The study, led by researchers from Kaiser Permanente, examined the electronic health records of HIV-positive patients in Northern California who were at least 18 years old and newly diagnosed at Kaiser Permanente between January 1997 and December 2007. The study's findings suggest early retention in HIV care is critical to improving outcomes.
"Care providers who work with patients who are HIV positive need to be particularly aware of not just getting patients into care, but then keeping them in care," said Michael Horberg, MD, executive director of research, Mid-Atlantic Permanente Research Institute. "This is particularly important during the first year after a new HIV diagnosis."
More than 2,800 patients were included in the study. Patients who missed one or more medical office visits had a 71 percent increased mortality risk, with 12 percent increased mortality rate per missed visit. Factors for missing visits included younger age, being African American or Latino, and injection drug use.
"What our study found is that missed visits were a greater risk factor for mortality than nearly all other factors evaluated," said Dr. Horberg. "Patients who miss visits early in the care process need to be identified as soon as possible and then intensive efforts should be initiated to improve their chances of surviving."
