Cause of poor retention in care in adult HIV patients on treatment at the Bafoussam Regional Hospital, Cameroon

3^rd International Conference on HIV/AIDS, STDs & STIs

November 30 - December 02, 2015 Atlanta, USA

Atemnkeng Francis Njukeng

Bafoussam Regional Hospital, Cameroon

Posters-Accepted Abstracts: J AIDS Clin Res

Abstract :

Achieving 95% of adherence is a major problem faced among HIV/AIDS patients at the Bafoussam Regional Hospital. With an active file of about 4500 patients on treatment at the centre, an average of about 300 patients per month do not report to the pharmacy for refill of drugs. A descriptive study was carried out at the Approved Treatment Centre of the Bafoussam Regional Hospital to identify the reasons why adult patients on ART did not report to the centre for refill. The study included 304 patients who were lost to follow-up in the month of January 2015. Firstly, phone calls were made to contact these subjects, then an interview with those who finally returned to the centre. The median age group was 35-45 years, 59.5% were females. After the phone calls were made, 56% of phone numbers were not going through; 18% (54) promised to come back; the rest were reported either dead or did not pick up their phone. Of the 54 subjects who promised to return, 52 were received and interviewed; 46% (24) were resident out of town (Bafoussam) and could not travel; 17 said they were tired of taking ART, 8 declared to have been admitted in another hospital, 7 were receiving traditional medicines, 7 could not afford the transport fare to the treatment centre, 3 were derailed by pastors who declared them healed; 10 other patients declared to still have medicines. Therefore, HIV patients in Bafoussam are encouraged to receive ART in their hometown.

Biography :

Atemnkeng Francis Njukeng completed his Medical studies from Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Yaounde 1 in 2012, and an Inter- University Diploma in the Comprehensive Care of People Living With HIV/AIDS from the University of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso and Université de Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris, France in 2014. He is the Assistant Coordinator of the Reference Treatment Centre of the Bafoussam Regional Hospital. He has published 1 paper in BMC Pregnancy & Childbirth, and had a poster presentation at the IAS 2015 that held in Vancouver, Canada.

Email: atemnkeng_f@yahoo.com