The absolute difference in 3-month linkage rates between the same-day and standard-of-care groups was 25.6% (P = .001), and the difference in 12-month viral suppression rates was 16% (P less than .007).
Retention of care, looking only at those patients who continued visits at their assigned clinics, also was significantly better among patients in the same-day group throughout the study (P = .009).
The investigators acknowledged that the study was limited by being restricted to a rural setting with a very high prevalence of HIV and that they did not have information about the possible development of drug-resistant virus among patients who started on same-day therapy but did not complete the health care link. In addition, there was only limited information available about those patients who neither linked to care or dropped out.
Dr. Labhardt said at the briefing that the same-day intervention could likely be successfully implemented in similar settings in other parts rural Africa with high HIV prevalence.