Novel Longitudinal Methods for Assessing Retention in Care: a Synthetic Review

AbstractPurpose of ReviewRetention in care is both dynamic and longitudinal in nature, but current approaches to retention often reduce these complex histories into cross-sectional metrics that obscure the nuanced experiences of patients receiving HIV care. In this review, we discuss contemporary approaches to assessing retention in care that captures its dynamic nature and the methodological and data considerations to do so.Recent FindingsEnhancing retention measurements either through patient tracing or “big data” approaches (including probabilistic matching) to link databases from different sources can be used to assess longitudinal retention from the perspective of the patient when they transition in and out of care and access care at different facilities. Novel longitudinal analytic approach es such as multi-state and group-based trajectory analyses are designed specifically for assessing metrics that can change over time such as retention in care. Multi-state analyses capture the transitions individuals make in between different retention states over time and provide a comprehensive de piction of longitudinal population-level outcomes. Group-based trajectory analyses can identify patient subgroups that follow distinctive retention trajectories over time and highlight the heterogeneity of retention patterns across the population.SummaryEmerging approaches to longitudinally measure retention in care provide nuanced assessments that reveal unique insights into differen...
Source: Current HIV/AIDS Reports - Category: Infectious Diseases Source Type: research