35
views
0
recommends
+1 Recommend
0 collections
    4
    shares
      • Record: found
      • Abstract: found
      • Article: not found

      Barriers to HIV Care and Treatment Among Participants in a Public Health HIV Care Relinkage Program.

      Read this article at

      ScienceOpenPublisherPMC
      Bookmark
          There is no author summary for this article yet. Authors can add summaries to their articles on ScienceOpen to make them more accessible to a non-specialist audience.

          Abstract

          Improving patient retention in HIV care and use of antiretroviral therapy (ART) are key steps to improving the HIV care continuum in the US. However, contemporary quantitative data on barriers to care and treatment from population-based samples of persons poorly engaged in care are sparse. We analyzed the prevalence of barriers to clinic visits, ART initiation, and ART continuation reported by 247 participants in a public health HIV care relinkage program in King County, WA. We identified participants using HIV surveillance data (N=188) and referrals from HIV/STD clinics and partner services (N=59). Participants most commonly reported insurance (50%), practical (26-34%), and financial (30%) barriers to care, despite residing in a state with essentially universal access to HIV care. Perceived lack of need for medical care was uncommon (<20%), but many participants (58%) endorsed a perceived lack of need for medication as a reason for not initiating ART. Depression and substance abuse were both highly prevalent (69% and 54%, respectively), and methamphetamine was the most commonly abused substance. Barriers to HIV care and treatment may be amenable to intervention by health department outreach in coordination with existing HIV medical and support services.

          Related collections

          Author and article information

          Journal
          AIDS Patient Care STDS
          AIDS patient care and STDs
          Mary Ann Liebert Inc
          1557-7449
          1087-2914
          May 2015
          : 29
          : 5
          Affiliations
          [1 ] 1 Department of Medicine, University of Washington , Seattle, Washington.
          Article
          10.1089/apc.2014.0346
          4410545
          25826007
          11fdcd2a-047c-426a-9b7f-9d68c01e9f6b
          History

          Comments

          Comment on this article