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INTRODUCTION: Perspectives on long-acting injectable cabotegravir/rilpivirine (CAB/RPV-LA) from HIV health disparity populations are under-represented in current literature yet crucial to optimize delivery. METHODS: Between August 2022 and May 2023, we conducted in-depth interviews with people with HIV (PWH) at four HIV clinics in Atlanta, Chicago and San Francisco. Eligibility criteria were current CAB/RPV-LA use with receipt of ≥3 injections or CAB/RPV-LA discontinuation. We purposefully sampled for PWH who initiated with viraemia (plasma HIV RNA >50 copies/ml) due to adherence challenges, discontinuers, and cis and trans women. Interviews were coded and analysed using thematic methods grounded in descriptive phenomenology. Clinical data were abstracted from the medical record. RESULTS: The sample (San Francisco n = 25, Atlanta n = 20, Chicago n = 14 for total n = 59, median number of injections = 6) consisted of 48 PWH using CAB/RPV-LA and 11 who had discontinued. The median age was 50 (range 25-73) and 40 (68%) identified as racial/ethnic minorities, 19 (32%) cis or trans women, 16 (29%) were experiencing homelessness/unstable housing, 12 (20%) had recently used methamphetamine or opioids and 11 (19%) initiated with viraemia. All participants except one (who discontinued) had evidence of viral suppression at interview. Typical benefits of CAB/RPV-LA included increased convenience, privacy and freedom from being reminded of HIV and reduced anxiety about forgetting pills. However, PWH who became virally suppressed through CAB/RPV-LA use also experienced an amelioration of feelings of shame and negative self-worth related to oral adherence challenges. Regardless of baseline viral suppression status, successful use of CAB/RPV-LA amplified positive provider/clinic relationships, and CAB/RPV-LA was often viewed as less work than oral antiretroviral therapy, which created space to attend to other aspects of health and wellness. For some participants, CAB/RPV-LA remained work, particularly with regard to injection site pain and visit frequency. At times, these burdens outweighed the aforementioned benefits, resulting in discontinuation. CONCLUSIONS: CAB/RPV-LA offers a range of logistical, psychosocial and care engagement benefits, which are experienced maximally by PWH initiating with viraemia due to adherence challenges; however, benefits do not always outweigh treatment burdens and can result in discontinuation. Our findings on rationales for persistence versus discontinuation can inform both initial and follow-up patient counselling.

Understanding the acceptability of long-acting injectable antiretroviral therapy (LAI-ART) among people with HIV (PWH), especially priority populations, is essential for effective implementation. We conducted semi-structured interviews with patients in three Ryan White-funded HIV clinics in San Francisco, Chicago, and Atlanta. We employed maximal variation sampling across age, gender, race, ethnicity, and time living with HIV and oversampled for individuals with suboptimal clinical engagement. An 8-step hybrid deductive and inductive thematic analysis approach guided data analysis. Between August 2020 and July 2021, we conducted 72 interviews. Median age was 46 years; 28% were ciswomen, 7% transwomen, 44% Black/African-American and 35% Latinx, 43% endorsed a psychiatric diagnosis, 35% were experiencing homelessness/unstable housing, and 10% had recent substance use. Approximately 24% were sub-optimally engaged in care. We observed a spectrum of LAI-ART acceptability, ranging from enthusiasm to hesitancy to rejection. We also characterized four emergent orientations towards LAI-ART: innovator, pragmatist, deliberator, and skeptic. Overall, the majority of participants expressed favorable initial reactions towards LAI-ART. Most approached LAI-ART pragmatically, but acceptability was not static, often increasing over the course of the interview. Participants considered their HIV providers as essential for affirming personal relevance. HIV stigma, privacy concerns, and medical mistrust had varied impacts, sometimes facilitating and other times hindering personal relevance. These findings held across priority populations, specifically young adults, cis/trans women, racial/ethnic minorities, and individuals with suboptimal clinical engagement. Further research is needed to explore the transition from hypothetical acceptance to uptake and to confirm the actual benefits and drawbacks of this treatment.

