Early Tracking after a Missed Return Visit Reduces the Proportion of Untraceable Patients at a Large HIV Clinic in Kampala, Uganda.
To determine the optimal time to track patients, we evaluated the outcomes of patients traced after missing their return visits at 3 periods, 8, 30, or 90 days, at the Infectious Diseases Clinic in Kampala, Uganda. During the study period from January to December 2011, the proportion of untraceable patients was 2 (4%) after 8 days, 12 (10%) after 30 days, and 13 (15%) after 90 days. More than 75% of the patients who died had a CD4 count of <200 cells/mm(3) at their last visit. In conclusion, tracking patients after 1 week of a missed return visit should be the preferred method of tracking. If resources are limited, patients with CD4 counts <200 cells/mm(3) need to be targeted for tracking, as they are most at risk of dying if they interrupt treatment.
Infectious Diseases Institute, Makerere University College of Health Sciences, Kampala, Uganda nakiwoalice@gmail.com amuwanga@idi.co.ug.
Alice
A
Nakiwogga-Muwanga
Infectious Diseases Institute, Makerere University College of Health Sciences, Kampala, Uganda.
Joseph
J
Musaazi
Department of Medicine, Makerere University College of Health Sciences, Kampala, Uganda.
Elly
E
Katabira
Reach Out Mbuya Parish HIV/AIDS Initiative, Kampala, Uganda.
Stella
S
Alamo-Talisuna
Department of Epidemiology and Social Medicine, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium Department of Clinical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium.
Robert
R
Colebunders
D000328:Adult; D019380:Anti-HIV Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001071:Appointments and Schedules; D018791:CD4 Lymphocyte Count; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D059012:Lost to Follow-Up; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010349:Patient Compliance / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D014454:Uganda / Q000453:epidemiology
D019380:Anti-HIV Agents
HIV tracking; Uganda; missed return visit; resource-limited setting; untraceable patients