Kristen A Sullivan1, Miriam B Berger2, Evelyn Byrd Quinlivan3,4, Heather E Parnell2, Lynne A Sampson4,5, Jacquelyn M Clymore6, Aimee M Wilkin7. 1. Center for Health Policy and Inequalities Research, Duke University, Duke Global Health Institute, Durham, NC, USA kristen.sullivan@duke.edu. 2. Center for Health Policy and Inequalities Research, Duke University, Duke Global Health Institute, Durham, NC, USA. 3. Center for AIDS Research, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC, USA. 4. Institute for Global Health and Infectious Diseases, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC, USA. 5. North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, HIV/STD Prevention Unit, Communicable Disease Branch, Raleigh, NC, USA. 6. North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, Communicable Disease Branch, Raleigh, NC, USA. 7. Section on Infectious Diseases, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: HIV testing and linkage to care are critical first steps along the care continuum. Targeted efforts are needed in the South to achieve the goals of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy, and qualitative examination of testing and linkage to care from the perspective of professionals in the field can provide nuanced insight into the strengths and limitations of a care system to inform improvement efforts. These issues are explored in North Carolina (NC), with potential applicability to other Southern states. METHODS: Twenty-one interviews were conducted with professionals in the HIV prevention and care systems in NC. Interviews were analyzed for emergent themes. RESULTS: Individuals' access barriers, aspects of clinics and clinical care, challenges for community-based organizations, stigma, and the role of the NC Department of Health and Human Services were identified as themes affecting testing and linkage. DISCUSSION: These findings can inform efforts to address HIV testing and linkage to care in NC. This approach may provide beneficial insight for other systems of care.
BACKGROUND: HIV testing and linkage to care are critical first steps along the care continuum. Targeted efforts are needed in the South to achieve the goals of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy, and qualitative examination of testing and linkage to care from the perspective of professionals in the field can provide nuanced insight into the strengths and limitations of a care system to inform improvement efforts. These issues are explored in North Carolina (NC), with potential applicability to other Southern states. METHODS: Twenty-one interviews were conducted with professionals in the HIV prevention and care systems in NC. Interviews were analyzed for emergent themes. RESULTS: Individuals' access barriers, aspects of clinics and clinical care, challenges for community-based organizations, stigma, and the role of the NC Department of Health and Human Services were identified as themes affecting testing and linkage. DISCUSSION: These findings can inform efforts to address HIV testing and linkage to care in NC. This approach may provide beneficial insight for other systems of care.
Authors: Kirk D Henny; Christopher C Duke; Angelica Geter; Zaneta Gaul; Chantell Frazier; Jennifer Peterson; Kate Buchacz; Madeline Y Sutton Journal: AIDS Behav Date: 2019-11
Authors: Kevon-Mark P Jackman; Jeremy Kane; Hadi Kharrazi; Renee M Johnson; Carl Latkin Journal: J Med Internet Res Date: 2021-02-10 Impact factor: 5.428