Engagement in Outpatient Care for Persons Living with HIV in the United States

Prior studies that have assessed engagement within the various stages of care for persons living with HIV (PLWH) studied patients receiving care in HIV medical care facilities. These data are not representative of care received throughout the United States, as not all PLWH receive care in HIV clinics. This study evaluated engagement in outpatient care and healthcare utilization for PLWH, beyond facilities that specialize in HIV. Cross-sectional data were from the 2009–2010 National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey. Levels of care included receiving any care, receiving HIV-related care, established in care, engaged in care, and prescribed antiretroviral therapy (ARV). Factors associated with ARV prescription were determined by logistic regression. We analyzed data for ∼2.6 million outpatient clinic visits for PLWH. Of these, 90% were receiving HIV-related care, 86% were established in care, 75% were engaged in care, and 65% were prescribed ARV. In stratified analysis, the proportion of PWLH who were engaged in care varied by race/ethnicity (p<0.001) and ARV prescription varied significantly across the three age groups (p=0.004). Clinic visits within the past year did not differ for those prescribed ARV vs. not prescribed ARV [median, IQR=3.3 visits (1.8–5.6) vs. 3.6 visits (1.3–5.9); p=0.7]. Seeing a physician was associated with ARV prescription (OR=0.27, 95% CI=0.15–0.51), whereas routine engagement in care was not associated with ARV prescription (OR=0.99, 95% CI=0.96–1.03). Given that non-ARV-treated PLWH utilized outpatient care services at rates similar to ARV-treated PLWH, these routine clinic visits are missed opportunities for increasing ARV prescription in untreated patients

Medication Adherence Among Men Who Have Sex with Men at Risk for HIV Infection in the United States: Implications for Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis Implementation

Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is a promising HIV prevention approach for men who have sex with men (MSM), however non-adherence could limit its effectiveness. Understanding the experiences of HIV-uninfected MSM taking routine medications can provide valuable insights into open label PrEP adherence in real world settings and guide development of PrEP adherence interventions. In this study, we examined self-reported medication-taking experiences and facilitators and barriers of medication adherence among a geographically-diverse online sample of HIV-uninfected US MSM. Among 1480 participants, 806 (54%) reported taking medications regularly, of whom 80% reported taking medications for treatment and 55% for prevention purposes. Facilitators of medication adherence included establishing a routine, keeping medication visible, and using a pill-box; barriers included forgetting, changes in routine, and being busy or away from home. Only 45% rated their medication-taking ability as excellent, and 36% reported not missing any doses in the past 30 days. In multivariable analyses, older men and those not reporting any adherence barriers were more likely to report excellent adherence, and men willing to use PrEP were more likely to report perfect 30-day adherence. Counseling strategies to build pill-taking routines and support younger MSM are suggested to maximize the public health impact of PrEP