Linkage to HIV care and early retention in care rates in the universal test-and-treat era: A population-based prospective study in Kwazulu- Natal, South Africa
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Date
2023
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Springer
Abstract
HIV linkage, and retention are key weaknesses in South Africa’s national antiretroviral therapy (ART) program, with the
greatest loss of patients in the HIV treatment pathway occurring before ART initiation. This study investigated linkage-to
and early-retention-in-care (LTRIC) rates among adults newly diagnosed with HIV in a high-HIV prevalent rural district.
We conducted an observational prospective cohort study to investigate LTRIC rates for adults with a new HIV diagnosis
in South Africa. Patient-level survey and clinical data were collected using a one-stage-cluster design from 18 healthcare
facilities and triangulated between HIV and laboratory databases and registered deaths from Department of Home Affairs.
We used Chi-square tests to assess associations between categorical variables, and results were stratified by HIV status,
sex, and age. Of the 5,637 participants recruited, 21.2% had confirmed HIV, of which 70.9% were women, and 46.5%
were aged 25–34 years. Although 82.7% of participants were linked-to-care within 3 months, only 46.1% remained-in-care
12 months after initiating ART and 5.2% were deceased.
Description
Keywords
HIV, Public health, South Africa, Statistics studies, Population studies
Citation
Nicol, E. et al. (2023). Linkage to HIV care and early retention in care rates in the universal test-and-treat era: A population-based prospective study in Kwazulu- Natal, South Africa. AIDS and Behavior, 27, 1068–1081. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-022-03844-w