AIDS and behavior
-
As the threat of COVID-19 on vulnerable populations continues, mitigation protocols have escalated the use of telehealth platforms, secure 2-way video platforms with audio capabilities. The goal of the current study was to examine factors associated with successful completion of video telehealth appointments in HIV care. ⋯ Results show that factors such as identifying as black (AOR = 0.30, 95% CI 0.23-0.40, p < 0.01), identifying as heterosexual (AOR = 0.40, 95% CI, 0.29-0.55, p < 0.01), identifying as Hispanic/Latinx (AOR = 0.67, 95% CI, 0.48-0.95), having public insurance (e.g., Ryan White funding, Medicare/Medicaid) (AOR = .25, 95% CI 0.19-0.33, p < .001), and having detectable viral load (AOR = .049, 95% CI, 0.31-0.76) are negatively associated with completion of telehealth appointments. Results suggest that greater efforts to address the digital divide are needed to increase access to video telehealth.
-
Injection drug use is a key risk factor for the transmission of HIV. Prevention strategies, such as the use of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), are effective at reducing the risk of HIV transmission in people who inject drugs (PWID). Following PRISMA guidelines, a literature search was conducted to identify the current state of the PrEP care cascade in PWID. ⋯ There is a lack of research on interventions to increase engagement of PrEP across all levels of the care cascade in PWID. Implications from the interventions that have been published provide insight into practice and public policy on efficacious strategies to reduce HIV incidence in PWID. Our findings suggest that more efforts are needed to identify and screen PWID for PrEP eligibility and to link and maintain them with appropriate PrEP care.
-
Psychological distress among healthcare providers is concerning during COVID-19 pandemic due to extreme stress at healthcare facilities, including HIV clinics in China. The socioecological model suggests that psychological distress could be influenced by multi-level factors. However, limited COVID-19 research examined the mechanisms of psychological distress among HIV healthcare providers. ⋯ Institutional support and resilience mediated the relationship between COVID-19 stressors and psychological distress. Psychological distress was common among Chinese HIV healthcare providers during COVID-19 pandemic. Psychological health intervention should attend to institutional support and resilience.
-
COVID-19 has caused devastating health consequences and social inequities globally and in the United States. Unfortunately, the US has not developed a comprehensive National COVID-19 Strategy. In this editorial, we briefly review lessons about the development, structure, implementation and evaluation of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy (NHAS) for the US, and use these lessons to inform an initial proposal for a timely, dynamic, evidence-based, participatory, comprehensive and impactful National COVID-19 Strategy. Without such a strategy, the national response to the COVID-19 pandemic will remain uneven across jurisdictions and less than optimally impactful on disease-related mortality, short- and long-term morbidity, and health and social inequities.