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Objective The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated use of remote assessments by clinical neuropsychologists. Telehealth was particularly important for vulnerable groups, including persons living with HIV (PLWH); however, limited internet access can be a serious barrier to care. This study examined the preliminary validity of a telephone-based neuropsychological assessment in a clinical sample of PLWH. Method A consecutive series of 59 PLWH were assessed via telephone at an HIV clinic in the southern U.S. between April 2020 and July 2022. The battery included auditory-verbal neuropsychological tests of memory, attention, and executive functions, and questionnaires assessing self-reported mood and activities of daily living (ADL). Results Study measures demonstrated acceptable internal consistency. PLWH demonstrated worse neuropsychological performance compared with expectations derived from the normal curve and an HIV-seronegative adult sample (N = 44). PLWH assessed via telephone demonstrated similar impairment rates to that of a consecutive series of PLWH (N = 41) assessed in-person immediately prior to the pandemic. Higher telephone-based global neuropsychological scores were related to younger age, more education, better fund of knowledge, White race/ethnicity, fewer medical conditions, and fewer depression symptoms. Global neuropsychological impairment was strongly and independently associated with greater dependence in ADL domains, particularly for instrumental activities. Conclusions Although telephone-based approaches to neuropsychological assessment are not ideal, these data provide support for the feasibility, internal consistency, and preliminary validity of this method in a consecutive clinical series of PLWH. The direct comparability of telephone-based and in-person neuropsychological assessments remains to be determined by prospective, counterbalanced study designs examining both PLWH and seronegative individuals.

Background Skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs) disproportionately impact patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Recent declines in the incidence of SSTIs have been noted in the non-HIV population. We sought to study the epidemiology and microbiology of SSTIs in a population of 8597 patients followed for HIV primary care in a large, urban county system from January 2009 to December 2014. Methods SSTIs were identified from the electronic medical record by use of International Classification of Diseases-9 billing codes. Charts were reviewed to confirm each patient’s diagnosis of acute SSTI and abstract culture and susceptibility data. We calculated the yearly SSTI incidences using Poisson regression with clustering by patient. Results There were 2202 SSTIs identified. Of 503 (22.8%) cultured SSTIs, 332 (66.0%) recovered Staphylococcus aureus as a pathogen, of which 287/332 (86.4%) featured S. aureus as the sole isolated organism. Among the S. aureus isolates that exhibited antibiotic susceptibilities, 231/331 (69.8%) were methicillin resistant, and the proportion did not change by year. The observed incidence of SSTI was 78.0 per 1000 person-years (95% confidence interval 72.9–83.4) and declined from 96.0 infections per 1000 person-years in 2009 to 56.5 infections per 1000 person-years in 2014 (P < .001). Other significant predictors of SSTI incidences in both univariate as well as multivariate analyses included a low CD4 count, high viral load, and not being a Spanish-speaking Hispanic. Conclusions SSTIs remain a significant problem in the outpatients living with HIV, although rates of SSTIs appear to have declined by approximately 40% between 2009 and 2014.

Background Understanding factors influencing retention in care (RIC) and viral load improvement (VLI) in people with HIV (PWH) who are out of care and hospitalized will assist in intervention development for this vulnerable population. Methods The study was a post hoc analysis of prospectively collected data. Hospitalized participants were enrolled if they were newly diagnosed with HIV during the hospitalization or out of HIV care. Participants completed surveys at baseline and 6 months postenrollment and laboratory studies of viral load (VL). Outcomes were RIC (2 completed visits, 1 within 30 days of discharge) and VLI (VL Results The study cohort included 417 participants enrolled between 2010 and 2013. The population was 73% male, 67% non-Hispanic black, 19% Hispanic, and 70% uninsured. Sixty-five percent had a baseline CD4 400 copies/mL or missing, and the population was generally poor with low educational attainment. After discharge from the hospital, 60% did not meet the definition for RIC, and 49% did not have VLI. Modifiable factors associated with the outcomes include drug use (including marijuana alone and other drugs), life instability (eg, housing, employment, and life chaos), and using avoidance coping strategies in coping with HIV. Conclusions Hospitalized out-of-care PWH in the United States are at high risk of poor re-engagement in care after discharge. Interventions for this population should focus on improving socioeconomic stability and coping with HIV and reducing drug use.