BackgroundLong-acting injectable antiretroviral therapy (LAI-ART) represents the next innovation in HIV therapy. Pre-implementation research is needed to develop effective strategies to ensure equitable access to LAI-ART to individuals living with HIV.MethodsWe conducted focus group discussions (FGDs) with providers and staff affiliated with HIV clinics in San Francisco, Chicago, and Atlanta to understand barriers to and facilitators of LAI-ART implementation. Participants also completed a short survey about implementation intentions. FGDs were held via video conference, recorded, transcribed, and thematically analyzed using domains associated with the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR).ResultsBetween September 2020 and April 2021, we led 10 FDGs with 49 participants, of whom ~60% were prescribing providers. Organizational readiness for implementing change was high, with 85% agreeing to being committed to figuring out how to implement LAI-ART. While responses were influenced by the unique inner and outer resources available in each setting, several common themes, including implementation mechanisms, dominated: (1) optimism and enthusiasm about LAI-ART was contingent on ensuring equitable access to LAI-ART; (2) LAI-ART shifts the primary responsibility of ART adherence from the patient to the clinic; and (3) existing clinic systems require strengthening to meet the needs of patients with adherence challenges. Current systems in all sites could support the use of LAI-ART in a limited number of stable patients. Scale-up and equitable use would be challenging or impossible without additional personnel. Participants outlined programmatic elements necessary to realize equitable access including centralized tracking of patients, capacity for in-depth, hands-on outreach, and mobile delivery of LAI-ART. Sites further specified unknown logistical impacts on implementation related to billing/payer source as well as shipping and drug storage.ConclusionsAmong these HIV care sites, clinic readiness to offer LAI-ART to a subset of patients is high. The main challenges to implementation include concerns about unequal access and a recognition that strengthening the clinic system is critical.

Use of long-acting injectable antiretroviral therapy depends on patient awareness, provider discussion, and patient willingness to use. We conducted a postvisit survey with patients at 3 HIV clinics in San Francisco, Chicago, and Atlanta in May 2021 to assess for inequities in these early implementation phases.

BackgroundYouth are globally recognized as being vulnerable to HIV. Younger age has been correlated with worse health outcomes. Mobile health (mHealth) interventions have the potential to interact with youth where they are, using a device they already access.ObjectiveUsing predefined benchmarks, we sought to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of WYZ, an mHealth app, for improved engagement in care and antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence among youth and young adults living with HIV. WYZ was designed and developed with input from youth and young adults living with HIV using a human-centered design approach and was based on the information, motivation, and behavioral skills framework to address common barriers to care and ART adherence among youth and young adults living with HIV.MethodsWe recruited youth and young adults living with HIV (18-29 years old) from the San Francisco Bay Area to take part in a 6-month pilot trial. Their participation included completing baseline and exit surveys, and participating in seven phone check-ins about their use of WYZ.ResultsYouth and young adults living with HIV (N=79) reported high levels of feasibility and acceptability with WYZ use. We met predefined benchmarks for recruitment (79/84, 94%), mean logins per week (5.3), tracking ART adherence (5442/9393, 57.9%), posting chat topics per week (4.8), and app crashes reported per week (0.24). The ease of app download, install, and setup, and comfort with security, privacy, and anonymity were highly rated (all over 91%). Additionally, participants reported high satisfaction for a research project that was remotely conducted. Participants used the app for shorter timeframes compared to the predefined benchmark.ConclusionsWe noted high feasibility and acceptability with WYZ. Further research to examine the efficacy of WYZ will enable youth and young adults living with HIV and their providers to make informed decisions when using, recommending, and prescribing the app for improved engagement in HIV care and ART adherence.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT03587857; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03587857.

