scholarly journals Retention in Care, Loss to Follow-up and Associated Patient Characteristics: A Retrospective Cohort Study among Adults Receiving Antiretroviral Therapy from Urban Health Facilities in Ghana

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Obeng Raphael Kweku ◽  
Anto Berko Panyin ◽  
Attakorah Joseph ◽  
Frimpong Ebenezer ◽  
Morgan Richard
2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Mathewos Alemu Gebremichael ◽  
Mekdes Kondale Gurara ◽  
Haymanot Nigussie Weldehawaryat ◽  
Melkamu Merid Mengesha ◽  
Dessalegn Ajema Berbada

Background. Loss to follow-up (LTFU) from antiretroviral therapy (ART) reduces treatment benefits and leads to treatment failure. Hence, this study was aimed at determining the incidence of loss to follow-up and predictors among HIV-infected adults who began first-line antiretroviral therapy at Arba Minch General Hospital. Methods. We carried out an institutional-based retrospective cohort study, and data were collected from the charts of 508 patients who were selected using a simple random sampling technique. All the data management and statistical analyses were conducted using STATA version 14. Cumulative survival probability was estimated and presented in the life table, and the Kaplan-Meir survival curves were compared using the log-rank test. The Cox proportional hazard model was used to identify the independent predictors. Results. We followed 508 patients for 871.9 person-years. A total of 46 (9.1%) experienced loss to follow-up, yielding an overall incidence rate of 5.3 (95% CI: 3.9-7.1) per 100 person-years. The cumulative survival probability was 90%, 88%, 86%, and 86% at the end of one, two, three, and four years, respectively. The predictors identified were age less than 35 years (adjusted hazard ratio ( aHR = 1.96 ; 95% CI: 1.92-4.00)), rural residence ( aHR = 1.98 ; 95% CI: 1.02-3.83), baseline body weight greater than 60 kilograms ( aHR = 2.19 ; 95% CI: 1.11-4.37), a fair level of adherence ( aHR = 11.5 ; 95% CI: 2.10-61.10), and a poor level of adherence ( aHR = 12.03 ; 95% CI: 5.4-26.7). Conclusions. In this study, the incidence rate of loss to follow-up was low. Younger adults below the age of 35 years, living in rural areas, with a baseline weight greater than 60 kilograms, which had a fair and poor adherence level were more likely to be lost from treatment. Therefore, health professionals working in ART clinics and potential stakeholders in HIV/AIDS care and treatment should consider adult patients with these characteristics to prevent LTFU.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick Arena ◽  
Jingping Mo ◽  
Charu Sabharwal ◽  
Elizabeth Begier ◽  
Xiaofeng Zhou ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Although stroke is an uncommon but life-threatening complication among spinal surgery patients, the recognition of this adverse event is critical given the aging population undergoing surgical procedures. The objective of this study was to estimate the incidence of stroke among adults undergoing elective posterior lumbar fusion (PLF) during post-operative risk windows and among different subgroups. Methods: A retrospective cohort study using a longitudinal electronic healthcare record (EHR) database was conducted from January 1, 2007 to June 30, 2018. Elective PLF, stroke, and select clinical characteristics were defined based on International Classification of Disease codes. Patients aged 18 to 85 years with ≥ 183 days of enrollment in the database prior to undergoing elective PLF were followed from the index date until the occurrence of stroke, death, loss to follow-up, or end of study period, whichever occurred first. Incidence proportions (IPs) and rates (IRs) of stroke were estimated in the following risk windows: index hospitalization, ≤ 30 days, ≤ 90 days, ≤ 180 days, and ≤ 365 days post-operation Results: A total of 43,063 patients were eligible for the study. The IP of stroke following elective PLF ranged from 0.29% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.25%, 0.35%) during index hospitalization to 1.12% (95% CI: 1.03%, 1.23%) ≤ 365 days post-operation; the IR of stroke following elective PLF per 1000 person-years decreased consistently from 229.08 (95% CI: 192.38, 272.78) during index hospitalization to 13.68 (95% CI: 12.51, 14.96) ≤ 365 days post-operation. Stratified analyses revealed that older patients had a higher incidence of stroke. Additionally, black patients had higher stroke incidences than white, Asian, or other patients. Furthermore, the incidence of post-operative stroke was higher among patients with a history of type 2 diabetes than among patients without such history. Conclusions: The incidence of stroke following elective PLF found here using an EHR database is slightly higher than that reported in the literature; however, the discrepancy is due to differences in the variable definitions, study populations, follow-up periods, and data sources between our study and those in the literature.


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