Objective We report rates and risk factors for attrition in the first cohort of patients followed through all stages from HIV testing to ART initiation. Design Cohort study of all patients diagnosed with HIV between January and June, 2009. Methods We calculated the proportion of patients who completed CD4 cell counts and initiated ART or remained in pre-ART care during two years of follow-up, and assessed predictors of attrition. Results Of 1,427 patients newly diagnosed with HIV, 680 (48%) either initiated ART or were retained in pre-ART care for the subsequent two years. One thousand eighty-three patients (76%) received a CD4 cell count and 973 (90%) returned for result; 297 (31%) had CD4 cell count < 200 cells/μl and of these, 256 (86%) initiated ART. Among 429 patients with CD4 > 350 cells/μl, 215 (50%) started ART or were retained in pre-ART care. Active TB was associated with lower odds of attrition prior to CD4 cell count (OR: 0.08; 95% CI: 0.03–0.25) but also higher odds of attrition prior to ART initiation (OR: 2.46; 95% CI: 1.29–4.71). Lower annual income (≤ $US125) was associated with higher odds of attrition prior to CD4 cell count (OR 1.65; 95% CI: 1.25–2.19), and prior to ART initiation among those with CD4 cell count > 350 cells/μl (OR: 1.74; 95% CI: 1.20–2.52). After tracking patients through a national database, the retention rate increased to only 57%. Conclusion Fewer than half of patients newly diagnosed with HIV initiate ART or remain in pre-ART care for two years in a clinic providing comprehensive services. Additional efforts to improve retention in pre-ART are critically needed.
Background Treatment protocols and prices of antiretroviral therapy (ART) have changed over time. Yet limited data exist to evaluate the impact of these changes on patient outcomes and treatment costs in resource-poor settings. Methods We compared patient-level data on outcomes, utilization, and cost for the first two years of ART for a cohort of adult patients initiating ART in 2003–2004 and a cohort initiating ART in 2006–2008 at the GHESKIO clinic in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Costs were measured from the health center perspective. Multivariate analyses were conducted to account for the potential impact of differences in disease severity at baseline. Results With the exclusion of patients who transferred care, 92% (167/181) of patients in the 2006–2008 cohort and 75% (150/200) in the 2003–2004 cohort were alive and in-care at the end of the study period. The mean cost per patient for the two-year study period was US$723 for the 2006–2008 cohort vs. US$1,191 for the 2003–2004 cohort, a cost difference of US$468 (p<0.0001). The mean cost per patient alive and in-care at the end of the two-year study period was US$744 for the 2006–2008 cohort vs. US$1,489 for the 2003–2004 cohort (p<0.0001). Conclusions HIV treatment outcomes in Haiti have improved over time while treatment costs declined by over 50% per patient alive and in-care at the end of the two-year study period. The major drivers in the reduction of treatment costs were the lower price of ART, lower costs for laboratory testing, and lower overhead costs.
Social workers can identify symptomatic patients at HIV testing and refer them for fast-tracked services. This strategy may increase the rate of ART initiation among eligible patients.
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