The HIV Care Continuum: Changes over Time in Retention in Care and Viral Suppression.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The HIV care continuum (diagnosis, linkage to care, retention in care, receipt of antiretroviral therapy (ART), viral suppression) has been used to identify opportunities for improving the delivery of HIV care. Continuum steps are typically calculated in a conditional manner, with the number of persons completing the prior step serving as the base population for the next step. This approach may underestimate the prevalence of viral suppression by excluding patients who are suppressed but do not meet standard definitions of retention in care. Understanding how retention in care and viral suppression interact and change over time may improve our ability to intervene on these steps in the continuum.

Methods

We followed 17,140 patients at 11 U.S. HIV clinics between 2

SUBMITTER: Yehia BR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4473034 | biostudies-literature | 2015

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature