%0 Journal Article
%T Missed Opportunities for Retention in Pre-ART Care in Cape Town, South Africa
%A Elizabeth du Toit
%A Cari van Schalkwyk
%A Rory Dunbar
%A Karen Jennings
%A Blia Yang
%A David Coetzee
%A Nulda Beyers
%J PLOS ONE
%D 2014
%I Public Library of Science (PLoS)
%R 10.1371/journal.pone.0096867
%X Background Few studies have evaluated access to and retention in pre-ART care. Objectives To evaluate the proportion of People Living With HIV (PLWH) in pre-ART and ART care and factors associated with retention in pre-ART and ART care from a community cohort. Methods A cross sectional survey was conducted from February ¨C April 2011. Self reported HIV positive, negative or participants of unknown status completed a questionnaire on their HIV testing history, access to pre-ART and retention in pre-ART and ART care. Results 872 randomly selected adults who reported being HIV positive in the ZAMSTAR 2010 prevalence survey were included and revisited. 579 (66%) reconfirmed their positive status and were included in this analysis. 380 (66%) had initiated ART with 357 of these (94%) retained in ART care. 199 (34%) had never initiated ART of whom 186 (93%) accessed pre-ART care, and 86 (43%) were retained in pre-ART care. In a univariable analysis none of the factors analysed were significantly associated with retention in care in the pre-ART group. Due to the high retention in ART care, factors associated with retention in ART care, were not analysed further. Conclusion Retention in ART care was high; however it was low in pre-ART care. The opportunity exists, if care is better integrated, to engage with clients in primary health care facilities to bring them back to, and retain them in, pre-ART care.
%U http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0096867