PrimeCare: Mobile platform to increase linkage to care in adolescents living with HIV/AIDS

DESCRIPTION provided by applicant While advances in medical treatments have contributed to the overall decrease in HIV related opportunistic infections and deaths in youth the prevalence of HIV in youth remains high In this Phase I study we will design build and test Plus Care a mobile health mMealth application that can be used by HIV positive youth and their case managers CMs to support prompt linkage to care While an increasing number of mHealth applications focus on improving general access to HIV testing resources and education a critical gap in innovation remains in tools designed to address the specific needs of HIV positive youth Plus Care addresses this gap by leveraging mobile technology to support short term case management and long term self care for HIV positive youth today The application will be accessed through smartphones by patients and case managers CM The primary objective of this Phase I study will be to determine the feasibility and usability of our application and prepare for Phase II We will accomplish this in three Specific Aims using qualitative methods First we will collect formative data from patients n and CMs n recruited from the Boston Childrenandapos s Hospital HAPPENS HIV AIDS program to assess user needs refine a paper prototype and identify barriers and facilitators to the deployment of Plus Care sub study Second we will develop a customized working prototype for each type of user patients and CMs using user centered design methods Third we will test Plus Careandapos s usability with patients n and CMs n sub study in individualized sessions Results will inform a Phase II study where we will develop and rigorously evaluate the efficacy and cost effectiveness of an enhanced version of the application PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE While major advancements in medical technology over the past decade have significantly improved the life expectancy of persons infected with human immunodeficiency virus HIV HIV positive youth today face new barriers to the treatment of HIV as a chronic manageable illness Our proposed innovation Plus Care will help improve linkage to care through mobile technology support for HIV positive youth case management Results of this project will have implications for the care of youth living with other chronic complex illnesses