Strategies for Linkage to and Engagement With Care: Focus on Intervention

Retention of HIV-infected patients in care is crucial to optimizing individual patient outcomes and reducing transmission of HIV. A number of strategies are available to improve linkage to care; among them, the AntiRetroviral Treatment and Access Services intervention should be considered standard of care at the clinic level. With regard to retention in care, the Retention Through Enhanced Personal Contact intervention has been shown to improve retention rates and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Data to Care program has been successful in assisting public health authorities to locate and return to treatment patients presumed to be lost to follow-up. Patient satisfaction with initial physician and clinic encounters also improves retention. There are some data to support same-day or rapid start of antiretroviral therapy in the clinic setting as a method to immediately establish care and more data on this approach are needed. This article summarizes a presentation by Thomas P. Giordano, MD, MPH, at the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program Clinical Conference held in San Antonio, Texas, in August 2017.