Using a call center to encourage linkage to care following mobile HIV counseling and testing
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 19438875 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Michiel Adriaan van Zyl, Leslie Brown (0000-0002-6778-4984, University of Louisville), Leslie Lauren Brown, Kathryn Pahl (Shout It Now) |
| Year | 2015 |
| Volume | 27 |
| Issue | 7 |
| Pages | 921-925 |
| Publication date | 2015-07-03 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | AIDS Care (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0954-0121 • E-ISSN: 1360-0451 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/09540121.2015.1015483 |
| PMID | 25734697 |
| OpenAlex | W2087848598 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 5 |
| References cited | 22 |
Engaging newly diagnosed HIV+ individuals in treatment is a significant global challenge. As South Africa expands HIV counseling and testing (HCT) services, the growing numbers of people diagnosed with HIV will need innovative links to care approaches in order for treatment to be most effective. While definitions vary, we have defined "linkage to care" as connecting an HIV+ individual to medical care, so that CD4 cell test results are obtained and antiretroviral therapy (ART) eligibility assessed. The study is of HIV+ participants (n = 1096), from either Limpopo or Gauteng provinces from a "Links to Care" program. A two-pronged expanded HCT service was used, which included a community outreach approach to address HIV testing and a call center to encourage and track each patient's linkage to care post-HIV diagnosis. The majority of individuals (51%) were linked to care with a mean time to linkage of 31 days (with most individuals linked in less than 14 days). More females (54%) were linked to care than males (47%) and had higher CD4 cell counts than males; females had a mean CD4 cell count of 440, while males took longer to link to care and had a lower mean CD4 cell count of 331. Females of 23 years or younger had the lowest linkage rate of all females. Findings suggest that expanding HCT services to include innovative links to care approaches can improve linkage to care and subsequently impact HIV prevention
Biology · Family medicine · Chemistry · Child Welfare and Adoption · Computer Science · HIV/AIDS Impact and Responses · HIV/AIDS Research and Interventions · Medicine · Psychology · Genetics
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| Citations per year | 0.45 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2015 - 2025 (11) |
| Highly cited | No |