Do Adolescents Living With HIV in Kenya Know Their Viral Load Results? Record Audit and Adolescent Exit Surveys in Kiambu and Nakuru Counties: A Cross-Sectional Study.
Deepa Oja, Alvin Onyango, Cyrus Mugo and 6 others
PMID 40048250WHAT IT FOUND
Most adolescents living with HIV in Kenya did not know their last viral load result.
Half reported receiving it, while 38% said they did not. Older adolescents were more likely to know their status than younger ones. Record audits showed most lab results matched clinic files, but some were missing or incorrect.
Key findings
01Only 52% of surveyed adolescents reported receiving their last viral load result, while 38% reported not receiving it.
0286% of audited facility records matched the national database, but 7% did not match and 8% were missing from the facility EMR.
03Adolescents aged 18-19 were significantly more likely to report receiving their test result (65%) compared to those aged 15-17 (44%).
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The survey sample was small (132 adolescents) and drawn from only six facilities, which may limit generalizability. Self-reported knowledge of viral load results may be inaccurate due to recall bias or social desirability. The study used a national database as the source of truth for the audit, so errors in that database would not be detected. Supply chain issues during the COVID-19 pandemic may have affected test availability and result delivery, confounding the findings.
Declared interests
The authors declared no competing interests.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that the data systems are robust simply because 86% of records matched. The 15% of records that were either missing or incorrect represents a significant risk for patient safety and treatment monitoring. Additionally, the finding that older adolescents knew their status more often does not mean younger adolescents are disengaged; it may reflect systemic failures in communicating results to this specific age group.