apc.2018.0039. AIDS Patient Care STDS. 2018. PMID: 30179530 Free PMC article.
-
Results from a retrospective case finding and re-engagement exercise for people previously diagnosed with hepatitis C virus to increase uptake of directly acting antiviral treatment.BMC Public Health. 2024 Sep 6;24(1):2427. doi: 10.1186/s12889-024-19919-3. BMC Public Health. 2024. PMID: 39243047 Free PMC article.
-
The impact of PEPFAR transition on HIV service delivery at health facilities in Uganda.PLoS One. 2019 Oct 9;14(10):e0223426. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0223426. eCollection 2019. PLoS One. 2019. PMID: 31596884 Free PMC article.
-
A type II implementation-effectiveness hybrid quasi-experimental pilot study of a clinical intervention to re-engage people living with HIV into care, 'Lost & Found': an implementation science protocol.Pilot Feasibility Stud. 2020 Feb 21;6:29. doi: 10.1186/s40814-020-0559-6. eCollection 2020. Pilot Feasibility Stud. 2020. PMID: 32110432 Free PMC article.
-
Exploring perceived effects from loss of PEPFAR support for outreach in Kenya and Uganda.Global Health. 2021 Jul 17;17(1):80. doi: 10.1186/s12992-021-00729-w. Global Health. 2021. PMID: 34273988 Free PMC article.
MeSH terms
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
Other Literature Sources
Medical
Research Materials
Miscellaneous