PURPOSE: Retinal and choroidal ischemic retinopathies such as retinal-vein occlusion (RVO), diabetic retinopathy (DR), and age-related macular degeneration (AMD) are ocular diseases caused by abnormal changes in the microvasculature. The ischemia can lead to macular edema or neovascularization, which can affect vision. Intravitreal injections (IVI) of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) can help to reduce macular edema and improve visual acuity. Lost to follow-up (LTFU) after anti-VEGF injections increases the risk of vision loss in patients with RVO, DR, and AMD. METHODS: Patients scheduled for an IVI of anti-VEGF between September 2009 and September 2019 with either RVO, DR, or AMD were included in the analysis. LTFU was defined as missing an appointment without another evaluation for at least one interval exceeding 180 days. All patients were seen by a single provider at an urban, hospital-based, single-site retina practice in Boston, MA. RESULTS: Among the 698 patients (mean [SD] age, 70.23 [14.2] years; 373 [53.4%] female) identified as receiving an IVI, 121 (17.3%) were LTFU. Age was not found to be statistically different between the LTFU and not LTFU groups (mean difference, -1.67; 95% CI, -4.66¬–1.32; P=.27). Odds of LTFU was lower among patients with AMD (odds ratio [OR], 0.57; 95% CI, 0.36-0.92; P=.02). Odds of LTFU was greater among patients with Medicaid insurance (OR, 2.31; 95% CI, 1.22-4.33; P=.01), compared with patients with Medicare insurance. A trend towards higher risk of LTFU was seen in patients with DR (OR, 1.42; 95% CI, 0.94-2.15; P=.09) and a toward lower risk in patients with two or more eye diseases (OR, 0.53; 95% CI, 0.24-1.15; P=.10). Medicaid insurance was the only significant (P=.02) independent risk factor of LTFU in the multivariate regression. CONCLUSION: We found a high rate of LTFU after anti-VEGF injections among patients with RVO, DR, AMD, and identified risk and protective factors associated with LTFU among this population. Although our results may not be generalizable, data on LTFU in a clinical practice setting are needed to understand the scope of the problem so that interventions may be designed to improve outcomes.

Thesis (MPH.) -- University of Limpopo, 2021 / Background: The provision and success of Antiretroviral therapy (ART) depend on monitoring and evaluation of treatment programmes which should be assessed during regular patient follow-ups. The treatment of HIV infection can only be effective if patients are retained in care and programme monitoring is adequately undertaken to understand the effectiveness of the emerging treatment. The outcome of patients lost to follow-up (LTFU) has received relatively little attention and it is predicted that these patients may have stopped taking antiretroviral drugs, resulting in high morbidity and mortality. The provision of ART was introduced into South African public health facilities in 2003 and therefore, attention has shifted from the immediate need to get patients into care, to the long-term challenges of keeping patients in care and on treatment. The objective of the current study was to determine the trends at which HIV-positive patients become LTFU on the ART programme at Shiluvana Local Area’s six clinics in the Greater Tzaneen Sub-District, Limpopo Province, South Africa. Methods: A retrospective cohort study approach was used and data was collected from the database of patients who were LTFU from 2012 – 2017 in the electronic data management system of the District Health Information System. Data was collected from 1161 patients. Data analysis was done using SPSS version 25, in which categorical data was presented using frequencies and percentages and comparisons between groups was done using Chi-square test for categorical data, and Student’s t-test for continuous data. A p-value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Univariate regression analysis was done to determine the contributory factors to LTFU for a period of more than 3 months. Results: The mean age of the study population was 36.5 years old ranging from 16 years to 87 years old and the age distribution of people who were LTFU for ART showed a significant association (p = 0.001). The study participants’ distribution by gender revealed that majority were females at 71.4%. The study findings also revealed there was a statistically significance difference in health status of the study population and majority of the LTFU were in the younger age group. The CD4 count of LTFU patients showed a statistically significance difference and majority of the LTFU in patients with a CD4 count of less than 200 were in younger age group also. The TB/HIV co-infection in the study population showed a statistically significance difference and majority of LTFU in the study did not have TB/HIV co-infection. The WHO clinical HIV staging in the study population did not show a statistically significance difference. Marital status, TB/HIV co-infection and WHO clinical staging were found to be a strong predictor of LTFU of more than 3 months. Conclusion: The study findings bring with them a number of recommendations such as there is a need to have a standardised tracking method of patients who migrate to other health facilities for their ART treatment. This will provide more accurate information regarding LTFU levels and reduce the misclassification of patients. The age group which is affected by LTFU in all variables was in the 20 – 34 years’ age group. This is of great concern, as this is the age group who are economically active and should contribute to the future economy of the country. It is therefore recommended that a greater focus should be placed in this age group, with policies and programmes that bring them into ART and retain them there. Lastly, educational campaigns, in a form of pamphlets and posters to emphasize adherence to ART and the importance of remaining on ART within designated health facilities. In conclusion, patients should be retained in care for as long as possible to prevent the prevalence of the ARV resistant virus that can impact negatively on the ART programme. Keywords: Antiretroviral treatment. Human immunodeficiency virus, Loss to follow-up, socio-demographic.

