Elise Tirza Ohene-Kyei presented data on missed medical appointment rates among youth receiving HIV care at the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine 2026 Annual Meeting [1].
Maintaining consistent medical appointments is critical for youth with HIV to achieve viral suppression and prevent long-term health complications. When young patients miss clinic visits, it creates gaps in medication monitoring and disrupts the continuity of care necessary for managing a chronic condition.
Ohene-Kyei, a Johns Hopkins adolescent medicine fellow, used data from the Strategies to Achieve Viral Suppression for Youth with HIV, known as the SAVVY study, to examine these trends [1]. The presentation focused on identifying the frequency of missed medical appointments, often referred to as MMA, among adolescents and young adults.
The research aims to highlight specific barriers that prevent youth from attending scheduled visits. By unpacking why these appointments are missed, healthcare providers can develop targeted strategies to improve patient engagement and ensure that more young people remain in active care [1].
This analysis comes as part of a broader effort to optimize the transition of care for young adults. The SAVVY study provides a framework for understanding the behavioral and systemic factors that influence whether a patient returns to the clinic for follow-up treatment [1].
Ohene-Kyei said the goal of the work is to improve the rates of viral suppression among youth by addressing the root causes of clinic absenteeism [1].
“Maintaining consistent medical appointments is critical for youth with HIV to achieve viral suppression.”
The presentation of SAVVY study data underscores a systemic challenge in pediatric and adolescent medicine: the 'leakage' of patients from the care continuum. For youth with HIV, missed appointments are not merely administrative failures but clinical risks that can lead to treatment failure or drug resistance. By quantifying these gaps, researchers can move toward a patient-centered model that addresses the social and psychological barriers unique to adolescents.