Background To optimize faculty and trainee wellness without compromising patient care and trainee education, it is important to develop efficient team rounding strategies. This quality improvement project describes rounding practices and suggestions for optimizing rounding efficiency on Infectious Diseases (ID) inpatient consult services at a large academic institution. Methods An anonymous survey on rounding strategies was distributed to the ID Section at Baylor College of Medicine in February 2019 as part of a facilitated discussion on optimizing clinical education for fellows. Results Twenty-seven members of the ID section completed the survey (17 faculty, 10 fellows). Fellows reported rounding for a median of 4 hours per day (range 3–5), while faculty reported 4.5 hours (range 2–5.5). When asked what time fellows should start their workday, the median response was 7:30 am from both fellows (range 6:30–8 am) and faculty (range 7–8 am). When asked what time fellows should end their work day, the median response was 5:30 pm from both fellows (range 5–6 pm) and faculty (range 5–7 pm). Fellows reported signing their last note at 5:30 pm (range 5–9 pm), vs. 9 pm for faculty (range 6–11 pm). Regarding rounding method, most respondents (100% of fellows and 77% of faculty) preferred a combination of traditional rounding at patient bedside and “table” rounds. Regarding teaching method, most faculty (64%) preferred bedside teaching, while most fellows (60%) preferred teaching presentations in the work room (P = 0.011, Fisher’s exact). Both fellows and faculty had many suggestions for optimizing rounding efficiency; the most common was to avoid having fellows see all patients twice daily (“double rounding,” suggested by 80% of fellows and 30% of faculty). Conclusion Overall, the reported behaviors of fellows regarding the structure of their days on inpatient ID services coincided with faculty expectations, although preferences differed between fellows and faculty regarding teaching methods. Avoiding “double rounding” was the most common suggestion to optimize efficiency. Larger studies are needed to better understand rounding behavior and strategies that will optimize the efficiency and effectiveness of inpatient ID consult teams. Disclosures All authors: No reported disclosures.

Background The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends universal HIV screening with a fourth-generation HIV-1/2 antigen–antibody immunoassay followed by an HIV-1/-2 antibody differentiation immunoassay. Discordant results require nucleic acid testing (NAT) to distinguish acute HIV from false positives. In practice, NAT can be delayed, leaving clinicians and patients in limbo. Better understanding of factors associated with acute HIV vs. false positivity among discordant HIV tests is needed. Methods From 2014 to 2018, positive fourth-generation HIV-1/-2 enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) tests were retrospectively analyzed across centers in the Harris Health system in Houston, Texas. Discordant results were defined as a positive fourthgeneration HIV-1/2 ELISA with a negative HIV-1/-2 antibody confirmation test and were resolved via NAT (if possible). Duplicate results and patients with a previously positive HIV-1 viral load were excluded. Results were analyzed (Fisher’s exact test or Chi square) by year, setting (clinic/hospital), sex, age, race, and comorbid conditions (pregnancy, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, hepatitis B and syphilis [rapid plasma reagin, or RPR>1:4] for associations with acute HIV vs. false positivity). Results Of 7,077 positive fourth-generation HIV-1/2 ELISA tests, 488 (13%) discordant cases were identified. Eighty-six (18%) represented acute HIV while 322 (66%) were false positives; 80 remained unresolved (no NAT performed). Median time to resolution via NAT was 21 days. Clinic setting, female sex, older age, non-Black race, and negative RPR status were associated with significantly higher rates of false positivity vs. acute HIV (P < 0.02 for all associations). Conclusion In this large HIV testing program in a multicenter metropolitan health system, 66% of discordant fourth-generation HIV tests represented false positives. Several clinical factors correlated with a higher rate of false positivity, likely reflecting the impact of disease prevalence on the positive predictive value of any diagnostic test. Clinicians may consider these factors when counseling their patients during the limbo period. Efforts to expedite NAT to resolve discordant cases is paramount to reducing diagnostic uncertainty. Disclosures All authors: No reported disclosures.