Submitted by Liliane Ferreira (ljuvencia30@gmail.com) on 2018-09-24T13:26:49Z No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Tatiana Luciano Sardeiro - 2018.pdf: 2225911 bytes, checksum: 9b46a49c5ee584255e48a89553d577a7 (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Luciana Ferreira (lucgeral@gmail.com) on 2018-09-24T13:32:45Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Tatiana Luciano Sardeiro - 2018.pdf: 2225911 bytes, checksum: 9b46a49c5ee584255e48a89553d577a7 (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-09-24T13:32:45Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Tatiana Luciano Sardeiro - 2018.pdf: 2225911 bytes, checksum: 9b46a49c5ee584255e48a89553d577a7 (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-07-04 / Clinical-laboratory follow-up after an accident with biological material should be performed at occupational exposures with a positive or unknown source. The objective of this study was to analyze the epidemiology of occupational accidents with exposure to biological material among health workers who abandoned clinical-laboratory follow-up. Cohort study developed from work accidents registered in the SINAN (National Institute of Public Health) Information System between 2006 and 2016 in the city of Goiania - Goias. Data were analyzed in Stata with descriptive and analytical statistics. During the study period, 7,265 accidents were reported. Of these, 2,104 exposures were analyzed and the majority of the workers were females, with completed high school and belonged to the nursing team. The accidents occurred mostly due to percutaneous injury (72.6%), involving lumen needles (56.1%) which were used for drug administration or vascular access puncture. In most exposures (60.1%) the resource person was known and the most recommended prophylaxis was chemoprophylaxis against VIH. The dropout rate of clinical and laboratory follow-up was 41.5%. In the multivariate analysis, it was observed that the chances of interruption of follow-up were higher among workers aged 40 or over, belonging to the nursing, dentistry and cleaning staff, who were not using personal protective equipment (apron) at the time of exposure, were injured by other objects that were not a lumen needle, were working on the books, had not been issued with a work accident report and refused chemoprophylaxis against VIH. It was also observed that the injured persons exposed during procedures in the laundry or in the washing of material presented less chance of drop-out. It is concluded that the interruption of follow-up is a multifactorial event, influenced by the care offered after the exposure, the support of the employer and the convictions of the injured. / O acompanhamento clínico-laboratorial após acidente com material biológico deve ser realizado nas exposições ocupacionais com fonte positiva ou desconhecida. O objetivo deste estudo foi analisar a epidemiologia do abandono do acompanhamento clínico – laboratorial entre trabalhadores da área da saúde que sofreram exposição a material biológico. Estudo de coorte, desenvolvido a partir dos acidentes de trabalho registrados no Sistema de Informação de Agravos de Notificação (SINAN) entre 2006 – 2016 no município de Goiânia - Goiás. Os dados foram analisados no Stata com estatística descritiva e analítica. Haviam 7.265 acidentes notificados no período do estudo. Desses foram avaliadas 2.104 exposições, nas quais a maioria dos trabalhadores era do sexo feminino, tinha ensino médio completo e pertencia a equipe de enfermagem, cujos acidentes ocorreram com maior frequência por lesão percutânea (72,6%), envolvendo agulhas com lúmen (56,1%), que foram utilizadas para administração de medicamentos ou punção de acesso vascular. Na maioria das exposições (60,1%) a pessoa fonte era conhecida e a conduta profilática mais recomendada foi a quimioprofilaxia contra o VIH. A taxa de abandono do acompanhamento clínico – laboratorial foi de 41,5%. Na análise multivariada verificou-se que as chances de interrupção do seguimento foram maiores entre os trabalhadores com idade igual ou maior a 40 anos, pertencentes às equipes de enfermagem, odontologia e do serviço de limpeza, que não estavam utilizando o avental no momento da exposição, sofreram lesão por outros objetos que não eram agulha com lúmen, trabalhavam com carteira assinada, não tiveram a emissão da comunicação de acidente de trabalho e recusaram a quimioprofilaxia contra o VIH. Constatou-se ainda que os acidentados expostos durante a realização de procedimentos na lavanderia ou na lavagem de material apresentaram menor chance de abandono. Frente a elevada taxa de abandono encontrada sugere-se a implementação de estratégias para garantir o seguimento e reduzir o risco para o trabalhador.

