Mobile Intervention Kit to Increase HIV/HCV Testing and Overdose Prevention Training

DESCRIPTION provided by applicant Because many people who inject drugs PWID do not receive adequate information about HIV or HCV testing and prevention or overdose prevention and response training we propose to develop a Mobile Intervention Kit to deliver technology based interventions from a library of theory guided video content The first iteration will address overdose prevention and response training as well as HIV HCV prevention education Subsequent iterations will expand the content library to include additional subjects The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration lists HIV HCV and overdose prevention response as current priorities The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention similarly note the importance of addressing HIV and HCV when providing services to PWID However program staff may not always be fully knowledgeable about all topics and may not explain details in ways PWID can fully understand Our proposed Mobile Intervention Kit MIK will address this unmet need for services while creating value for program staff and administrators An easy to use menu will enable client organizations to configure each tablet to present brief videos approximately minutes each on overdose prevention and response the proper use of naloxone HIV HCV prevention and the specifics of HIV and HCV test processes These videos can be offered individually or in any combination After a participant has viewed the materials the MIK will automatically send a completion report to an off site password protected database maintained by Digital Health Empowerment the SBC submitting the current proposal De identified data from these reports will be provided to client organizations which can then share details with current and potential funders to document the services they provide Digital Health Empowerment will charge a sliding fee to use the MIK and will collect additional fees for each report Our project team has created NIH funded technology based interventions to facilitate substance use reporting and increase HIV testing among patients in high volume urban emergency departments Patients including those who initially declined testing cited the privacy and clarity of our technology based approach as reasons they ultimately accepted HIV testing and more honestly reported substance use Our team also has experience delivering services to high need PWID in various clinical and non clinical outreach settings Additionally Digital Health Empowerment principals So Young Oh and Ian David Aronson Ph D have more than years experience collaboratively developing technology products including video based health interventions and other digital content for clients in non profit commercial and universiy settings We plan to build upon this expertise to develop videos and software to facilitate venue appropriate video selection and presentation along with a backend system to collect data and generate automated completion reports and conduct a preliminary feasibility trial n at a program serving PWID PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE Because people who inject drugs PWID frequently lack adequate information about HIV or HCV testing and prevention or overdose prevention and response training we propose to develop a Mobile Intervention Kit to deliver technology based interventions from a library of theory guided video content This flexible tool will help service organizations to prevent overdose deaths and identify undiagnosed HIV and HCV enabling clients to receive much needed treatment and avoid unknowingly transmitting infection Our product is designed to help existing program staff reach an increased number of clients and to improve public health by encouraging reluctant patients to accept important services they may otherwise decline