Early Tracking after a Missed Return Visit Reduces the Proportion of Untraceable Patients at a Large HIV Clinic in Kampala, Uganda

To determine the optimal time to track patients, we evaluated the outcomes of patients traced after missing their return visits at 3 periods, 8, 30, or 90 days, at the Infectious Diseases Clinic in Kampala, Uganda. During the study period from January to December 2011, the proportion of untraceable patients was 2 (4%) after 8 days, 12 (10%) after 30 days, and 13 (15%) after 90 days. More than 75% of the patients who died had a CD4 count of <200 cells/mm3 at their last visit. In conclusion, tracking patients after 1 week of a missed return visit should be the preferred method of tracking. If resources are limited, patients with CD4 counts <200 cells/mm3 need to be targeted for tracking, as they are most at risk of dying if they interrupt treatment.