Master of Public Health - MPH / Two quantitative studies were carried out in randomly-selected facilities within all nine provinces of South Africa. First, a situational assessment of these randomly selected facilities was undertaken using key informant (health care personnel) interviews and record reviews to ascertain guidelines and procedures for early identification of HIV-exposed infants (HEI), the coverage of early infant diagnosis services, the human resource capacity of the health system, and existing linkage and referral system for antenatal and postnatal PMTCT services. This was followed by the South African national PMTCT survey (SAPMTCTE) which involved a collection of infant blood samples and maternal interview data from mother-infant pairs (infants age 4-8weeks) attending six weeks immunisation service points in the selected facilities. Interviews were conducted with mothers to assess antenatal and peripartum PMTCT services received and maternal intention to request for infant HIV testing at six weeks immunisation visits. Data on gestational age at birth, infant birth weight and HIV status was extracted from the road-to-health-card (RtHC). The HIV status of mothers was determined from maternal report or enzyme immunoassay (EIA) test conducted on infants dried blood spots (DBS). A weighted analysis (weighted for sample size realisation and population live births) was performed to assess uptake of services along the PMTCT cascade. Mothers who either self-reported an HIV-positive status or had an EIA positive infant were classified as HIV-positive mothers. Perinatal ARV regimen coverage was calculated from the total number of HIV-positive mothers who received maternal azidothymidine (AZT) or HAART for any duration during pregnancy plus infant nevirapine (NVP)/AZT received at birth. Descriptive methods were used to analyse national availability of EID services and approaches for identifying HEI at the six weeks immunisation visit. Logistic regression assessed key factors influencing maternal intention to receive EID. Logistic regression was also used to explore individual, health facility and provincial level factors that explain variability in mother-to-child-transmission rates.

Master of Public Health - MPH / Background: According to the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) 340 000 children between 0-14years of age are living with HIV in South Africa as of 2019. Decentralization of HIV services was included in South Africa’s paediatric guidelines since 2010 in a bid to improve access to care. The current study sought to address the paucity of Eastern Cape (EC) data on the outcomes of down-referred paediatric antiretroviral therapy (ART) patients. These outcomes included retention in care (RIC) and virological suppression after 12 months Methodology: This retrospective analysis was conducted in the Buffalo City Municipality (BCM) district of the EC. The study population included HIV positive males and females, 0-14 years of age at transfer, who were initiated on ART at a tertiary or a regional hospital and subsequently down-referred, between June 2013 and June 2017. Data were collected from electronic databases at the facilities (Tier.net), patient files and patient registers. A descriptive analysis was performed using SPSS Statistics software version 26. Results: In total, 80.1% of patients successfully down-referred to a primary healthcare (PHC) facility, in a median of 42 days. Of those, 95.4% of patients were retained in care at 6 months and 93.1% at 12 months after arrival, with a median of 4 scheduled monthly visits missed. For those with results, virological suppression was maintained in 96.7% of patients at 6 months, 92.2% at 12 months and 96.2% for the entire post-transfer period of 2-14 months. In the 2-14 months post down-referral only 76.9% of patients had at least one viral load (VL) result and 50.3% had one CD4 result. For those with results, immune response (IR) to ART was maintained in 100% of patients at 6 months, 94.3% at 12 months and 97.7% in the 2-14 month period post successful down-referral. Conclusions: This study confirmed that loss to follow-up (LTFU) and treatment interruption at the point of transfer are significant risk factors for paediatric ART patients. This study also demonstrated high levels of RIC once patients had successfully down-referred. However, missed clinic visits suggest possible treatment interruptions for many patients post down-referral. While good virological and immunological responses to ART were maintained at the PHC facilities, suboptimal VL and CD4 monitoring was highlighted by the low proportion of available results. Therefore, while there are a number of issues to address, this study confirms that down-referral is a feasible option for up-scaling paediatric HIV care in the EC.

This study was conducted to determine retention rate and factors associated with loss to follow-up (LTFU) of adult pre-ART patients in St. Luke hospital, Ethiopia. Cross-sectional study with quantitative and qualitative data collection techniques was used. Review of patient records, focus group discussions and review of program guidelines was conducted to determine level of adherence among pre-ART patients. In addition, pre-ART service quality and perceived reasons for discontinuation was explored. The study revealed that only 38.2% of the 335 patients enrolled in the pre-ART care were retained after 12 months of follow-up in the program. More than half (55.6%), of the LTFU occurred during the first 6 months of follow-up. Fear of discrimination, high transportation cost and mistrust in the pre-ART service were perceived reasons for LTFU. Absences of clear pre-ART service package and implementation guideline were also identified as important factors that may be related to LTFU. The findings call for improved quality of care and a better pre-ART service packaging that will address the gaps identified in order to increase patient retention. / Health Studies / MA (Public Health)

