Successful Quality Improvement Changes in Ukraine

According to official estimates, 14,000 people lived with HIV in the region as of January 1, 2016, with 7,800 (56%) registered with AIDS services. The QI team identified a gap in linkage to care, with many PLHIV not accessing HIV services after being diagnosed. To address this issue, the QI team implemented a change to provide reminder text messages, phone calls, or letters to patients to encourage them to link to care. The initiative involved 13 ART sites in the Mykolaiv region, which included regional and city hospitals, as well as community health centers. The QI team trained healthcare providers on the importance of linkage to care and the use of reminder messages to engage patients. The implemented change showed a significant improvement in linkage to care. The proportion of PLHIV linked to HIV services increased from 56% in 2015 to 74% in 2016, with a total of 10,500 PLHIV linked to care in the region. The QI team tracked the results of the change and found that the use of reminder messages was effective in engaging patients and encouraging them to link to care. The implemented change contributed to closing the linkage gap in the Mykolaiv region. The QI team plans to continue monitoring the results of the change and to implement additional interventions to further improve linkage to care. The success of the initiative demonstrates the importance of using reminder messages to engage patients and encourage them to link to care. The QI initiative in the Mykolaiv region also highlighted the need for a unified PLHIV registry between healthcare facilities and AIDS services. The QI team identified the lack of a unified registry as a major barrier to linkage to care, and implemented a change to create a registry that would allow for easier tracking of PLHIV. The implemented change showed a significant improvement in linkage to care, with a total of 10,500 PLHIV linked to care in the region. The QI initiative in the Mykolaiv region demonstrates the importance of using reminder messages to engage patients and encourage them to link to care. The success of the initiative highlights the need for a unified PLHIV registry between healthcare facilities and AIDS services, and the importance of tracking the results of QI initiatives to ensure that they are effective in improving linkage to care. The QI initiative in the Mykolaiv region also highlights the need for a comprehensive approach to linkage to care. The QI team implemented a change to provide reminder text messages, phone calls, or letters to patients, but also identified the need for a unified PLHIV registry and for tracking the results of the change. The success of the initiative demonstrates the importance of using a comprehensive approach to linkage to care, and highlights the need for continued monitoring and evaluation to ensure that QI initiatives are effective in improving linkage to care.