A qualitative analysis of provider barriers and solutions to HIV testing for substance users in a small, largely rural southern state

HIV Testing Program Activities and Challenges in Four U.S. Urban Areas

The national "Ending the HIV Epidemic: A Plan for America" supports expanded testing in jurisdictions and groups with disproportionate HIV burden. Public health planners benefit from learning HIV testing service (HTS) strengths, challenges, and innovations. We conducted semistructured interviews with 120 HTS staff from local health departments, community-based organizations, and community members in Houston, Texas; Miami, Florida; New Orleans, Louisiana; and Washington, DC. We coded interview transcripts using qualitative methods to identify themes. Program strengths include HIV testing integration with other client services; prioritized testing and tailored incentives; multiple advertising methods; and partnerships among HTS providers. Challenges include stigma, fear, and disparities; funding requirements that create competition between providers; and service accessibility, unnecessary repeat testing, and insufficient innovation. The four jurisdictions addressed some, but not all, of these challenges. Cross-jurisdictional collaboration, together with state and federal partners plus program data may help identify additional strategies for strengthening HTS.

A client-centered relational framework on barriers to the integration of HIV and substance use services: a systematic review

Background

Given the close connection between human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and substance use disorder (SUD), access to integrated HIV and SUD services is critical for individuals experiencing both challenges and their biopsychosocial conditions.

Method

Adopting an integrative method, this systematic review included 23 empirical studies published between 2000 and 2018. Articles investigated providers’ and clients’ perspectives on barriers to accessing integrated HIV and SUD services in various service settings (e.g., HIV primary care, SUD treatment, pharmacy).

Results

Using a client-centered relational framework, we identified barriers in three relational domains with “the client” as the focus of each: client-provider, client-organization, and client-system. The review shows that (1) barriers to HIV and SUD services do not exist in isolation, but in the dynamics within and across three relational domains; (2) service providers and clients often have different perceptions about what constitutes a barrier and the origin of such barriers; and (3) interprofessional and interorganizational collaborations are crucial for integrating HIV and SUD services.

Conclusion

This review points out the limitations of the conventional paradigm grouping barriers to service integration into isolated domains (client, provider, organization, or system). Reforms in service arrangements and provider training are recommended to address barriers to integrated services.

Missed Opportunities for HIV Testing Among STD Clinic Patients

Current HIV testing guidelines recommend that all adolescents and adults aged 13-64 be routinely screened for HIV in healthcare settings. Sexually transmitted disease (STD) clinic patients represent a population at increased risk for HIV, justifying more frequent risk assessment and testing. This analysis describes missed opportunities for HIV testing among a sample of STD clinic patients to identify areas where HIV testing services may be improved. Secondary analysis was conducted using data from Project AWARE, a randomized trial of 5012 adult patients from 9 STD clinics in the United States, enrolled April-December 2010. HIV testing history, healthcare service utilization, and behavioral risks were obtained through audio computer-assisted self-interview. Missed opportunities for HIV testing, defined as having a healthcare visit but no HIV test in the last 12 months, were characterized by location and frequency. Of 2315 (46.2%) participants not tested for HIV in the last 12 months, 1715 (74.1%) had a missed opportunity for HIV testing. These missed opportunities occurred in both traditional (54.9% at family doctor, 20.3% at other medical doctor visits) and non-traditional (28.5% at dental, 19.0% at eye doctor, 13.9% at correctional facility, and 13.3% at psychology visits) testing settings. Of 53 participants positive for HIV at baseline, 16 (30.2%) had a missed testing opportunity. Missed opportunities for HIV testing were common in this population of STD clinic patients. There is a need to increase routinized HIV screening and expand testing services to a broader range of healthcare settings.

Timeliness of diagnosis of HIV in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada: A mixed-methods study

BACKGROUND

Late diagnosis of HIV is associated with poor outcomes and increased cost. Novel HIV testing promotion strategies may reduce late diagnosis. The purpose of this study was to determine the timeliness of HIV testing in Newfoundland and Labrador (NL), missed opportunities for testing, and barriers to HIV testing.

METHODS

Demographic and clinical information from individuals diagnosed with HIV in NL from 2006-2016 was retrospectively reviewed. Patients were also invited to participate in semi-structured interviews regarding knowledge about HIV transmission, risk associated with their behaviour, testing decision making, and testing opportunities.

