Evaluation of a postpartum linkage and retention quality improvement initiative for women living with HIV in the Deep South

• Published in: Journal of public health Vol. 30; no. 4; pp. 841 - 847
• Main Authors: Hickman, Aubri B., Backus, Kandis V., Burns, Paul, Brock, James B.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.04.2022; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Case management; Epidemiology; Health care facilities; Health Promotion and Disease Prevention; HIV; Human immunodeficiency virus; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Original Article; Postpartum; Public Health; Quality control; Quality improvement; Retention; Support services; Engagement; HIV; Postpartum WLWH; Retention; Quality improvement initiative
• ISSN: 2198-1833; 1613-2238
• DOI: 10.1007/s10389-020-01355-3

Background Retention in care leading to viral suppression is critical to the health of postpartum women living with HIV (WLWH). This quality improvement (QI) intervention was aimed at postpartum WLWH. Methods Utilization of documented barriers and facilitators to retention in care for postpartum WLWH were applied to provide individualized case management and support services for postpartum WLWH who were referred to the outpatient adult HIV program at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. Results Comparison of post-intervention data showed a significant ( p  = 0.001) increase of viral suppression rates at 12 months postpartum when compared to the pre-intervention group; 88% vs 52% respectively. Conclusion Results illustrate the potential impact that individualization of case management directed toward postpartum WLWH could have on future outcomes. Scale up of a low effort, low cost intervention such as the one conducted at this clinic could significantly improve the retention and viral suppression rates of postpartum WLWH in the United States; specifically, in the Southern region where retention and viral suppression rates remain exceedingly low.