Andre Maiorana

Missed opportunities: prevention with HIV-infected patients in clinical care settings.

Objective:To assess current practices related to prevention with HIV-positive patients in Ryan White–funded primary care settings and the barriers to providing such services. Method:Exit surveys about HIV prevention services were conducted with 618 HIV-infected patients at 16 primary HIV care clinics receiving Ryan White CARE Act funding. To place the exit survey findings in context, qualitative in-depth interviews were conducted with 16 clinic administrators, 32 primary care providers, 32 support service providers, and 64 patients. Results:One quarter of patients reported having had a general discussion of “safer sex and ways to prevent transmission to others” during that day’s primary care visit. However, only 6% reported discussing specific sexual activities. HIV prevention counseling was less common than counseling for adherence to antiretroviral therapy, emotional issues, and diet and nutrition (P < 0.001). Patients in clinics with established procedures for HIV prevention counseling were significantly more likely to report receiving such services (odds ratio = 2.17). Qualitative interviews identified barriers to providing prevention services as lack of time, training, funding for staffing, and providers’ understanding of their roles and responsibility. Conclusions:HIV prevention counseling is not routine in most clinics, and the low frequency of such services represents missed opportunities for HIV prevention.

Community consultation in HIV prevention research: a study of community advisory boards at 6 research sites.

Objective: To better understand how community advisory boards (CABs) can be used to improve the quality of HIV prevention trials. Design: Data collected included descriptive and epidemiologic reports, ethnographic observations, and face‐to‐face semistructured qualitative interviews with 67 CAB and research team members. Interviews were coded for themes related to community‐based consultation. Setting: The study was conducted at 6 sites of the HIV Prevention Trials Network—Los Angeles, California; Birmingham, Alabama; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Harare, Zimbabwe; Lima, Peru; and Chiang Mai, Thailand. Participants: Thirty‐six CAB members and 31 research team members, identified with the assistance of research staff at each site, were recruited for interviews across the 6 sites. Results: Both “broad community” and “population‐specific” models were identified as strategies for CABs to represent potential participants in HIV prevention trials. CABs viewed their role as a bridge between the research team and trial participants. CABs improved prevention clinical trials by assisting in protocol development, recruitment, and retention. In addition, CABs both identified and helped resolve ethical issues in clinical trials. Conclusions: When given time to develop, CABs appear to be a good strategy for building partnerships between researchers and communities for collaborative research projects. This approach has the potential to build sustainable capacity to identify and address ethical issues in research as well as community needs.

Building community partnerships: case studies of Community Advisory Boards at research sites in Peru, Zimbabwe, and Thailand

Background Differences in resources, knowledge, and infrastructure between countries initiating and countries hosting HIV prevention research trials frequently yield ethical dilemmas. Community Advisory Boards (CABs) have emerged as one strategy for establishing partnerships between researchers and host communities to promote community consultation in socially sensitive research. Purpose To understand the evolution of CABs and community partnerships at international research sites conducting HIV prevention trials. Methods Three research sites of the HIV Prevention Trials Network (HPTN) were selected to include geographical representation and diverse populations at risk for HIV/AIDS — in Lima, Peru; Chitungwiza, Zimbabwe; and Chiang Mai, Thailand. Data collection included review of secondary data, including academic publications and site-specific progress reports; observations at the research sites; face-to-face interviews with CAB members, research staff, and other key informants; and focus groups with study participants. Rapid assessment techniques were used for data analysis. Results Two of the three CABs developed new strategies for community representation in response to new studies. All three CABs expanded their original function and became advocates for broader community interests beyond HIV prevention. The participation and input of community representatives, in response to critical incidents that occurred at the sites over the past five years, helped to solidify partnerships between researchers and communities. Limitations Rapid Assessment is an exploratory methodology designed to provide an understanding of a situation based on the integration of multiple data sources, collected within a short period of time, without a formal examination of transcribed and coded data. Case studies, as a method, are meant to draw out what can be learned from a single case but are not, in the scientific sense, generalizable. Conclusions In developing countries, CABs can be dynamic entities that enhance the HIV research process, assist in responding to issues involving research ethics, and prepare communities for HIV research. Clinical Trials 2008; 5: 147—156. http://ctj.sagepub.com

