A cohort study to assess a communication intervention to improve linkage to HIV care in Nakivale Refugee Settlement, Uganda.

Autor: O'Laughlin KN; Department of Emergency Medicine, Harborview Medical Center, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.; Department of Global Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA., Xu A; Biostatistics Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA., Greenwald KE; Harvard Affiliated Emergency Medicine Residency, Boston, MA, USA., Kasozi J; United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Representation in Uganda, Kampala, Uganda., Parker RA; Biostatistics Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA., Bustamante N; Epidemic Intelligence Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, GA, USA., Parmar P; Division of Global Emergency Medicine, Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA., Faustin ZM; Bugema University, Kampala, Uganda., Walensky RP; Department of Medicine, Medical Practice Evaluation Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.; Division of Infectious Diseases, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.; Division of Infectious Diseases, Brigham & Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.; Harvard University Center for AIDS Research (CFAR), Boston, MA, USA.; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA., Bassett IV; Department of Medicine, Medical Practice Evaluation Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.; Division of Infectious Diseases, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.; Harvard University Center for AIDS Research (CFAR), Boston, MA, USA.; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Global public health [Glob Public Health] 2021 Dec; Vol. 16 (12), pp. 1848-1855. Date of Electronic Publication: 2020 Nov 21.
DOI: 10.1080/17441692.2020.1847310
Abstrakt: Communication interventions to enhance linkage to HIV care have been successful in sub-Saharan Africa but have not been assessed among refugees. Refugees and Ugandan nationals participating in HIV testing in Nakivale Refugee Settlement were offered weekly phone call and short message service (SMS) reminders. We assessed linkage to care and predictors of linkage within 90 days of testing, comparing Intervention participants to those unwilling or ineligible to participate (Non-Intervention). Of 208 individuals diagnosed with HIV, 101 (49%) participated in the intervention. No difference existed between Intervention and Non-intervention groups in linkage to care (73 [72%] vs. 76 [71%], p  = 0.88). Excluding those who linked prior to receipt of intervention, the intervention improved linkage (69 [68%] vs. 50 [47%], p  = 0.002). Participants were more likely to link if they were older (aOR 2.39 [1.31, 4.37], p  = 0.005) or Ugandan nationals (aOR 3.76 [1.12, 12.66], p  = 0.033). Although the communication intervention did not significantly improve linkage to HIV care, the linkage was improved when excluding those with same-day linkage. Excluding participants without a phone was a significant limitation; these data are meant to inform more rigorous designs moving forward. Innovative methods to improve linkage to HIV care for this vulnerable population are urgently needed.
Databáze: MEDLINE
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