Evaluation of a Linkage to care Quality Improvement Initiative for People with HIV

Abstract

Adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) and engagement in HIV care is critical to decrease HIV transmissions and optimize outcomes in people with HIV (PWH). In 2016, the CDC reported that 63% of incident HIV diagnoses were transmitted by PWH who were aware of their status but not virally suppressed. Adult Special Care Clinic (ASCC) designed and implemented a quality improvement (QI) program to facilitate linkage and increase viral suppression rates in PWH. ASCC utilized identified barriers to create a Linkage to Care (LTC) program with multiple components, including a LTC coordinator, proactive outreach, and standardized protocols. Logistic regression was used to compare 395 PWH enrolled during the post-QI phase (01 January 2019-31 December 2021) to 337 PWH enrolled during the pre-QI phase (01 January 2016-31 December 2018). Newly diagnosed PWH enrolled during the post-QI phase had significantly higher odds of achieving viral suppression compared to those enrolled during the pre-QI phase (aOR 2.22, 95% CI 1.37-3.59, p = .001). There was no significant difference between previously diagnosed but unengaged PWH enrolled during pre- and post-QI phases, although absolute viral suppression increased from 66.1 to 71.5% in this group. Both increasing age and having private insurance increased the likelihood of achieving viral suppression. Results highlight the potential impact on linkage to care and viral suppression rates of a standardized LTC program, addressing barriers to care for PWH. Additional focus should be placed on previously diagnosed but unengaged PWH to determine what parts of the intervention may be modified to increase viral suppression rates.

Keywords: Engagement; HIV; Linkage; Quality Improvement Initiative.