The Effect of Patient Navigation on the Likelihood of Engagement in Clinical Care for HIV-Infected Individuals Leaving Jail.

OBJECTIVES: To compare the effectiveness of patient navigation-enhanced case management in supporting engagement in HIV care upon release from jail relative to existing services.

METHODS: We randomized 270 HIV-infected individuals to receive navigation-enhanced case management for 12 months or standard case management for 90 days following release from jail between 2010 and 2013. Participants were interviewed at 2, 6, and 12 months after release. We abstracted medical data from jail and city health records.

RESULTS: Patient navigation-enhanced case management resulted in greater linkage to care within 30 days of release (odds ratio [OR] = 2.15; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.23, 3.75) and consistent retention over 12 months (OR = 1.95; 95% CI = 1.11, 3.46). Receipt of treatment for substance use disorders in jail also resulted in early linkage (OR = 4.06; 95% CI = 1.93, 8.53) and retention (OR = 2.52; 95% CI = 1.21, 5.23). Latinos were less likely to be linked to (OR = 0.35; 95% CI = 0.14, 0.91) or retained in (OR = 0.28; 95% CI = 0.09, 0.82) HIV care.

CONCLUSIONS: Patient navigation supports maintaining engagement in care and can mitigate health disparities, and should become the standard of care for HIV-infected individuals leaving jail.