Promoting Best Practices through Capacity Building for ART Adherence in HIV Care

DESCRIPTION provided by applicant Recent evidence demonstrates the almost universal effectiveness of andquot treatment as preventionandquot for curbing HIV transmission Cohen As a consequence many federal agenciesandapos priorities in HIV have shifted to addressing deficits in HIV treatment methods in direct care services Barr CDC Office of the Press Secretary For the first time a set of evidence based recommendations guidelines have been developed to guide providers and care organizations in establishing effective continuum of care from entry into care to maintenance in care to Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy an HAART prescription and adherence to viral suppression Thompson et al While these recommendations from the International Association of Physicians in AIDS Care IAPAC provide a starting point for the translation of research to practice related to treatment strategie in HIV prevention more guidance is needed to apply and integrate these recommendations into direct care Amico The present proposal will develop HAART Connect a set of practical online training and support resources to help with application and implementation of the IAPAC recommendations in real world clinical settings HAART Connect will contain two complementary features multimedia training modules and a virtual Community of Practice CoP to support and spread appropriate implementation of the IAPAC recommendations These resources culled from evidence and best practices will teach users relevant concepts and build their skills through dynamic interactive e learning modalities Each training module will provide guidance on implementation and adaptation of one or more corresponding IAPAC recommendations for direct care services as well as a case study illuminating the recommendation s All training modules will be housed in a CoP digital platform to allow deeper understanding and learning Features of the CoP will include science updates expert speakers moderated forums and discussion boards allowing clinic practitioners and health care providers to learn from researchers and from one another by sharing resources experiences and advice The proposed HAART Connect will enhance practitionersandapos knowledge of and ability to follow IAPAC recommendations in their delivery of HIV patient care Key indicators of feasibility success in Phase I will include needs assessment results two fully functional interactive training module prototypes representing two of the IAPAC guidelines mock ups of HAART Connect CoP online pages site navigation and key content features usability test results and an action plan for Phase II based on results of the Phase I needs assessment and usability tests PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE The number of individuals currently living with HIV in the U S has reached over one million with approximately new infections occurring every year CDC Timely entry into HIV treatment and care and strict adherence to antiretroviral therapy ART drastically reduce HIV related health problems as well as re infection and transmission to others Cohen Hanna et al Mugavero Yet the vast majority of individuals living with HIV do not achieve the viral suppression necessary to significantly reduce morbidity mortality and transmission Nachega et al A significant drop off occurs along the HIV treatment cascade with only linked to care retained in care on Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy HAART and achieving undetectable viral loads Gardner et al The International Association of Physicians in AIDS Care Panel IAPAC has recently released a set of evidence based recommendations for direct care providers to improve linkage to and maintenance in HIV AIDS care and HAART adherence Thompson et al To increase the knowledge and relevance of these recommendations for AIDS service organization direct care providers the proposed project HAART Connect will develop training and capacity building resources to augment the IAPAC guidelines Two complementary features will comprise HAART Connect a set of interactive multimedia training modules that provide information and examples of how to integrate the recommendations into care and a Community of Practice website that houses the multimedia training modules joined with facilitated e learning among providers engaged in implementing the IAPAC guidelines If development of HAART Connect is successful this resource will contribute to the widespread uptake and adoption of the IAPAC recommendations by ASO providers in the U S thus contributing to efforts to engage and maintain individuals living with HIV in treatment and care and increase HAART adherence and viral suppression among these individuals