Introduction: HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in the form of a daily oral medication is highly effective at preventing HIV. In the United States, awareness about PrEP has steadily increased over time among individuals vulnerable to HIV, however awareness has not translated into widescale uptake. Estimates are that fewer than 20% of 1.2 million Americans for whom PrEP is indicated are utilizing it. We sought to understand how individuals moved from PrEP awareness to PrEP utilization. Methods: We conducted a series (n = 31) of in-depth interviews with young people, predominantly gay and bisexual men, ages 18-29 years old between February 2015 and January 2016, as part of the evaluation of a multi-year demonstration project funded to test innovative approaches to improve sexual health outcomes and curb the HIV epidemic in California. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. We conducted a thematic analysis. Results: We present a continuum of PrEP awareness that spans three phases-basic, moderate and advanced. Participants rarely reported becoming well-informed about PrEP over the course of an initial exposure to PrEP information. Learning occurred after multiple exposures to PrEP information through numerous intersecting forms, messengers and formal and informal communication channels. Positively framed messages delivered by formal messengers emphasizing PrEP as a sensible HIV prevention strategy and explicitly communicating a regard for sexual wellness were overwhelmingly persuasive and facilitated movement to the advanced awareness phase. Once participants reached the advanced phase of PrEP awareness, uptake was possible. Conclusions: Our analysis provides insights into how PrEP awareness led to PrEP uptake among young gay and bi-sexual men. Building demand among those in the basic awareness phase took longer than those in the moderate phase. Individuals involved in formal and informal PrEP education can set reasonable expectations about whether, when and how eventual uptake may occur when keeping the continuum of PrEP awareness framework in mind. Many young, gay and bi-sexual male prospective PrEP users will benefit from positively framed messages that emphasize personal well-being, including social, sexual and emotional benefits of PrEP use.

BackgroundYoung men of color who have sex with men face a continual increase in rates of HIV infection. Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is an important prevention method for these young men.SettingThe Connecting Resources for Urban Sexual Health (CRUSH) demonstration project provided sexual health services, including PrEP, to young men who have sex with men aged 18-29 years. We report on adherence and factors influencing it.MethodsParticipants were offered HIV and sexually transmitted infection testing, prevention counseling, PrEP, and when appropriate, sexually transmitted infection treatment and postexposure prophylaxis. Participants taking PrEP had erythrocyte tenofovir diphosphate and emtricitabine levels measured through dried blood spot testing at 4, 12, and 24 weeks to estimate medication adherence. Participants also completed surveys to assess demographic and psychosocial measures.ResultsFrom February 2014 to November 2015, CRUSH enrolled 257 participants. Ninety-three percent started PrEP, 81% of whom initiated it at their first visit. Twelve percent required postexposure prophylaxis before starting PrEP. Adherence at protective levels was initially high with 87% demonstrating levels consistent with at least 4 doses per week at week 4, compared with 77% at the 48-week follow-up. African American race, exposure to violence, and having survival needs were associated with significantly lower levels of adherence [odds ratio (OR): 0.33; confidence interval (CI): 0.11 to 0.97, P < 0.04; OR: 0.79; CI: 0.59 to 1.04, P < 0.10; OR: 0.51; CI: 0.24 to 1.05, P < 0.07].ConclusionsMost young men who initiate PrEP adhere at levels that confer protection against HIV infection. Interventions should account for differences in life experiences, particularly addressing the structural challenges facing young African American men.

