Investigating lupus retention in care to inform interventions for disparities reduction: an observational cohort study

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease that disproportionately impacts young women, patients of color, and the socioeconomically disadvantaged, making SLE an important target for health disparity measurement and research. HIP Investigator, Dr. Christie Bartels et al. applied WHO-endorsed metrics that helped reduce similar disparities in HIV to investigate relationships between race, disadvantage, and retention in care in an urban lupus cohort. The authors examined predictors of lupus retention in care, developed an SLE Care Continuum, and informed interventions to reduce disparities. Key findings include 40% of patients not being retained at one year, and neighborhood disadvantage was the leading predictor of retention gaps.

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