Proportion and reasons for loss to follow-up in a cohort study of people who inject drugs to measure HIV and HCV incidence in Kerman, Iran

Autor: Mehrdad Khezri, Jasem Zarei, Willi McFarland, Nima Ghalekhani, Ghazal Mousavian, Armita Shahesmaeili, Hamid Sharifi, Heidar Sharafi, Ali Mirzazadeh, Fatemeh Tavakoli, Soheil Mehmandoost
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2021
Předmět:
lcsh:Social pathology. Social and public welfare. Criminology
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
030508 substance abuse
HIV Infections
Loss to follow-up
Iran
medicine.disease_cause
Hepatitis
lcsh:HV1-9960
Cohort Studies
Substance Misuse
0302 clinical medicine
Psychology
030212 general & internal medicine
Substance Abuse
Intravenous
Incidence
Liver Disease
Health Policy
Incidence (epidemiology)
lcsh:Public aspects of medicine
Substance Abuse
Follow-up study
Reminder system
Hepatitis C
Psychiatry and Mental health
Health psychology
Treatment intervention
Infectious Diseases
Pharmaceutical Preparations
Cohort
HIV/AIDS
Intravenous
0305 other medical science
People who inject drugs
Cohort study
Adult
medicine.medical_specialty
Adolescent
Referral
03 medical and health sciences
Hepatitis - C
Clinical Research
Behavioral and Social Science
medicine
Humans
business.industry
Research
Prevention
Public health
lcsh:RA1-1270
Emerging Infectious Diseases
Good Health and Well Being
Family medicine
Drug Abuse (NIDA only)
Digestive Diseases
business
Follow-Up Studies
Zdroj: Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy, Vol 16, Iss 1, Pp 1-8 (2021)
Substance abuse treatment, prevention, and policy, vol 16, iss 1
Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy
Popis: Background Understanding the reasons for loss to follow-up (LTFU) in cohort studies, especially among marginalized groups such as people who inject drugs (PWID), is needed to strengthen the rigor of efficacy trials for prevention and treatment interventions. We assessed the proportion and reasons for loss to follow-up in a recent cohort of PWID enrolled in the southeast of Iran. Methods Using respondent-driven sampling, we recruited 98 PWID age 18 years or older who reported injecting drugs in the past 6 months, and were negative for HIV and HCV at initial screening. Participants were followed at 6 week intervals, alternating a short six-week visit and long 12-week or quarterly visit to measure incidence of HIV and HCV. Methods to enhance retention included incentives for completing each visit, tracking people who missed the scheduled visits through their peer referral networks, engaged outreach teams to explore hotspots and residences, and photos. LTFU was defined as participants who missed their quarterly visits for two or more weeks. Results Mean (SD) age of participants was 39.7 years (SD 9.6). Of 98 enrolled, 50 participants (51.0%) were LTFU by missed their scheduled quarterly visits for 2 weeks or more. For those whose reasons for LTFU could be defined (46.0%, 23 of 50), main reasons were: forgetting the date of visit (43.5%, 10 of 23), being incarcerated (39.1%, 9 of 23), and moving out of the city (17.4%, 4 of 23). Conclusion This study highlighted the difficulty in retaining PWID in longitudinal studies. Despite having several retention strategies in place, over half of PWID were LTFU. The LTFU might be reduced by setting up more effective reminder systems, working closely with security systems, and online means to reach those who move outside the study area.
Databáze: OpenAIRE
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