Background: With the implementation of outpatient (ambulatory) decentralised rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis (RR-TB) treatment in South Africa (SA) since late 2011, the high rates of loss from treatment are a significant concern. Missed appointments lead to treatment interruptions and may contribute to amplification of resistance, ongoing transmission of RR-TB and an increased risk of morbidity and mortality to the patient.
Objective: To describe characteristics of patients who missed scheduled appointments during ambulatory RR-TB treatment.
Methods: The study was a retrospective, deidentified electronic medical record review of RR-TB patients at an outpatient clinic in Johannesburg, SA, from March 2013 to December 2014. Associations between missed appointments and clinical and demographic characteristics were analysed using time-to-event Cox proportional hazards regression.
Results: Of 172 patients who met the eligibility criteria, 53.5% missed at least one appointment and 39.5% missed three or more. More than half (59.8%) of first missed appointments occurred within the first 3 months after treatment initiation. The median number of days from initiation until the first missed appointment was 82 (interquartile range 52 - 260.5). HIV-infected patients with a CD4 count of ≤100 cells/µL (adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) 4.25, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.49 - 12.18), patients referred from an inpatient facility (aHR 1.96, 95% CI 1.18 - 3.25) and patients aged 18 - 24 years as opposed to those aged 35 - 44 years (aHR 3.26, 95% CI 1.20 - 8.84) were all more likely to miss one or more appointments.
Conclusion: HIV-infected patients with a low CD4 count, patients referred from inpatient care and young patients are at high risk of missing appointments and should receive interventions targeted at improving retention.