title: A pilot study to engage and counsel HIV-positive African American youth via telehealth technology.
abstract: Abstract Antiretroviral nonadherence is a strong determinant of virologic failure and is negatively correlated with survival. HIV-positive African American youth have lower antiretroviral adherence and treatment engagement than other populations. We assessed the feasibility and acceptability of a telehealth (remote videoconferencing) medication counseling intervention as an innovative approach to address these disparities. HIV-positive African American youth (18-29 years old) on antiretrovirals were enrolled in a telehealth medication counseling session, followed by a semi-structured qualitative interview to explore likes/dislikes of the format, modality, and content; potential impact on adherence; privacy issues; and interaction quality. Fourteen participants with a mean age of 24 years, who were 86% male, and had a mean self-reported adherence in the past month of 89%, were interviewed. Participants stated that they liked telehealth, would use it if offered in clinic/research settings, and indicated that their privacy was maintained. Participants described telehealth as convenient and efficient, with positive impact on their knowledge. Telehealth provided a modality to interact with providers that participants described as less intimidating than in-person visits. Telehealth is feasible and acceptable for delivering medication counseling to HIV-positive African American youth when conducted in a controlled clinical setting and may improve quality of patient-provider dialogue. Use of telehealth may lead to more disclosure of treatment difficulties, increased patient comfort, and improved health education.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94105, USA. parya.saberi@ucsf.edu
authors.forename: Parya
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Saberi
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Yuan
authors.forename: Malcolm
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: John
authors.forename: Nicolas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sheon
authors.forename: Mallory O
authors.initials: MO
authors.lastname: Johnson
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology*; D019380:Anti-HIV Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003376:Counseling; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology; D010865:Pilot Projects; D036301:Qualitative Research; D017216:Telemedicine; D014481:United States; D049269:Videoconferencing; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D019380:Anti-HIV Agents