La perte au suivi diminue grandement l’efficacité des interventions de prévention de la transmission mère-enfant du VIH en Afrique subsaharienne. Devrait-on donc choisir des traitements courts ou longs de pTME? Nous avons mené une revue systématique des études sur l’efficacité de traitements avec et sans composante anténatale et évalué l’impact de la perte au suivi sur leur efficacité. Nous avons trouvé qu’après ajustement pour la perte au suivi, les traitements avec composante anténatale ont encore une efficacité plus élevée à prévenir la TME. Les intervenants ne devraient pas craindre l’utilisation de traitements plus longs auprès de populations à risque de perte au suivi. Plus d’études sont nécessaires pour déterminer comment les interventions peuvent être adaptées au virage dans la pTME. / Loss to follow-up greatly decreases efficiency of MTCT interventions in sub-Saharan Africa. Should we therefore choose shorter pMTCT treatments over longer ones? We conducted a systematic review of studies on the efficiency of pMTCT treatments with or without an antenatal component. We found that after adjustment, treatments with an antenatal component still had a higher efficiency at decreasing MTCT despite loss to follow-up. Healthcare providers shouldn’t fear using longer treatments amongst populations at high risk of loss to follow-up. More studies are needed to determine how current interventions can be better adapted to the turnaround in pMTCT interventions.

South Africa has one of the highest HIV prevalence rates globally, with nearly 2.5 million people accessing antiretroviral treatment (ART) at the end of 2013. Retaining patients on ART has become a major problem in this country. When patients no longer show up for ART for unknown reasons, they are considered lost to follow-up (LTF). LTF is the highest contributor to ART attrition. This study, guided by the health belief model, evaluated the effectiveness of a technology-based, mobile health (mHealth) appointment reminder intervention on LTF among patients accessing ART services. The study ascertained differences in 6- and 12-month LTF rates between patients enrolled in the mHealth intervention (n = 832) and those in the standard of care comparison group (n = 918). A quantitative, retrospective cohort approach was used to answer the research questions using binary logistic regression analyses. The mHealth intervention was found to be significantly linked to lower likelihood of 6- and/or 12-month LTF among patients. There were 2 other key findings: a positive correlation between pregnancy and LTF, and a positive correlation between viral load increases and LTF. This study added evidence to the existing literature on the effectiveness of using mHealth-based interventions to improve HIV/AIDS care. Based on these findings, professionals should pay special attention to pregnant women and those clients with increasing viral loads to ensure they are not LTF. Positive social change that may result from this study is better health outcomes for patients on ART due to reduced risk of HIV related complications and other illnesses. This awareness would improve the lives of the patients, and positively impact their families, communities, and ultimately the global community, by reducing the overall impact of HIV disease.

La perte au suivi diminue grandement l’efficacité des interventions de prévention de la transmission mère-enfant du VIH en Afrique subsaharienne. Devrait-on donc choisir des traitements courts ou longs de pTME? Nous avons mené une revue systématique des études sur l’efficacité de traitements avec et sans composante anténatale et évalué l’impact de la perte au suivi sur leur efficacité. Nous avons trouvé qu’après ajustement pour la perte au suivi, les traitements avec composante anténatale ont encore une efficacité plus élevée à prévenir la TME. Les intervenants ne devraient pas craindre l’utilisation de traitements plus longs auprès de populations à risque de perte au suivi. Plus d’études sont nécessaires pour déterminer comment les interventions peuvent être adaptées au virage dans la pTME. / Loss to follow-up greatly decreases efficiency of MTCT interventions in sub-Saharan Africa. Should we therefore choose shorter pMTCT treatments over longer ones? We conducted a systematic review of studies on the efficiency of pMTCT treatments with or without an antenatal component. We found that after adjustment, treatments with an antenatal component still had a higher efficiency at decreasing MTCT despite loss to follow-up. Healthcare providers shouldn’t fear using longer treatments amongst populations at high risk of loss to follow-up. More studies are needed to determine how current interventions can be better adapted to the turnaround in pMTCT interventions.

This study was conducted to determine retention rate and factors associated with loss to follow-up (LTFU) of adult pre-ART patients in St. Luke hospital, Ethiopia. Cross-sectional study with quantitative and qualitative data collection techniques was used. Review of patient records, focus group discussions and review of program guidelines was conducted to determine level of adherence among pre-ART patients. In addition, pre-ART service quality and perceived reasons for discontinuation was explored. The study revealed that only 38.2% of the 335 patients enrolled in the pre-ART care were retained after 12 months of follow-up in the program. More than half (55.6%), of the LTFU occurred during the first 6 months of follow-up. Fear of discrimination, high transportation cost and mistrust in the pre-ART service were perceived reasons for LTFU. Absences of clear pre-ART service package and implementation guideline were also identified as important factors that may be related to LTFU. The findings call for improved quality of care and a better pre-ART service packaging that will address the gaps identified in order to increase patient retention. / Health Studies / MA (Public Health)