Supporting Patient-Clinician Interaction in Chronic HIV Care: Design and Development of a Patient-Reported Outcomes Software Application

Patient-reported outcome measures in adult HIV care: A rapid scoping review of targeted outcomes and instruments used

OBJECTIVE

There is international interest in the integration of patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) into routine HIV care, but little work has synthesized the content of published initiatives. We conducted a rapid scoping review primarily to identify their selected patient-reported outcomes and respective instruments.

METHODS

Four databases were searched on 4 May 2022 (Medline, Embase, CINAHL and PsychINFO) for relevant English language documents published from 2005 onwards. Dual review of at least 20% of records, full texts and data extraction was performed. Outcomes and instruments were classified with an adapted 14-domain taxonomy. Instruments with evidence of validation were described.

RESULTS

Of 13 062 records generated for review, we retained a final sample of 94 documents, referring to 60 distinct initiatives led mostly in the USA (n = 29; 48% of initiatives), Europe (n = 16; 27%) and Africa (n = 9; 15%). The measured patient-reported outcome domains were: mental health (n = 42; 70%), substance use (n = 23; 38%), self-management (n = 16; 27%), symptoms (n = 12; 20%), sexual/reproductive health (n = 12; 20%), physical health (n = 9; 15%), treatment (n= 8; 13%), cognition (n = 7; 12%), quality of life (n = 7; 12%), violence/abuse (n = 6; 10%), stigma (n = 6; 10%), socioeconomic issues (n = 5; 8%), social support (n = 3; 5%) and body/facial appearance (n = 1; 2%). Initiatives measured 2.6 outcome domains, on average (range = 1-11). In total, 62 distinct validated PROMs were identified, with 53 initiatives (88%) employing at least one (M = 2.2). Overwhelmingly, the most used instrument was any version of the Patient Health Questionnaire to measure symptoms of depression, employed by over a third (26; 43%) of initiatives.

CONCLUSION

Published PROM initiatives in HIV care have spanned 19 countries and disproportionately target mental health and substance use.

Patient-Reported Outcomes Collection at an Urban HIV Clinic Associated With a Historically Black Medical College in the Southern United States: Qualitative Interview Study Among Patients With HIV

BACKGROUND

Black Americans, particularly in the southern United States, are disproportionately affected by the US HIV epidemic. Patient-reported outcome (PRO) data collection can improve patient outcomes and provide oft-overlooked data on mental health, substance use, and patient adherence to antiretroviral therapy.

OBJECTIVE

We piloted the use of an electronic tablet to collect PRO data on social and behavioral determinants of health among people with HIV at the Meharry Community Wellness Center, an HIV clinic affiliated with a Historically Black Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee. Our primary objective was to better understand patients' experiences and comfort with using an electronic PRO tool through patient interviews.

METHODS

We enrolled 100 people with HIV in care at the Meharry Community Wellness Center consecutively to completely validate PRO tools using the Research Electronic Data Capture platform on a hand-held tablet. Using a purposive sampling strategy, we enrolled 20 of the 100 participants in an in-depth interview (IDI). Interview guide development was grounded in the cognitive-behavioral model, in which thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are interrelated. IDIs were audio recorded, transcribed, deidentified, and formatted for coding. A hierarchical coding system was developed and refined using an inductive-deductive approach.

RESULTS

Among the 100 people with HIV enrolled, the median age was 50 (IQR 42-54) years; 89% (n=89) were Black, 60% (n=60) were male, and 82% (n=82) were living below 100% of the federal poverty level in 2016. Five major interview themes emerged: overall experience, question content, sensitive topics, clinic visit impact, and future recommendations. IDI participants felt that the tablet was easy to use and that the question content was meaningful. Question content related to trauma, sexual and drug use behaviors, mental health, stigma, and discrimination elicited uncomfortable or distressing feelings in some participants. Patients expressed a strong desire to be truthful, and most would complete these surveys without compensation at future visits if offered.

CONCLUSIONS

The use of an electronic tablet to complete PRO data collection was well received by this cohort of vulnerable persons in HIV care in the southern United States. Despite some discomfort related to question content, our cohort overwhelmingly believed this was a meaningful part of their medical experience and expressed a high desire for truthfulness. Future research will focus on scaling up the implementation and evaluation of PRO data collection in a contextually appropriate manner while obtaining input from providers and staff to ensure that the collected data are both applicable and actionable.

HIV-Specific Reported Outcome Measures: Systematic Review of Psychometric Properties

BACKGROUND

The management of people living with HIV and AIDS is multidimensional and complex. Using patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) has been increasingly recognized to be the key factor for providing patient-centered health care to meet the lifelong needs of people living with HIV and AIDS from diagnosis to death. However, there is currently no consensus on a PROM recommended for health care providers and researchers to assess health outcomes in people living with HIV and AIDS.

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this systematic review was to summarize and categorize the available validated HIV-specific PROMs in adults living with HIV and AIDS and to assess these PROMs using the Consensus-Based Standards for the Selection of Health Measurement Instruments (COSMIN) methodology.

METHODS

This systematic review followed the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines. A literature search of 3 recommended databases (PubMed, Embase, and PsychINFO) was conducted on January 15, 2021. Studies were included if they assessed any psychometric property of HIV-specific PROMs in adults living with HIV and AIDS and met the eligibility criteria. The PROMs were assessed for 9 psychometric properties, evaluated in each included study following the COSMIN methodology by assessing the following: the methodological quality assessed using the COSMIN risk of bias checklist; overall rating of results; level of evidence assessed using the modified Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation approach; and level of recommendation.

RESULTS

A total of 88 PROMs classified into 8 categories, assessing the psychometric properties of PROMs for adults living with HIV and AIDS, were identified in 152 studies including 79,213 people living with HIV and AIDS. The psychometric properties of most included PROMs were rated with insufficient evidence. The PROMs that received class A recommendation were the Poz Quality of Life, HIV Symptom Index or Symptoms Distress Module of the Adult AIDS Clinical Trial Group, and People Living with HIV Resilience Scale. In addition, because of a lack of evidence, recommendations regarding use could not be made for most of the remaining assessed PROMs (received class B recommendation).

CONCLUSIONS

This systematic review recommends 3 PROMs to assess health outcomes in adults living with HIV and AIDS. However, all these PROMs have some shortcomings. In addition, most of the included PROMs do not have sufficient evidence for assessing their psychometric properties and require a more comprehensive validation of the psychometric properties in the future to provide more scientific evidence. Thus, our findings may provide a reference for the selection of high-quality HIV-specific PROMs by health care providers and researchers for clinical practice and research.