Determinants of adherence to clinic appointments among tuberculosis and HIV co-infected individuals attending care at Helen Joseph Hospital, Johannesburg, South Africa

Abstract

Introduction: Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality among people living with HIV/AIDS. The growing burden of TB/HIV co-infection continues to strain the healthcare system due to association with long duration of treatment. This is a catalyst for poor adherence to clinic appointments, which results in poor treatment adherence and patient outcome. This study evaluated the factors associated with adherence to clinic appointments among TB/HIV co-infected patients in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Methods: this was a cross-sectional study that involved 10427 patients ≥18 years of age with HIV infection and co-infected with TB. We used a proxy measure 'md clinic appointments´ to assess adherence, then multivariable logistic regression to evaluate factors associated with adherence.

Results: one thousand, five hundred and twenty-eight patients were co-infected with TB, of these 17.4% attained good adherence. Patients with TB/HIV co-infection who were on treatment for a longer period were less likely to adhere to clinic appointments (AOR: 0.98 95% CI: 0.97, 0.99).

Conclusion: duration on treatment among TB/HIV co-infected patients is associated with adherence to clinic appointments. It is therefore vital to reinforce public health interventions that would enhance sustained adherence to clinic appointments and mitigate its impact on treatment adherence and patient outcome.