RESULTS

Fifty-eight new HIV diagnoses occurred during the study period: 53/58 (91.4%) were male and 33/58 (56.9%) were men who have sex with men. The mean age at diagnosis was 40.6 (SD 11.05) years. CD4 count at diagnosis ranged from 2 to 1,408 cells/mm³, with a mean of 387 cells/mm³. For 39/58 (67.2%) of individuals, the first-ever HIV test was positive. Of the 58 patients, 55 (94.8%) had had health care contact within the 5 years prior to diagnosis (mean 13.7 contacts). Heterosexual men were more likely to present with a late diagnosis (p = 0.049). Ten (17.2%) individuals agreed to an interview. Thematic analysis revealed that barriers to testing were stigma, negative health care interactions, denial, and fear of the diagnosis.

CONCLUSIONS

HIV diagnosis is made later in NL than in other Canadian provinces. Late diagnosis may be prevented if HIV testing became a routine testing procedure.

Latent Risk Subtypes Based on Injection and Sexual Behavior Among People Who Inject Drugs in Rural Puerto Rico

BACKGROUND

People who inject drugs (PWID) in Puerto Rico engage in high levels of injection and sexual risk behavior, and they are at high risk for HIV and hepatitis C (HCV) infection, relative to their US counterparts. Less is known, however, about the clustering of risk behavior conducive to HIV and HCV infection among rural Puerto Rican communities.

OBJECTIVES

The purpose of this study was to examine concurrent injection and sexual risk subtypes among a rural sample of PWID in Puerto Rico.

METHODS

Data were drawn from a respondent-driven sample collected in 2015 of 315 PWID in 4 rural communities approximately 30-40 miles from San Juan. Latent class analysis (LCA) was used to examine risk subtypes using 3 injection and 3 sexual risk indicators. In addition, demographic and other PWID characteristics were examined as possible predictors of latent class membership.

RESULTS

Four LCA subtypes were identified: low risk (36%), high injection/low sexual risk (22%), low injection/high sexual risk (20%), and high risk (22%). Younger age and past year homelessness predicted high risk latent class membership, relative to the other classes. In addition, daily speedball use predicted membership in the high injection/low sexual risk class, relative to the low risk and low injection/high sexual risk classes.

CONCLUSION/IMPORTANCE

The findings suggest ways in which PWID risk clusters can be identified for targeted interventions.

A Systematic Review of Health Care Provider-Perceived Barriers and Facilitators to Routine HIV Testing in Primary Care Settings in the Southeastern United States

Despite efforts to improve HIV screening and testing, many primary care settings do not follow established guidelines. The purpose of our systematic review was to describe health care providers' perceived barriers and facilitators to testing for HIV at poorly used/novel testing sites in the southeastern United States. PubMed, CINAHL, and Embase databases were searched for peer-reviewed studies of providers' perceived barriers and facilitators to routine HIV testing from January 2016 to April 2017 according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement. Of 708 papers retrieved, 12 met inclusion criteria and were analyzed. Barriers to HIV testing in primary care existed at the societal, organizational, and individual levels. Providers need continuing sexual health education, including HIV and federal guideline updates, and students should have clinical experiences to supplement knowledge about sexual health. Clinic protocols should be updated to meet current policy guidelines.

Acceptability of HIV Testing Sites Among Rural and Urban African Americans Who Use Cocaine

African Americans (AAs) who use cocaine in the Southern region of the U.S. have a relatively high risk of HIV and need for HIV testing. Among this group, those residing in rural areas may have less favorable opinions about common HIV testing sites, which could inhibit HIV testing. We examined rural/urban variations in their acceptability of multiple HIV testing sites (private physician clinic, local health department, community health center, community HIV fair, hospital emergency department, blood plasma donation center, drug abuse treatment facility, and mobile van or community outreach worker). Results from partial proportional odds and logistic regression analyses indicate that rural AA who use cocaine have lower odds of viewing local health departments (OR = 0.09, 95 % CI = 0.03-0.21), physician offices (OR = 0.19, 95 % CI = 0.09-0.42), and drug use treatment centers (OR = 0.49; 95 % CI = 0.30-0.80) as acceptable relative to their urban counterparts. The findings have implications for further targeting HIV testing toward AAs who use of cocaine, particularly those residing in the rural South.

