ENG
ESP
Missed HIV screening opportunities among newly diagnosed individuals at an urban medical center in Santiago, Chile during 2020.
Catalina Cecilia Gutiérrez Ruiz- Felipe Andres Bravo Bravo
- Lorena Rodríguez Alarcón
- Magdalena Espejo Herrera
- Gabriel Llul Morchio
- Fernando Bernal Ortiz
Published 2024-12-12
How to Cite
Copyright (c) 2024 Catalina Cecilia Gutiérrez Ruiz, Felipe Andres Bravo Bravo, Omar Eduardo Contreras Chávez, Alejandra Gavrilovics Becker, Michel Serri Venegas, Lorena Rodríguez Alarcón, Magdalena Espejo Herrera, Gabriel Llul Morchio, Fernando Bernal Ortiz, Patricia Vasquez Toriello
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Abstract
Background: In Chile, several strategies have been implemented to improve HIV testing. Aim: To evaluate missed opportunities for HIV screening. Method: Retrospective analysis of new patients admitted to Infectious Diseases Service Hospital San Juan de Dios between January and December 2020. Results: 221 People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLHIV) naïve were admitted for control. 20% were female and 80% male. The average CD4 lymphocyte count was 255 cells/ul. 71% of diagnoses were made at late stage (less than 350 CD4 lymphocytes). Among newly diagnosed patients, 26 (11%) had at least one missed screening opportunity in previous year. Of these, 18 PLHIV were male (10% of men) and 8 were female (17% of women); 65% were in emergency department and 35% in outpatient offices. Discussion: The percentage of missed opportunities in our center was lower than reported in literature. Identifying PLHIV and linking them to care facilities represents an important step in reducing transmission.