Background Unmet needs among hospitalized patients with HIV may prevent engagement in HIV care leading to worse clinical outcomes. Our aim was to examine the role of unmet subsistence needs (e.g., housing, transportation, food) and medical needs (e.g., mental health, substance abuse treatment) as barriers for retention in HIV care and viral load (VL) suppression. Methods We utilized data from the Mentor Approach for Promoting Patients’ Self-Care intervention study, the enrolled hospitalized HIV-patients at a large publicly funded hospital between 2010 and 2013, who were out-of-care. We examined the effect of unmet needs on retention in HIV care (attended HIV appointments within 0–30 days and 30–180 days) and viral load suppression, 6 months after discharge. Results A total of 417 participants were enrolled, 78% reported having ≥1 unmet need at baseline, most commonly dental care (55%), financial (43%), or housing needs (34%). Participants with unmet needs at baseline, compared with those with no needs, were more likely to be African American, have an existing HIV diagnosis, and be uninsured. Among participants who completed a baseline and 3-month survey (n = 320), 45% reported a need for dental care, 42% reported financial needs, and 32% reported housing needs that were unmet at either time point (Figure 1). Having a dental care need at baseline that was met was significantly associated with higher odds of VL improvements at 6-month follow-up (OR: 2.2; 95% CI: 1.04–4.50, P = 0.03) and higher odds for retention in care (OR: 2.06; 95% CI: 1.05–4.07, P = 0.04). An unmet need for transportation was associated with lower odds of retention in care (OR: 0.5; 95% CI: 0.34–0.94, P = 0.03), even after adjusting for other factors. Compared with participants with no need, those who reported ≥3 unmet subsistence needs were less likely to demonstrate viral load improvement (OR: 0.51; 95% CI: 0.28–0.92; P = 0.03) and to be retained in care (OR: 0.52; 95% CI: 0.28–0.95; P = 0.03). Conclusion An important and novel finding in our study is that the number of unmet subsistence needs had a significant effect on retention in care and VL suppression. Broader access to programs that can assist in meeting subsistence needs among hospitalized patients could have significant individual and public health benefits. Disclosures All authors: No reported disclosures.

Background. Retention in care for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)–infected patients is a National HIV/AIDS Strategy priority. We hypothesized that retention could be improved with coordinated messages to encourage patients' clinic attendance. We report here the results of the first phase of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/Health Resources and Services Administration Retention in Care project. Methods. Six HIV-specialty clinics participated in a cross-sectionally sampled pretest-posttest evaluation of brochures, posters, and messages that conveyed the importance of regular clinic attendance. 10 018 patients in 2008–2009 (preintervention period) and 11 039 patients in 2009–2010 (intervention period) were followed up for clinic attendance. Outcome variables were the percentage of patients who kept 2 consecutive primary care visits and the mean proportion of all primary care visits kept. Stratification variables were: new, reengaging, and active patients, HIV RNA viral load, CD4 cell count, age, sex, race or ethnicity, risk group, number of scheduled visits, and clinic site. Data were analyzed by multivariable log-binomial and linear models using generalized estimation equation methods. Results. Clinic attendance for primary care was significantly higher in the intervention versus preintervention year. Overall relative improvement was 7.0% for keeping 2 consecutive visits and 3.0% for the mean proportion of all visits kept (P

Background. Patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection need lifelong medical care, but many do not remain in care. The effect of poor retention in care on survival is not known, and we sought to quantify that relationship.Methods. We conducted a retrospective cohort study involving persons newly identified as having HIV infection during 1997–1998 at any United States Department of Veterans Affairs hospital or clinic who started antiretroviral therapy after 1 January 1997. To be included in the study, patients had to have seen a clinician at least once after receiving their first antiretroviral prescription and to have survived for at least 1 year. Patients were divided into 4 groups on the basis of the number of quarters in that year during which they had at least 1 HIV primary care visit. Survival was measured through 2002. Because data were available for only a small number of women, female patients were excluded from the study.Results. A total of 2619 men were followed up for a mean of >4 years each. The median baseline CD4 + cell count and median log 10 plasma HIV concentration were 228 × 10 6 cells/L and 4.58 copies/mL, respectively. Thirty-six percent of the patients had visits in

Individuals with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection are at increased risk for human papillomavirus-related squamous cell cancer of the anus. Screening HIV-infected patients for squamous cell cancer of the anus and human papillomavirus-related anal dysplasia may prevent excess morbidity and mortality. We have conducted a systematic review of the indirect evidence in the literature regarding the utility of anal Papanicolau (Pap) smear screening of HIV-infected individuals in the highly active antiretroviral therapy era. Although there are no published studies evaluating the efficacy of anal Pap smear screening for preventing squamous cell cancer of the anus or anal intraepithelial neoplasia, we reviewed data regarding the burden of disease, anal Pap smear sensitivity and specificity, the prevalence of anal dysplasia, and 1 cost effectiveness study. The available evidence demonstrates that HIV-infected individuals have an increased risk for squamous cell cancer of the anus and anal intraepithelial neoplasia. This review identifies important areas for further study before routine anal Pap smear screening can be recommended.

To determine whether CD4 cell count response to virus suppression during highly active antiretroviral therapy differs according to sex or race/ethnicity, we analyzed data in our observational cohort study for patients receiving their first antiretroviral regimen who experienced virus suppression by 6 months of therapy. In both univariate and multivariate analyses, women had greater CD4 cell count increases, compared with men, as did patients receiving a regimen that did not include a protease inhibitor. Race/ethnicity was not a factor.