Association between HIV clinic caseloads and viral load suppression in New York City

• Published in: AIDS care Vol. 34; no. 5; pp. 647 - 654
• Main Authors: Ravikumar, Saiganesh, D'Aquila, Erica, Daud, Muhammad, Skinner, Carly, Hayes, Craig, Seabrook, Tyeirra, Crittendon, Erica, Daskalakis, Demetre, Lim, Sungwoo, Abraham, Bisrat
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Taylor & Francis 04-05-2022; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: Ambulatory Care Facilities; Caseloads; Clinics; Disease control; EtE; Ethnicity; HIV; HIV Infections - epidemiology; Human immunodeficiency virus; Humans; Hygiene; Mental health; Minority & ethnic groups; New York City - epidemiology; NYC; Quartiles; Race; Serologic Tests; Sexually transmitted diseases; Staffing; STD; Viral Load; VLS; Workloads; New York City; United States > US; New York City New York; NYC; HIV; VLS; EtE
• ISSN: 0954-0121; 1360-0451
• DOI: 10.1080/09540121.2021.1896662

The relationship between HIV patient caseload and a clinic's ability to achieve viral load suppression (VLS) in their HIV patient population is not understood. The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (NYCDOHMH) administered a survey to clinics providing HIV care to people living with HIV (PLWH) in NYC in 2016. Clinics were stratified by quartiles of HIV patient caseload and dichotomized by whether ≥85% (n = 36) or <85% (n = 74) of their patients achieved VLS. Multivariable logistic regression adjusted for confounders of age, sex, ethnicity, and race. Provider to patient ratios (PPR) were calculated for each clinic as staffing full time equivalents per 100 HIV patients.