Mandated HIV Service Provider Confidentiality Training

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Individuals with HIV/AIDS live with stigma and are frequently the victims of discrimination by the general population (fearful of contagion and ignorant of how HIV is transmitted), and by employers who overestimate dimi nished capacities. Individuals who may be HIV positive, aware of this stigma, often avoid testing or treatment fearful that their HIV status may be disclosed. Therefore, there is a great need for anyone with knowledge of an individual's HIV status to maint ain strict confidentiality. New York State has mandated initial as well as annual refresher courses on confidentiality for NYS HIV service providers. However, there is a significant statewide shortage of available training slots. This course is being devel oped with the encouragement of NYS officials who are responsible for enforcing this mandate. This Phase II project will create a web-based, self-directed, highly interactive, computer assisted instruction (CAI) program that is tailored to the needs of indi vidual learners and can be used both for initial and refresher courses. The CAI course will resolve many problems encountered with the face-to-face course due to diversity of occupations and management levels. A web-based CAI can be taken anywhere, any tim e, by a virtually unlimited number of people. With responses to a few brief screener questions, the CAI course will be tailored to the role of the individual taking it. During Phase I, the present New York State-approved curriculum was modified and adapted for CAI format, and a prototype containing two of 15 modules was developed. The curriculum development process was informed by feedback from state experts on the law, and actual NYS HIV service providers. During Phase II, the full course will be developed , approved by NYS Dept. of Health and legal officials, usability tested, documented with actual users to be more satisfying than the in-person course, shown to increase HIV Confidentiality knowledge, individual task specific self-efficacy, and organization al collective efficacy to maintain confidentiality. A one-month follow-up interview will address longer term retention and organizational collective efficacy. Once this web-based CAI course is implemented for NYS, it will be expanded during Phase III possi bly by including other regions or across the USA.. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE Individuals with HIV/AIDS live with stigma and are frequently the victims of discrimination by the general population (fearful of contagion and ignorant of how HIV is transm itted), and by employers who overestimate diminished capacities. Individuals who may be HIV positive, aware of this stigma, often avoid testing or treatment fearful that their HIV status may be disclosed. Therefore, there is a great need for anyone with kn owledge of an individual's HIV status to maintain strict confidentiality. New York State has mandated initial as well as annual refresher courses on confidentiality for NYS HIV service providers. However, there is a significant statewide shortage of availa ble training slots. This Phase II project is creating a web-based, self-directed, highly interactive, computer assisted instruction (CAI) program that is tailored to the needs of individual learners and can be used both for initial and refresher courses. A web-based CAI can be taken anywhere, any time, by a virtually unlimited number of people. With responses to a few brief screener questions, the CAI course will be tailored to the role of the individual taking it. This course will serve both as an initial offering and as an annual update. It will be modified whenever the body of New York State law changes in any way. The course will help to resolve the acute need in New York State for training to teach HIV Confidentiality Law to those who are mandated by NY S to know this information. Once this web-based CAI course is implemented for NYS, it will be expanded during Phase III by including other regions or across