Blog Part 7: Creating a more integrated, multi-agency approach to managing loss to follow up
While the secrecy HIV is often shrouded in can perpetuate stigma, sharing patient information without the patient’s express permission is clearly off the table and rightly so.
That said, improving multi-agency information sharing does form part of the solution to a) establishing if patients are receiving care elsewhere (via liaison with UKHSA for instance) and b) in re-engaging patients lost to care completely.
Here are two examples of how technology can facilitate a more integrated approach:
Educating key stakeholders
Educating stakeholders about the importance of sharing key information is crucial. Where patients have given informed consent for their records to be shared with GPs, technology can enable services to bridge the data gap between healthcare providers. In doing so, it can create another re-engagement channel for HIV services to utilise to bring patients back into care.
Data visualisation
In an earlier blog post, we discussed the importance of data visualisation. This has a key role to play in facilitating a more integrated approach. For instance, it allows clinicians to quickly ascertain which patients have provided consent to inform their GP about their HIV diagnosis and care and when the last communication between service and GP was.
Where consent exists, GPs can be contacted to support re-engagement activity. Where it doesn’t, engaged patients can be reminded of the benefits of sharing records during routine appointments. Additionally, data visualisation, combined with system intelligence, can display real-time data clearly and trigger tasks that can be completed manually or via process automation – such as contacting UKHSA or sending copies of correspondence to GPs.
Loss to follow up in HIV care doesn’t just compromise the health outcomes of individual patients but our ability to reach the 0 by 30 target. The problem is multifaceted, but technology can support services to understand the scale of the challenge and retain and re-engage patients in care.
To learn more about how Inform HIV and the PHR can support your service to better manage loss to follow up click here.
i. https://www.aidsmap.com/news/may-2023/more-people-hiv-england-have-dropped-out-care-remain-undiagnosed
ii. https://twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1YqKDogMOZVxV
iii. https://www.aidsmap.com/news/may-2023/more-people-hiv-england-have-dropped-out-care-remain-undiagnosed
