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Within the study window, entry to study
was defined as the first clinic attendance, and the endpoint was death. Patients alive and
resident in Jamaica at their last visit to clinic within the study window and with no
clinic visit on or after January 1, 1997 were initially considered defaulted. The
post-study status of defaulted patients was investigated. Tracing strategies included
questioning relatives, review of hospital dockets, letters, telephone calls, and home
visits by staff members or local health workers. The status of traced patients was
converted to alive, dead, or migrated. Deaths were actively traced through hospital and
civil death registries to obtain an exact date of death where possible. Dates of death or
migration were recorded as the date of last clinic visit when unknown. |