Patient Predictions Correlate with Actual CD4 + Lymphocyte and HIV-1 Viral Load Changes in an Urban,HIV-Infected Clinic Population

Abstract

Patients who were undergoing CD4⁺ lymphocyte and HIV-1 viral load measurement as part of their routine clinical care were asked to predict the results of these tests compared to their last recorded CD4⁺ lymphocyte and HIV-1 viral load measurements. One hundred eight patients predicted the results of 240 CD4⁺ lymphocyte and 244 viral load measurements. Both Spearman bivariate correlation and a generalized estimating equation repeated measures analysis demonstrated a significant correlation between patient-predicted and actual laboratory values for both tests. Patients with a history of depression were less likely to predict their test results correctly than patients without such a history.