Rapidly linking adolescents to medical care after they are diagnosed with HIV increases their likelihood of staying in care, aidsmap reports. Publishing their findings in the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes, researchers analyzed data from 15 Adolescent Medicine Trials Network Clinic sites in 13 cities throughout the United States and Puerto Rico.

In 2010, the sites all implemented a program called SMILE, which was created to better engage adolescents with HIV in care for the virus.

A total of 1,799 adolescents newly diagnosed with HIV were referred to the SMILE program during a 32-month period. Seventy percent of them were linked to care, meaning they had an HIV-related medical appointment within six weeks of receiving a post-diagnosis referral. Of that group, 89 percent were defined as engaged in care, meaning they had a second medical visit within 16 weeks of the first.

On average, individuals in the study group were 21 years old.

Compared with those who received their first referral to HIV care more than a year after diagnosis, those who were referred within a week were 2.91 times more likely to subsequently be engaged in care and 1.41 times more likely to have a second medical appointment sooner (otherwise known as faster engagement in care).

Compared with those who were linked to care within 22 to 42 days of their referral, those who were linked in less than one week were 2.9 times more likely to be engaged in care faster and were 2.01 times more likely to remain engaged in care.

To read the aidsmap article, click here.

To read the study abstract, click here.