The Medical News

blogs

Providing multidisciplinary team consults for HIV patients while they are hospitalized to help address social and medical barriers reduces future infection rates and boosts participation in follow-up care, results from a study on how to reengage patients show. A multidisciplinary inpatient team of HIV medical specialists, HIV case managers, and transitional care nurses assigned to help patients overcome care gaps improved viral suppression rates by 30 percent and increased engagement in care after discharge by 30 percent compared with those without interventions (for whom viral suppression increased 7 percent and engagement 11 percent), researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center report in the journal AIDS Care . Ank Nijhawan, M.D., M.P.H., associate professor of internal medicine, and of population and data sciences As we focus on national initiatives to Ending the HIV Epidemic: A Plan for America , it is important to remember that many people living with HIV continue to struggle with staying engaged in care – particularly youth, minorities, and people who live in the South. Solutions to this problem require a collaborative and adaptable approach. Our multidisciplinary approach of matching the type and intensity of intervention to the level of need resulted in significant improvement in the outcomes of patients with HIV." Ank Nijhawan, M.D., M.P.H., clinical researcher, associate professor of internal medicine, and of population and data sciences at UT Southwestern Fewer than half of people living with HIV receive consistent, ongoing medical care, while vulnerable populations such as African Americans, Hispanics, and uninsured patients are at an even higher risk of disengagement and uncontrolled HIV infection, researchers say. Related Stories