A successful model for rapid triage of symptomatic patients at an HIV testing site in Haiti.
Int Health
; 8(2): 96-100, 2016 Mar.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-26180112
BACKGROUND: Attrition from HIV testing to antiretroviral therapy (ART) initiation is high. Strengthening linkages in care from testing to treatment may reduce attrition. This study addresses the question: can social workers accurately identify symptomatic patients during HIV testing and fast-track them for rapid provision of services? METHODS: This study took place at the Haitian Study Group for Kaposi's Sarcoma and Opportunistic Infections (GHESKIO) in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. We compared symptoms reported by social workers at HIV testing using a checklist to diagnoses made by physicians on an intake exam to determine if social workers could accurately identify symptomatic patients. RESULTS: Among the 437 HIV-positive patients included in the study, social workers reported stage-associated symptoms in 100% of patients diagnosed with WHO stage 3 or 4 conditions and in 87% of patients with WHO stage 1 or 2 conditions. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of social worker-reported symptoms for the diagnosis of a WHO stage 3 or 4 condition was 100%, 47%, 31%, and 100%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Social workers can identify symptomatic patients at HIV testing and refer them for fast-tracked services. This strategy may increase the rate of ART initiation among eligible patients.
Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Infecções por HIV
/
Triagem
/
Antirretrovirais
/
Assistentes Sociais
Tipo de estudo:
Diagnostic_studies
/
Prognostic_studies
/
Screening_studies
Limite:
Adult
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
/
Middle aged
País/Região como assunto:
Caribe
/
Haiti
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Int Health
Ano de publicação:
2016
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
Estados Unidos
País de publicação:
Reino Unido