Collins CL, Schalla WO, Cross GD, Hearn TL, Blumer SO; International Conference on AIDS.

Int Conf AIDS. 1993 Jun 6-11; 9: 510 (abstract no. PO-B32-2250).

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, GA.

Clinicians who care for HIV-infected patients use percentages and absolute numbers of CD4+ lymphocytes, determined by TLI, as prognostic indicators for the course of HIV infection. In September 1991, the CDC Model Performance Evaluation Program (MPEP) implemented a survey questionnaire to collect information about clinician practices in ordering TLI. The survey, sent to a random selection of 9,931 clinicians who were thought to be caring for HIV-infected persons, was designed to collect information about clinicians, their medical practice, HIV-infected patients for whom they order TLI, purpose for ordering TLI, information requested from the TLI laboratory, and how TLI is used in the management of HIV-infected patients. Of the 2,087 clinicians completing questionnaires, 1,223 indicated ordering or using TLI laboratory results. Frequently reported specialties included internal medicine (34%), infectious diseases (26%), and family practice (18%). Patients were most often seen by clinicians in private practice offices (40%), university hospitals (14%), and private hospitals (13%). About 73% of respondents reported ordering TLI less than 10 times a month; however, 48 (4%) indicated more than 50 TLI orders in a month. Specimens were most often collected in hospitals (41%) or private physician offices (27%). Accurate results, maintenance of confidentiality, and prompt turn-around time were reported as extremely important factors in selecting a TLI laboratory. Most clinicians reported no problems with their TLI laboratory (74%); yet, of problems reported, those most frequently encountered were results not returned promptly, inconsistent results with repeated testing, and inconsistent results between laboratories.

Publication Types:

• Meeting Abstracts

Keywords:

• Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome
• Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active
• CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.)
• Counseling
• Data Collection
• HIV Infections
• HIV Seropositivity
• HIV-1
• Humans
• Immunophenotyping
• Laboratories
• drug therapy
• methods
• therapy
• utilization

Other ID:

• 93335878

UI: 102205256

From Meeting Abstracts