Black Men Who Have Sex with Men with HIV and Providers in HIV Care Settings Reflect on Stigma Reducing Strategies to Promote Engagement in Health Care

Barriers to Retention in Care among Adults with HIV in Developed Countries: An Integrative Review

Focusing on factors hindering viral suppression is essential for improving the health outcomes of people with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and working towards ending the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The aim of this integrative review is to create an overview of barriers to retention in care among adults with HIV living in developed countries. Based on a systematic literature search across EMBASE, PubMed, Scopus, CINAHL, and PsycInfo, 4,089 studies of various methodology were identified. A total of 52 studies met the inclusion criteria. Quality assessment was performed using the Mixed Method Appraisal Tool. Based on thematic analysis, the following five main themes were identified as most common barriers to retention in care: financial challenges, logistical challenges, stigma, mental health problems, and substance use. The integrative review highlights that various factors can hinder retention in care and underscores that strategies to promote retention in care should be person-centered and targeted the individual person's barriers to retention in care.

Health literacy mediates the association between cognition and healthcare provider interactions among gay and bisexual men with HIV disease

Introduction: Gay and bisexual men (GBM) account for the highest rates of incident infection with HIV in the U.S., and experience social, systemic barriers to accessing and engaging in healthcare services. Interacting with healthcare providers can be a complex process for some GBM with HIV disease. The current study examined the contributions of cognition and health literacy to perceived interactions with healthcare providers among GBM with HIV disease. Methods: The sample included 100 adults with HIV disease (ages 24-75) who identified as GBM. All participants completed the Dealing with Health Professionals subscale of the Beliefs Related to Medication Adherence survey, as well as the Cogstate neuropsychological battery, self-report measures of cognitive symptoms, and well-validated measures of health literacy. Results: Worse performance-based cognition and subjective cognitive symptoms were both associated with perceived difficulties dealing with healthcare providers, but these associations were fully mediated by lower health literacy. Conclusion: Health literacy may play a role in the association between poorer cognitive functioning and difficulties navigating healthcare interactions among GBM with HIV disease. Further studies are needed to determine whether cognitive approaches to enhancing the access, understanding, and use of health information in GBM with HIV disease improves healthcare interactions and outcomes.

The acceptability of combined management of comorbid obesity and back pain in a rural population: a mediation analysis

AIMS

We do not know if patients find the coordinated treatment of comorbid obesity and low back pain acceptable in clinical practice. The primary purpose of this study is to evaluate patient-level interest in a combined back pain and obesity specialty treatment clinic.

METHODS

A survey was sent to patients over 18 with a diagnosis of back pain and a BMI over 30 through their electronic medical records. Statistical analysis was carried out to examine the role of weight and pain stigma in mediating beliefs about weight and back pain on interest in a combined clinic.

RESULTS

1290 people responded. Respondents reported moderate levels of experienced stigma relating to pain (9.4 ± 6.6) using the 32-point Stigma Scale for Chronic Illness and obesity (3.5 ± 1.1) using the 6-point Weight Bias Internalization Scale. Respondents expressed a moderate belief that back pain and weight were related (70.8% ± 21.7). Most patients (69.2%) were interested in a joint clinic.

CONCLUSIONS

In a target population of patients with obesity and back pain, a combined clinic treatment plan is desirable. These results support the need to explore the feasibility and sustainability of innovative, combined, holistic care clinics to treat people with obesity and back pain.

Continuous care engagement in clinical practice: perspectives on selected current strategies for people with HIV in the United States

INTRODUCTION

Modern antiretroviral therapy is associated with reduced rates of HIV-related morbidity and mortality. HIV viral suppression and retention in care are critically important outcomes requiring successful continuous patient engagement. However, barriers to such engagement are complex and require innovative solutions.

AREAS COVERED

A multistakeholder group of experts comprising clinicians and service delivery researchers assembled to clarify what constitutes engagement in HIV care and identify overarching themes that inform strategies in this field. This article captures this expert opinion and adds relevant literature on selected current best practices.

EXPERT OPINION

The multistakeholder group felt strongly that a better understanding of the facilitators of continuous care engagement was critical. Unlike 'retention in care,' 'engagement in care' for an individual is nuanced, flexible, evolves and requires ongoing communication between patients, providers, and other key stakeholders. The following approaches highlight care engagement strategies at different stakeholder levels: 1) patient-level: personalized care and incentivization; 2) clinic-level: wraparound, co-localized, patient-centered low-barrier care, a diverse multidisciplinary team, patient support networks, and expanded use of telemedicine; 3) healthcare system-level: utilization of external partnerships. We propose a series of diverse and complementary approaches based on a more nuanced understanding of the qualitative aspects of engagement in care.

Using a Health Information Exchange to Characterize Changes in HIV Viral Load Suppression and Disparities During the COVID-19 Pandemic in New York City

Background

HIV viral suppression requires sustained engagement in care. The COVID-19 pandemic challenged care accessibility for many people living with HIV (PLWH). We used health information exchange data to evaluate the effect of pandemic-related disruptions in HIV care on viral load suppression (VLS) and to examine racial/ethnic disparities in VLS.

