ArticlePloS one2017
Specimen origin, type and testing laboratory are linked to longer turnaround times for HIV viral load testing in Malawi.
Article in PloS one, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 24 papers.
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Who cites it
24 citing papers in PubMed, 36 citations in OpenAlex.
- Validating HIV Viral Suppression Threshold Adjustments for Comparable Estimates Using Data From Nationally Representative Household Surveys in Sub-Saharan Africa.Journal of acquired immune deficiency syndromes (1999) · 2026Article
- Article
- Laboratory Data Timeliness and Completeness Improves Following Implementation of an Electronic Laboratory Information System in Côte d'Ivoire: Quasi-Experimental Study on 21 Clinical Laboratories From 2014 to 2020.JMIR public health and surveillance · 2024Article
- Decentralization of viral load testing to improve HIV care and treatment cascade in rural Tanzania: observational study from the Kilombero and Ulanga Antiretroviral Cohort.BMC infectious diseases · 2023Observational
- Progress in scale up of HIV viral load testing in select sub-Saharan African countries 2016-2018.PloS one · 2023Article
- Patient reported experience measures on HIV viral load testing at public health facilities in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania: A convergent mixed method study.PLOS global public health · 2023Article
- Review
- HIV-1 drug resistance genotyping success rates and correlates of Dried-blood spots and plasma specimen genotyping failure in a resource-limited setting.BMC infectious diseases · 2022Article
- Time to complete hepatitis C cascade of care among patients identified during mass screening campaigns in rural Rwanda: a retrospective cohort study.BMC infectious diseases · 2022Article
- The Frequency and Predictors of Unsuppressed HIV Viral Load Among People with HIV in Nyaruguru District, Rwanda.HIV/AIDS (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2022Article
- Achieving consistency in measures of HIV-1 viral suppression across countries: derivation of an adjustment based on international antiretroviral treatment cohort data.Journal of the International AIDS Society · 2021Article
- Brief Report: Time to Repeat Viral Load Testing Among Unsuppressed Adolescents and Young Adults Living With HIV in Kenya.Journal of acquired immune deficiency syndromes (1999) · 2020Article
- Cost and Impact of Dried Blood Spot Versus Plasma Separation Card for Scale-up of Viral Load Testing in Resource-limited Settings.Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America · 2020Article
- Weekly laboratory turn-around time identifies poor performance masked by aggregated reporting.African journal of laboratory medicine · 2020Article
- Evaluation of continuous quality improvement of tuberculosis and HIV diagnostic services in Amhara Public Health Institute, Ethiopia.PloS one · 2020Article
- Infant HIV diagnosis and turn-around time for testing in Malawi, 2015.African journal of laboratory medicine · 2020Article
- Point-of-care viral load monitoring: outcomes from a decentralized HIV programme in Malawi.Journal of the International AIDS Society · 2019Article
- Point-of-Care HIV Viral Load Testing: an Essential Tool for a Sustainable Global HIV/AIDS Response.Clinical microbiology reviews · 2019Review
- Magnitude of delayed turnaround time of laboratory results in Amhara Public Health Institute, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia.BMC health services research · 2019Article
- Viral load testing among women on 'option B+' in Mazowe, Zimbabwe: How well are we doing?PloS one · 2019Article
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Authors and funding
8 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundEfforts to reach UNAIDS' treatment and viral suppression targets have increased demand for viral load (VL) testing and strained existing laboratory networks, affecting turnaround time. Longer VL turnaround times delay both initiation of formal adherence counseling and switches to second-line therapy for persons failing treatment and contribute to poorer health outcomes.
methodsWe utilized descriptive statistics and logistic regression to analyze VL testing data collected in Malawi between January 2013 and March 2016. The primary outcomes assessed were greater-than-median pretest phase turnaround time (days elapsed from specimen collection to receipt at the laboratory) and greater-than-median test phase turnaround time (days from receipt to testing).
resultsThe median number of days between specimen collection and testing increased 3-fold between 2013 (8 days, interquartile range (IQR) = 6-16) and 2015 (24, IQR = 13-39) (p<0.001). Multivariable analysis indicated that the odds of longer pretest phase turnaround time were significantly higher for specimen collection districts without laboratories capable of conducting viral load tests (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 5.16; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 5.04-5.27) as well as for Malawi's Northern and Southern regions. Longer test phase turnaround time was significantly associated with use of dried blood spots instead of plasma (aOR = 2.30; 95% CI = 2.23-2.37) and for certain testing months and testing laboratories.
conclusionIncreased turnaround time for VL testing appeared to be driven in part by categorical factors specific to the phase of turnaround time assessed. Given the implications of longer turnaround time and the global effort to scale up VL testing, addressing these factors via increasing efficiencies, improving quality management systems and generally strengthening the VL spectrum should be considered essential components of controlling the HIV epidemic.
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