A Simple Intervention to Improve Retention in HIV Care

Written materials and verbal reminders from clinic staff led to improvements in clinic attendance, most notably among new patients and those reengaging in care.

Fewer than half of all HIV-infected patients in the U.S. are engaged in care (JW AIDS Clin Care Sep 10 2012), and little is known about how best to retain them in care. In this study, researchers tested whether delivering coordinated messages to HIV-infected patients encouraged them to keep their clinic appointments.

Six HIV clinics in the U.S. participated in the intervention, which involved posters, brochures, and brief verbal messages from the clinic staff, all stressing the importance of regular clinic visits. Outcomes were compared for the 1-year intervention period and the 1 year prior.

More than 10,000 patients were followed during the preintervention period, and 11,000 during the intervention phase. Not surprisingly, both clinic atten…

Reviewing Author

Sonia Nagy Chimienti, MD

Disclosures

Nothing to disclose

Sonia Nagy Chimienti, MD

Disclosures

Nothing to disclose

A Simple Intervention to Improve Retention in HIV Care

Topics

Reviewing Author