Table 1. Characteristics and treatment outcomes of patients who transferred out and those who did not transfer out from Mzuzu Central Hospital, Malawi, between June 2004 and December 2006.
| Patients transferring out | Patients not transferring out | P value | |
| Number of patients started on ART | 805 | 3370 | |
| Female patients | 491 (61%) | 1977 (59%) | NS |
| Children (aged<15 years) | 81 (10%) | 396 (12%) | NS |
| Median age in years | 36 | 37 | NS |
| Indication for ART: | |||
| WHO Stage 1 or 2 with low CD4 count | 56 (7%) | 530 (16%) | p = 0.016b |
| WHO Clinical Stage 3 | 620 (77%) | 2186 (65%) | |
| WHO Clinical Stage 4 | 129 (16%) | 654 (19%) | |
| Patients transferring out and not traced | 68 | ||
| Patients transferring out and traced | 737 | ||
| Median time (range) in months between transfer out and transfer in those traced | 1.3 (0.03–3.53) | ||
| Treatment outcome statusa | |||
| Alive and on ART | 634 (86%) | 2826 (84%) | NS |
| Dead | 40 (5%) | 423 (12.5%) | p<0.001 |
| Lost to follow-up | 22 (4%) | 120 (3.5%) | NS |
| Stopped treatment | 0 | 1 | NS |
| Transferred out again | 41 (5%) | Not applicable | |
| Month of death after start of ART in the original or the new facility for those who had transferred out: | |||
| Month 1 | 0 | 180 (42.5%) | |
| Month 2 | 4 (10%) | 74 (17.5%) | p = <0.001c |
| Month 3 | 5 (12.5%) | 43 (10%) | |
| After month 3 | 31 (77.5%) | 126 (30%) | |
a
treatment outcomes censored on March 31st, 2007, and for those who transferred out these refer to those who were traced.
b
chi-squared test for trend = 5.8.
c
chi-squared test for trend = 42.3.
WHO = World Health Organization; ART = antiretroviral therapy.