High retention in HIV care at a tertiary care centre in Toronto, Canada
Bibliographic Data
Poor retention in HIV care is associated with poor clinical outcomes and mortality. Previous studies of predictors of poor retention have been conducted with a wide variety of populations, using different measures of retention, and occasionally have conflicting results. We studied demographic and psychosocial factors associated with inter-visit interval length in a setting of universal health care and modern cART. Patients attending ≥2 appointments with an HIV specialist at the Toronto General Hospital Immunodeficiency Clinic from 2004 to 2013 were studied. A sub-analysis included psychosocial measures from annual questionnaires for Ontario HIV Treatment Network Cohort Study (OCS) participants. Median inter-visit interval and constancy (percentage of 4-month intervals with ≥1 visit) were calculated by patient. Multivariable generalized estimating equation models identified factors associated with inter-visit interval length and intervals ≥12 months. 1591 patients were included. 615 patients completed an OCS questionnaire and were more likely to be older white MSM from Canada with a viral load (VL) <50 copies/ml. The median (IQR) of patients' median inter-visit intervals was 3.15 (2.78, 3.84) months and median (IQR) constancy was 90% (71%, 100%). Two percent of inter-visit intervals were ≥12 months and 25% of patients had ≥1 interval ≥12 months. Longer inter-visit intervals were associated with younger age, white race, earlier calendar year, longer duration of HIV, VL < 50 copies/mL and higher CD4 counts. Patients who were younger, white, had injection drug use as a risk factor, had a longer duration of HIV, and had VL ≥50 copies/mL were more likely to have an inter-visit interval ≥12 months. In the OCS sub-analysis including psychosocial variables, lower levels of depression were associated with longer inter-visit intervals. Retention at this tertiary care centre was high. Efforts to maximize attendance should focus on younger patients and those with substance abuse issues
Humanities · Physics · Historical and socio-economic studies of Spain and related regions · Philosophy · Urbanism, Landscape, and Tourism Studies
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