Implementation of HIV Prevention Interventions with People Living with HIV/AIDS in Clinical Settings: Challenges and Lessons Learned

Integrating HIV prevention into the clinical care of people living with HIV has emerged as a priority in the US As part of a cross-site evaluation this study examined the processes by which 15 clinic-based projects implemented interventions funded under the Health Resources and Services Administrations (HRSA) HIV Prevention with Positives (PwP) in Clinical Settings Initiative. We conducted 61 in-depth interviews with researchers and interventionists across the 15 projects. Intervention implementation was feasible assuming several key components were in place: (1) internal leadership to overcome resistance and foster interest and motivation among clinical providers and staff; (2) adequate attention to creating seamless flow between clinic practice and intervention; and (3) ongoing training that met clinician and staff needs as prevention interventions become a regular part of care. Interventions well matched to the clinical environment and the patient populations were feasible and acceptable to health care providers, prevention interventionists, and clinic staff.

New populations at high risk of HIV / STIs in low-income urban coastal Peru.

The HIV epidemic in Peru is concentrated primarily among men who have sex with men. HIV interventions have focused exclusively on a narrowly defined group of MSM and FSW to the exclusion of other populations potentially at increased risk. Interventions targeting MSM and FSW are insufficient and there is evidence that focusing prevention efforts solely on these populations may ignore others that do not fall directly into these categories. This paper describes non-traditional, vulnerable populations within low-income neighborhoods. These populations were identified through the use of ethnographic and epidemiologic formative research methods and the results are reported in this publication. Although the traditional vulnerable groups are still in need of prevention efforts, this study provides evidence of previously unrecognized populations at increased risk that should also receive attention from HIV/STI prevention programs.

Vulnerability and sexual risks: Vagos and vaguitas in a low income town in Perú

Young people constitute a priority for sexual health research, policy and planning. Many studies, however, regard youth as a homogeneous group defined by developmental stages and their problems as inherent rather than factors resulting from structural vulnerability. Ethnographic data from this study provided strong evidence of the inappropriateness, in prevention interventions, of the concept of ‘young people’ as a group defined only by age and gender. When incorporating social resources and support into the analysis, specific segments of youth with diverse sexual practices and health seeking behaviours emerge. Thus, although most young people in urban areas show a similar level of HIV/STI knowledge, their exposure to risk varies according to their living conditions. Two population segments – “street guys” and “fast girls” – identified as vulnerable for sexual risk, are characterized. Both groups hang out on the streets, and most are involved in using alcohol and drugs, and/or practicing transactional sex. This study provided evidence for the need of various approaches according to level of poverty and social vulnerability in order to develop more effective HIV/AIDS and STI prevention programs to meet the needs of young men and women in low‐income areas.

Written clinic procedures enhance delivery of HIV "prevention with positives" counseling in primary health care settings.

BackgroundThe Institute of Medicine recommends prevention counseling in primary health care settings to help HIV-infected individuals reduce the risk of transmitting HIV to others (“prevention with positives”). In this study, we assessed receipt of HIV prevention counseling by patients seen in clinics funded by the Ryan White CARE Act, a major source of support for HIV primary care. MethodsSix hundred fourteen HIV-infected patients completed an exit survey immediately after an HIV primary care visit at 16 clinics in 9 states. Patient characteristics and frequency of receipt of HIV prevention counseling were measured. Clinic approaches to HIV prevention were coded as clinics with written procedures, clinics where individual providers initiated counseling because of a personal sense of responsibility, and clinics with no procedures. ResultsHIV-infected patients in clinics with written procedures were significantly more likely to report receiving HIV prevention counseling in the last 6 months than were patients in clinics with no procedures (odds ratio [OR] = 3.17, 95% confidence interval [CI]:1.24–8.06; P < 0.02). In clinics where individual providers initiated counseling and in clinics with no procedures, patient characteristics such as race, gender, and sexual orientation were associated with receipt of prevention counseling. These differences were not observed in clinics with written procedures, however. ConclusionWritten procedures provide an important guide for clinic staff and increase the likelihood that patients receive prevention with positives counseling irrespective of patient characteristics.