Objectives: Collaborative care models may improve outcomes for both HIV and depression. The model includes routine screening and re-assessment of depressive symptoms as well as care coordination services delivered by an ancillary provider focused on mental health. We sought to explore patient experiences and attitudes about the services received through the collaborative care model, including measurement-based care using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9.Methods: We conducted 17 qualitative interviews with patients in a collaborative care model implemented at an HIV primary care clinic in a safety-net hospital in the United States. Interviews were analyzed using Framework Analysis.Results: Our findings illustrate the ways in which the collaborative care model for depression may be meaningful to patients in HIV care settings. Participants appreciated the support offered through the collaborative care model. Most participants perceived measurement-based care as useful to their providers, and an additional subset used the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 for their own self-management and awareness of depression. Over time, the collaborative care model appeared to motivate some patients to address depressive symptoms.Conclusion: The collaborative care model may be particularly helpful to patients in the way that it reinforces how depressive symptoms can be measured and managed. Furthermore, routine screening and re-measurement for depressive symptoms using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 hold promise as an additional self-management tool to complement other clinical and supportive services.

Background Long-acting injectable (LAI) cabotegravir/rilpivirine (CAB/RPV) offers a novel drug delivery option for persons with human immunodeficiency virus (PWH) but requires administration every 4 or 8 weeks by a medical professional. Methods To facilitate LAI antiretroviral therapy (ART) scale-up, we evaluated patient interest in alternative administration approaches via a mixed-methods, serial cross-sectional study across 3 US HIV clinics. We surveyed PWH (December 2021 to May 2022) on appeal of self- or partner/friend/family-administered LAI-CAB/RPV; multivariable ordinal logistic regression explored associated characteristics. To contextualize survey results, we thematically analyzed semi-structured interview data collected from PWH (August 2020 to July 2021) on attitudes toward out-of-clinic LAI-ART administration. Results Among 370 surveyed PWH (median age, 46 years; 26% cisgender female, 59% Black, 56% sexual minority, 34% housing instability), self-administering LAI-CAB/RPV appealed to 67%. PWH who were White (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 3.30 [95% confidence interval {CI}, 1.42–7.64]), stably housed (aOR, 2.16 [95% CI, 1.30–3.59]), or gay/bisexual (aOR, 1.81 [1.14–2.89]) were more likely to endorse self-administration. Fewer PWH (60%) reported partner/friend/family administration as appealing; adjusted models revealed similar sociodemographic preferences for this outcome. In 72 interviews, PWH noted that acceptability of out-of-clinic LAI-ART administration was qualified by convenience, prior injection experience, and potential fear of self-inflicted pain, dependence on others, and/or HIV disclosure. Conclusions In a multisite sample of PWH, self- and, to a lesser extent, partner/friend/family-administration of LAI-CAB/RPV appealed to most; however, was less appealing among populations more impacted by health disparities. Innovative LAI-ART delivery options could free up in-clinic resources to focus scale-up among marginalized populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Guidelines recommend immediate antiretroviral therapy (ART) at or shortly after human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) diagnosis, yet little is known about how people living with HIV (PLWH) experience this treatment strategy, including racial/ethnic minorities, cisgender/transgender women, and those with housing instability. Methods To assess the acceptability of immediate ART offer among urban PLWH, understand how this approach affects the lived experience of HIV diagnosis, and explore reasons for declining immediate ART, we conducted a cross-sectional qualitative study using semi-structured interviews with individuals who had been offered immediate ART after HIV diagnosis at a safety-net HIV clinic in San Francisco and a federally qualified health center in Chicago. Interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis. Results Among 40 participants with age range 19–52 years, 27% of whom were cisgender/transgender women or gender-queer, 85% racial/ethnic minority, and 45% homeless/unstably housed, we identified 3 major themes: (1) Individuals experienced immediate ART encounters as supportive; (2) individuals viewed immediate ART as sensible; and (3) immediate ART offered emotional relief by offsetting fears of death and providing agency over one's health. Reasons for declining immediate ART ranged from simply needing a few more days to complex interactions of logistical and psychosocial barriers. Conclusions Immediate ART was highly acceptable to urban persons with newly diagnosed HIV infection. Immediate ART was viewed as a natural next step after HIV diagnosis and provided a sense of control over one's health, mitigating anxiety over a decline in physical health. As such, immediate ART somewhat eased but in no way obviated the psychosocial challenges of HIV diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]