Implementing solutions to barriers to on-site HIV testing in substance abuse treatment: a tale of three facilities

Due to the scarcity of resources for implementing rapid on-site HIV testing, many substance abuse treatment programs do not offer these services. This study sought to determine whether addressing previously identified implementation barriers to integrating on-site rapid HIV testing into the treatment admissions process would increase offer and acceptance rates. Results indicate that it is feasible to integrate rapid HIV testing into existing treatment programs for substance abusers when resources are provided. Addressing barriers such as providing start-up costs for HIV testing, staff training, addressing staffing needs to reduce competing job responsibilities, and helping treatment staff members overcome their concerns about clients' reactions to positive test results is paramount for the integration and maintenance of such programs.

Experiences of HIV-positive gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men residing in relatively rural areas

Most previous studies of the sexual behaviour of gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men living with HIV are based on samples of men recruited within relatively urban and suburban areas of the USA. The aim of the present study was to explore the potential challenges associated with HIV-related stigma and residing in a relatively rural area. We conducted a qualitative study based in south-central Indiana, a relatively rural area of the USA. Twenty-three HIV-positive gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, aged 21-48 years, were interviewed on topics regarding community engagement, perceived HIV-related stigma, relationship formation, sexual behaviour and HIV status disclosure. Findings indicate HIV-related stigma is commonly reported at the interpersonal and community levels. Because of this, men face complex situations on how and when to disclose their HIV status to members of their social and sexual networks. Although many participants reported many challenges associated with relationship formation, all expressed a desire for romantic and/or sexual connections with other men and/or women. Results suggest that new programmatic approaches are necessary to inform the work of social service and medical providers on mechanisms to intervene and combat stigma and discrimination inherent in communities, programmes and policies.

Correlates of HIV testing among rural African American cocaine users

Andersen's Revised Behavioral Model of Health Services Use (RBM) was used as a framework in this correlational cross-sectional study to examine factors associated with HIV testing among a sample of 251 rural African American cocaine users. All participants reported using cocaine and being sexually active within the past 30 days. Independent variables were categorized according to the RBM as predisposing, enabling, need, or health behavior factors. Number of times tested for HIV (never, one time, two to four times, five or more times) was the outcome of interest. In ordered logistic regression analyses, HIV testing was strongly associated with being female, of younger age (predisposing factors); having been tested for sexually transmitted diseases or hepatitis, ever having been incarcerated in jail or prison (enabling factors); and having had one sex partner the past 30 days (health behavior factor). Other sexual risk behaviors, drug use, health status, and perception of risk were not associated with HIV testing. Our findings confirm the importance of routine testing in all healthcare settings rather than risk-based testing.

Qualitative research on point-of-care testing strategies and programs for HIV

Point-of-care (POC) testing in communities, home settings and primary healthcare centers plays an important role in cutting delays in HIV diagnosis and in the uptake of voluntary testing and counseling. Qualitative research methods have important potential to overcome the current challenges in expanding HIV POC testing programs and strategies, by examining the diagnostic processes, complex inter-relationships and patterns involved in making POC diagnostics work in real-world settings. This article reviews existing qualitative studies on POC testing strategies and programs for HIV. Qualitative research on POC diagnostics around the uptake of POC tests, the actual diagnostic and testing processes involved, the influence of POC tests on clinical decision-making, communication of decisions and decisions exercised by patients are limited. Equally limited are studies that explore adaptation of POC programs to various socio-cultural contexts. More qualitative research is needed to inform test developers, funders and policymakers.

Data collection challenges in community settings: insights from two field studies of patients with chronic disease

PURPOSE

Collecting information about health and disease directly from patients can be fruitfully accomplished using contextual approaches, ones that combine more and less structured methods in home and community settings. This paper's purpose was to describe and illustrate a framework of the challenges of contextual data collection.

METHODS

A framework is presented based on prior work in community-based participatory research and organizational science, comprised of ten types of challenges across four broader categories. Illustrations of challenges and suggestions for addressing them are drawn from two mixed method, contextual studies of patients with chronic disease in two regions of the USA.

RESULTS

The first major category of challenges was concerned with the researcher-participant partnership, for example, the initial lack of mutual trust and understanding between researchers, patients, and family members. The second category concerned patient characteristics such as cognitive limitations and a busy personal schedule that created barriers to successful data collection. The third concerned research logistics and procedures such as recruitment, travel distances, and compensation. The fourth concerned scientific quality and interpretation, including issues of validity, reliability, and combining data from multiple sources. The two illustrative studies faced both common and diverse research challenges and used many different strategies to address them.

CONCLUSION

Collecting less structured data from patients and others in the community is potentially very productive but requires the anticipation, avoidance, or negotiation of various challenges. Future work is necessary to better understand these challenges across different methods and settings, as well as to test and identify strategies to address them.