Methods

We performed a retrospective observational cohort study of PLWH using data from a regional health information exchange in the New York City region between 1 January 2018 and 31 December 2022. We established 2 cohorts: PLWH who received HIV care in 2020 (cohort A) and PLWH who did not receive HIV care in 2020 (cohort B). We categorized HIV VLS outcomes as suppressed or not suppressed and calculated the prevalence of VLS between 2018 and 2022. We compared proportions using chi-square tests and used unadjusted and adjusted logistic regression to estimate the association among variables, including race/ethnicity, cohort, and VLS.

Results

Of 5 301 578 patients, 34 611 met our inclusion criteria for PLWH, 11 653 for cohort A, and 3141 for cohort B. In 2019, cohort B had a lower prevalence of VLS than cohort A (86% vs 89%, P < .001). Between 2019 and 2021, VLS dropped significantly among cohort B (86% to 81%, P < .001) while staying constant in cohort A (89% to 89%, P = .62). By 2022, members of cohort B were less likely than cohort A to be receiving HIV care in New York City (74% vs 88%, P < .001). Within both cohorts, Black and Hispanic patients had lower odds of VLS than White patients.

Conclusions

In New York City, VLS remained high among PLWH who continued to receive care in 2020 and dropped among PLWH who did not receive care. VLS was lower among Black and Hispanic patients even after controlling for receipt of care.

The role of internalised HIV stigma in disclosure of maternal HIV serostatus to children perinatally HIV-exposed but uninfected: a prospective study in the United States

INTRODUCTION

Decisions to disclose HIV serostatus may be complicated by internalised HIV stigma. We evaluated the association of internalised HIV stigma in biological mothers living with HIV with disclosure of their serostatus to their children perinatally HIV-exposed but uninfected (CHEU).

METHODS

Mothers and their CHEU were enrolled in the United States (U.S.)-based Surveillance Monitoring for Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) Toxicities (SMARTT) study of the Pediatric HIV/AIDS Cohort Study (PHACS), a longitudinal study of outcomes related to in utero exposure to HIV and ART among CHEU. Mothers completing at least one stigma and disclosure assessment starting at the child's age 11-, 13-, 15- and/or 17-year study visits between 16 August 2016 and 1 October 2020 were eligible. Stigma was measured with the 28-item Internalised HIV Stigma Scale (IHSS). Mean stigma scores were linearly transformed to a range of 0-100, with higher scores indicating greater levels of stigma. At each visit, mothers were asked if their child was aware of their HIV diagnosis and at what age the child became aware. The Kaplan-Meier estimator evaluated the cumulative probability of disclosure at each child age. Logistic regression models with generalised estimating equations to account for repeated measures were fit to examine the association between stigma and disclosure, controlling for relevant socio-demographic variables.

RESULTS

Included were 438 mothers of 576 children (mean age 41.5 years, 60% U.S.-born, 60% Black/African American and 37% with household income ≤$10,000). The prevalence of disclosure across all visits was 29%. Mothers whose children were aware versus not aware of their serostatus reported lower mean IHSS scores (38.2 vs. 45.6, respectively). The cumulative proportion of disclosure by age 11 was 18.4% (95% CI: 15.5%, 21.8%) and 41% by age 17 (95% CI: 35.2%, 47.4%). At all child ages, disclosure was higher among children of U.S.-born versus non-U.S.-born mothers. After adjusting for age, marital status and years since HIV diagnosis, higher IHSS scores were associated with lower odds of disclosure (OR = 0.985, 95% CI: 0.975, 0.995).

CONCLUSIONS

Providing support to women as they make decisions about serostatus disclosure to their children may entail addressing internalised HIV stigma and consideration of community-level factors, particularly for non-U.S.-born mothers.

The CARES Program: Improving Viral Suppression and Retention in Care Through a Comprehensive Team-Based Approach to Care for People with HIV and Complex Psychosocial Needs

Retention in HIV care and viral suppression rates remain suboptimal, especially among people with HIV (PWH) facing complex barriers to care such as mental health conditions, substance use disorders, and housing insecurity. The Center for Adherence, Retention, and Engagement Support (CARES) program utilizes an interdisciplinary team that delivers integrated services in a drop-in setting to provide individualized care to PWH with complex psychosocial needs. We describe the CARES program and evaluate its effectiveness in retaining patients in care to achieve virological suppression. We characterized 119 referrals of PWH experiencing homelessness, mental health conditions, and substance use disorders to CARES between 2011 and 2017, and collected data for a 24-month observation period through 2019. Outcomes of patients who participated in CARES were compared with those who were referred but did not participate. The primary outcome was viral suppression (<200 copies/mL) at least once during 2-year follow-up. Retention in care (≥2 completed medical visits ≥90 days apart in each year post-referral) was a secondary outcome. Of 119 PWH referred to CARES, 59 participated with ≥2 visits. Those who participated in CARES were more likely to achieve viral suppression [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 3.50, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.19-10.32] and to be retained in care (aOR 3.73, 95% CI 1.52-9.14) compared with those who were referred but did not participate. This analysis found that the CARES program improved retention in care and viral suppression among PWH with complex psychosocial needs and suggests that it may represent a useful model for future programming.