Practices to improve identification of adult antiretroviral therapy failure at the Lighthouse Trust clinic in Lilongwe, Malawi.

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

Evaluating treatment failure is critical when deciding to modify antiretroviral therapy (ART). Virologic Assessment Forms (VAFs) were implemented in July 2008 as a prerequisite for ordering viral load. The form requires assessment of clinical and immunologic status.

Methods

Using the Electronic Medical Record (EMR), we retrospectively evaluated patients who met 2006 WHO guidelines for immunologic failure (≥15 years old; on ART ≥6 months; CD4 count 50% drop from peak OR CD4 persistently <100 cells) at the Lighthouse Trust clinic from December 2007 to December 2009. We compared virologic screening, VAF implementation and ART modification during the same period using Fisher's exact tests and unpaired t-tests as appropriate.

Results

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SUBMITTER: Vorkas CK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3294101 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature