title: Appointment systems are essential for improving chronic disease care in resource-poor settings: learning from experiences with HIV patients in Africa.
abstract: Lessons learned from treating patients with HIV infection can inform care systems for other chronic conditions. For antiretroviral treatment, attending appointments on time correlates with medication adherence; however, HIV clinics in East Africa, where attendance rates vary widely, rarely include systems to schedule appointments or to track missed appointments or patient follow-up. An introduction of low-cost, paper-based patient appointment and tracking systems led to an improvement in timely clinic attendance rates and tracking missing patients. An effective appointment system is critical to managing patients with chronic conditions and can be introduced in resource-limited settings, possibly without having to add staff.
authors.affiliation: Center for Pharmaceutical Management, Management Sciences for Health, 4301 North Fairfax Drive, Arlington, VA 22203, USA.
authors.forename: John C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Chalker
authors.forename: Anita K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Wagner
authors.forename: Göran
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tomson
authors.forename: Keith
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: Rolf
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wahlström
authors.forename: Dennis
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ross-Degnan
mesh_terms: D000351:Africa, Eastern; D000553:Ambulatory Care; D019380:Anti-HIV Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001071:Appointments and Schedules; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000188:drug therapy; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006295:Health Resources; D006801:Humans; D008134:Long-Term Care; D055118:Medication Adherence
chemical_list: D019380:Anti-HIV Agents
keywords: AIDS; Africa; Appointment systems; Chronic disease management; HIV; Healthcare systems