Trust, confidentiality, and the acceptability of sharing HIV-related patient data: lessons learned from a mixed methods study about Health Information Exchanges.

BackgroundConcerns about the confidentiality of personal health information have been identified as a potential obstacle to implementation of Health Information Exchanges (HIEs). Considering the stigma and confidentiality issues historically associated with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) disease, we examine how trust—in technology, processes, and people—influenced the acceptability of data sharing among stakeholders prior to implementation of six HIEs intended to improve HIV care in parts of the United States. Our analyses identify the kinds of concerns expressed by stakeholders about electronic data sharing and focus on the factors that ultimately facilitated acceptability of the new exchanges.MethodsWe conducted 549 surveys with patients and 66 semi-structured interviews with providers and other stakeholders prior to implementation of the HIEs to assess concerns about confidentiality in the electronic sharing of patient data. The patient quantitative data were analyzed using SAS 9.2 to yield sample descriptive statistics. The analysis of the qualitative interviews with providers and other stakeholders followed an open-coding process, and convergent and divergent perspectives emerging from those data were examined within and across the HIEs.ResultsWe found widespread acceptability for electronic sharing of HIV-related patient data through HIEs. This acceptability appeared to be driven by growing comfort with information technologies, confidence in the security protocols utilized to protect data, trust in the providers and institutions who use the technologies, belief in the benefits to the patients, and awareness that electronic exchange represents an enhancement of data sharing already taking place by other means. HIE acceptability depended both on preexisting trust among patients, providers, and institutions and on building consensus and trust in the HIEs as part of preparation for implementation. The process of HIE development also resulted in forging shared vision among institutions.ConclusionsPatients and providers are willing to accept the electronic sharing of HIV patient data to improve care for a disease historically seen as highly stigmatized. Acceptability depends on the effort expended to understand and address potential concerns related to data sharing and confidentiality, and on the trust established among stakeholders in terms of the nature of the systems and how they will be used.

Influencia del contexto sociocultural en la percepción del riesgo y la negociación de protección en hombres homosexuales pobres de la costa peruana

This paper focuses on risk, conceived not as an individual action, but considering its social dimension, analyzing the various forms in the socio-cultural context related to internalized homophobia and hegemonic gender norms that allow barriers to be constructed in risk perception. Such barriers hinder negotiation and protection among homosexual men that have adopted a female gender identity, living in low-income barrios of Lima and Trujillo, Peru. Risk perception is analyzed on the socio-cultural plane, allowing one to explain the limited negotiating capacity of this population, even though they have extensive knowledge of HIV/AIDS and its consequences.

Policy perspectives on public health for Mexican migrants in California.

This analysis focuses on public policies that affect primary HIV prevention and access to HIV care for Mexican migrants residing in California. Policy or structural level interventions, as opposed to behavioral or psychologic interventions, help to shape the environment in which people live. We use a conceptual model for policy analysis in public health to understand better the challenges faced by Mexican migrants. We assess potential policy level interventions that may serve as barriers to or facilitators of primary HIV prevention and care for Mexican migrants. Among potential barriers, we discuss restrictions on public health services based on legal immigration status, limits placed on affirmative action in education, and laws limiting travel and immigration. Under potential facilitators, we discuss community and migrant health centers, language access laws, and the use of community-based groups to provide prevention and treatment outreach. We also report on the limited research evaluating the implications of these public policies and ways to organize for more responsive public policies.