title: Failure to Return for Posttest Counseling and HIV Test Results at the Prevention and Voluntary Testing and Counseling Centers of Douala, Cameroon: An Evaluation of a Routine Five-Year Program.
abstract: This study examined the magnitude and time trends in failure to return (FTR) rates and the relation between FTR and individual characteristics, tests procedures, waiting period for the results, and HIV test results among people who were screened for HIV in the prevention and voluntary testing and counseling centers (PVTCCs) of six district hospitals of the city of Douala in Cameroon, between January 2009 and December 2013. It was a retrospective analysis of medical records. Among the 32,020 analyzed records, the failure to return (FTR) rate was 14.3%. Overall, people aged 50 years and over, those tested between 2011 and 2012, and those tested in the PVTCC of Bonassama were less likely to return for their results. Significant factors associated with FTR included being a housewife, having a positive/undetermined/requiring confirmation result, and provider-initiated testing and counseling (PITC). There was an increasing trend for FTR in the PVTCCs of Bonassama, New-Bell, Nylon, and Cité des Palmiers. HIV testing and counseling services in Douala district hospitals must be reorganized such that individuals tested for HIV receive their results on the same day of the test. Also counselors need to better alert clients concerning the importance of returning for their test results.
authors.affiliation: Centre de Recherche du CHUQ, Axe Santé des Populations et Pratiques Optimales en Santé, 10 Rue de l'Espinay, QC, Canada G1L 3L5; Faculté des Sciences Infirmières, Université Laval, QC, Canada.
authors.forename: Patrice
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ngangue
authors.affiliation: Faculté des Sciences Infirmières, Université du Québec à Rimouski (UQAR), Campus de Levis, 1595 Boulevard Alphonse Desjardins, Levis, QC, Canada G6V 0A6.
authors.forename: Emmanuelle
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bedard
authors.affiliation: Département de Santé Environnementale et Santé au Travail, Institut de Recherche en Santé Publique de l'Université de Montréal (IRSPUM), Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada H3T 1A8.
authors.forename: Gerard
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ngueta
authors.affiliation: Faculté de Médecine et Sciences Pharmaceutiques, Université de Douala, BP 15253 Douala, Douala, Cameroon.
authors.forename: Dieudonné
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Adiogo
authors.affiliation: Centre de Recherche du CHUQ, Axe Santé des Populations et Pratiques Optimales en Santé, 10 Rue de l'Espinay, QC, Canada G1L 3L5; Faculté des Sciences Infirmières, Université Laval, QC, Canada.
authors.forename: Marie-Pierre
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Gagnon