Browsing by Author "Jo Y"

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Attrition from HIV treatment after enrollment in a differentiated service delivery model: A cohort analysis of routine care in Zambia.
(2023) Jo Y; Jamieson L; Phiri B; Grimsrud A; Mwansa M; Shakwelele H; Haimbe P; Mukumbwa-Mwenechanya M; Mulenga PL; Nichols BE; Rosen S; Department of Internal Medicine, Health Economics and Epidemiology Research Office, School of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.; Department of Medicine, Section of Infectious Diseases, Boston Medical Center, Boston, MA, United States of America.; Clinton Health Access Initiative, Lusaka, Zambia.; Department of Medical Microbiology, Amsterdam University Medical Center, Amsterdam, Netherlands.; HIV Programmes and Advocacy, International AIDS Society, Cape Town, South Africa.; Ministry of Health, Lusaka, Zambia.; Centre for Infectious Disease Research in Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia.; Department of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, United States of America.; CIDRZ; Centre for Infectious Disease Research in Zambia (CIDRZ)
BACKGROUND: Many sub-Saharan Africa countries are scaling up differentiated service delivery (DSD) models for HIV treatment to increase access and remove barriers to care. We assessed factors associated with attrition after DSD model enrollment in Zambia, focusing on patient-level characteristics. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective record review using electronic medical records (EMR) of adults (≥15 years) initiated on antiretroviral (ART) between 01 January 2018 and 30 November 2021. Attrition was defined as lost to follow-up (LTFU) or died by November 30, 2021. We categorized DSD models into eight groups: fast-track, adherence groups, community pick-up points, home ART delivery, extended facility hours, facility multi-month dispensing (MMD, 4-6-month ART dispensing), frequent refill care (facility 1-2 month dispensing), and conventional care (facility 3 month dispensing, reference group). We used Fine and Gray competing risk regression to assess patient-level factors associated with attrition, stratified by sex and rural/urban setting. RESULTS: Of 547,281 eligible patients, 68% (n = 372,409) enrolled in DSD models, most commonly facility MMD (n = 306,430, 82%), frequent refill care (n = 47,142, 13%), and fast track (n = 14,433, 4%), with <2% enrolled in the other DSD groups. Retention was higher in nearly all DSD models for all dispensing intervals, compared to the reference group, except fast track for the ≤2 month dispensing group. Retention benefits were greatest for patients in the extended clinic hours group and least for fast track dispensing. CONCLUSION: Although retention in HIV treatment differed by DSD type, dispensing interval, and patient characteristics, nearly all DSD models out-performed conventional care. Understanding the factors that influence the retention of patients in DSD models could provide an important step towards improving DSD implementation.
Changes in HIV treatment differentiated care uptake during the COVID-19 pandemic in Zambia: interrupted time series analysis.
(2021-Oct) Jo Y; Rosen S; Sy KTL; Phiri B; Huber AN; Mwansa M; Shakwelele H; Haimbe P; Mwenechanya MM; Lumano-Mulenga P; Nichols BE; Department of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.; Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.; Clinton Health Access Initiative, Lusaka, Zambia.; Department of Medical Microbiology, Amsterdam University Medical Centre, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.; Section of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Boston Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.; Health Economics and Epidemiology Research Office, Department of Internal Medicine, School of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.; Ministry of Health, Lusaka, Zambia.; The Centre for Infectious Disease Research in Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia.; CIDRZ; Centre for Infectious Disease Research in Zambia (CIDRZ)
INTRODUCTION: Differentiated service delivery (DSD) models aim to improve the access of human immunodeficiency virus treatment on clients and reduce requirements for facility visits by extending dispensing intervals. With the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, minimising client contact with healthcare facilities and other clients, while maintaining treatment continuity and avoiding loss to care, has become more urgent, resulting in efforts to increase DSD uptake. We assessed the extent to which DSD coverage and antiretroviral treatment (ART) dispensing intervals have changed during the COVID-19 pandemic in Zambia. METHODS: We used client data from Zambia's electronic medical record system (SmartCare) for 737 health facilities, representing about three-fourths of all ART clients nationally. We compared the numbers and proportional distributions of clients enrolled in DSD models in the 6 months before and 6 months after the first case of COVID-19 was diagnosed in Zambia in March 2020. Segmented linear regression was used to determine whether the outbreak of COVID-19 in Zambia further accelerated the increase in DSD scale-up. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Between September 2019 and August 2020, 181,317 clients aged 15 or older (81,520 and 99,797 from 1 September 2019 to 1 March 2020 and from 1 March to 31 August 2020, respectively) enrolled in DSD models in Zambia. Overall participation in all DSD models increased over the study period, but uptake varied by model. The rate of acceleration increased in the second period for home ART delivery (152%), CONCLUSIONS: Participation in DSD models for stable ART clients in Zambia increased after the advent of COVID-19, but dispensing intervals diminished. Eliminating obstacles to longer dispensing intervals, including those related to supply chain management, should be prioritized to achieve the expected benefits of DSD models and minimize COVID-19 risk.
Costs and cost-effectiveness of a comprehensive tuberculosis case finding strategy in Zambia.
(2021) Jo Y; Kagujje M; Johnson K; Dowdy D; Hangoma P; Chiliukutu L; Muyoyeta M; Sohn H; Centre For Infectious Disease Research in Zambia (CIDRZ), Lusaka, Zambia.; School of Public Health, University of Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia.; Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America.; University of North Carolina School of Global Public Health, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America.
INTRODUCTION: Active-case finding (ACF) programs have an important role in addressing case detection gaps and halting tuberculosis (TB) transmission. Evidence is limited on the cost-effectiveness of ACF interventions, particularly on how their value is impacted by different operational, epidemiological and patient care-seeking patterns. METHODS: We evaluated the costs and cost-effectiveness of a combined facility and community-based ACF intervention in Zambia that utilized mobile chest X-ray with computer-aided reading/interpretation software and laboratory-based Xpert MTB/RIF testing. Programmatic costs (in 2018 US dollars) were assessed from the health system perspective using prospectively collected cost and operational data. Cost-effectiveness of the ACF intervention was assessed as the incremental cost per TB death averted over a five-year time horizon using a multi-stage Markov state-transition model reflecting patient symptom-associated care-seeking and TB care under ACF compared to passive care. RESULTS: Over 18 months of field operations, the ACF intervention costed $435 to diagnose and initiate treatment for one person with TB. After accounting for patient symptom-associated care-seeking patterns in Zambia, we estimate that this one-time ACF intervention would incrementally diagnose 407 (7,207 versus 6,800) TB patients and avert 502 (611 versus 1,113) TB-associated deaths compared to the status quo (passive case finding), at an incremental cost of $2,284 per death averted over the next five-year period. HIV/TB mortality rate, patient symptom-associated care-seeking probabilities in the absence of ACF, and the costs of ACF patient screening were key drivers of cost-effectiveness. CONCLUSIONS: A one-time comprehensive ACF intervention simultaneously operating in public health clinics and corresponding catchment communities can have important medium-term impact on case-finding and be cost-effective in Zambia. The value of such interventions increases if targeted to populations with high HIV/TB mortality, substantial barriers (both behavioral and physical) to care-seeking exist, and when ACF interventions can optimize screening by achieving operational efficiency.