Global competency impact of sustained remote international engagement for students.

BACKGROUND: To provide just equity in academic exchange, as well as to reduce prohibitive travel cost and address environmental concerns, the past paradigm of international student exchange has fundamentally shifted from one directional travel to mutually beneficial bidirectional remote communication between students all over the globe. Current analysis aims to quantify cultural competency and evaluate academic outcomes. METHODS: Sixty students half from the US and half from Rwanda grouped in teams of 4 engaged in a nine-month project-focused relationship. Cultural competency was evaluated prior to project initiation and six months after completion of the project. Student perspective of project development was analyzed weekly and final academic outcome was evaluated. RESULTS: Change in cultural competency was not significant; however, students did identify satisfaction in team interaction and academic outcomes were achieved. CONCLUSION: A single remote exchange between students in two countries may not be transformative but it can provide cultural enrichment and successful academic project outcome and may serve to enhance cultural curiosity.

PositiveLinks and the COVID-19 Response: Importance of Low-Barrier Messaging for PLWH in Non-urban Virginia in a Crisis.

PositiveLinks (PL) is an evidence-based mobile health intervention promoting engagement in care for people living with HIV. PL offers secure, in-app patient-provider messaging. We investigated messaging during the early COVID-19 pandemic, comparing messages exchanged between 01/13/2020 and 03/01/2020 ("Pre-COVID") to messages exchanged between 03/02/2020 and 04/19/2020 ("early COVID") using Poisson regression. We performed qualitative analysis on a subset of messages exchanged between 02/01/2020 and 03/31/2020. Between "Pre-COVID" and "early COVID" periods, weekly member and provider messaging rates increased significantly. Of the messages analyzed qualitatively, most (53.3%) addressed medical topics, and more than a fifth (21.3%) addressed social issues. COVID-related messages often focused on care coordination and risk information; half of COVID messages contained rapport-building. PL patients ("members") and providers used in-app secure messaging to reach out to one another, identifying needs, organizing receipt of healthcare resources, and strengthening patient-care team relationships. These findings underscore the importance of low-barrier messaging during a crisis.

RESUMEN: PositiveLinks (PL) es una intervención de salud móvil basada en evidencia que promueve la participación en la atención de las personas que viven con el VIH. PL ofrece mensajería segura entre paciente y proveedor dentro de la aplicación. Investigamos la mensajería durante la fase temprana de la pandemia de COVID-19, comparando los mensajes intercambiados entre el 13 de enero y el 1 de marzo del 2020 ("pre-COVID") con los mensajes intercambiados entre el 2 de marzo y el 19 de abril del 2020 ("COVID") usando el modelo de regresión de Poisson. Realizamos un análisis cualitativo de un subconjunto de los mensajes intercambiados entre el 1 de febrero y el 31 de marzo del 2020. Entre los períodos "pre-COVID" y "COVID," los índices semanales de mensajes de los miembros y proveedores aumentaron significativamente. De los mensajes analizados cualitativamente, la mayoría (53.3%) abordó temas médicos y más de una quinta parte (21.3%) abordó temas sociales. Los mensajes relacionados con COVID a menudo se centraron en la coordinación de la atención y la información sobre riesgos; la mitad de los mensajes sobre COVID presentó contenido relacionado con el establecimiento de buenas relaciones. Los pacientes de PL ("miembros") y los proveedores utilizaron la mensajería segura dentro de la aplicación para comunicarse entre sí, identificar necesidades, organizar la recepción de recursos de atención médica, y fortalecer las relaciones entre el equipo de atención y el paciente. Este estudio subraya la importancia de facilitar un fácil acceso a la mensajería durante una crisis.

A qualitative study of perceived barriers to hepatitis C care among people who did not attend appointments in the non-urban US South.

BACKGROUND: Most people diagnosed with hepatitis C virus (HCV) have not linked to care, despite the availability of safe and effective treatment. We aimed to understand why people diagnosed with HCV have not pursued care in the non-urban Southern United States. METHODS: We conducted a survey and semi-structured interview with participants referred to an HCV clinic who did not attend an appointment between 2014 and 2018. Our clinic is located in a non-urban region of Virginia at a university hospital. Qualitative data collection was guided by the Health Belief Model (HBM). Data was analyzed using qualitative content analysis to identify key factors influencing patient perceptions regarding HCV and pursuit of care. RESULTS: Over half of previously referred patients (N = 200) could not be reached by phone. Eleven participants enrolled, including 7 men and 4 women. Based on survey responses, unreliable transportation, unstable housing, substance use, and lack of insurance were common. Participants demonstrated good knowledge of HCV disease, complications, and treatment. On qualitative analysis of semi-structured interviews, final themes emerged from within and between HBM constructs. Emerging themes influencing patient perceptions included (1) structural barriers, (2) stigma, (3) prior experiences of HCV disease and treatment, (4) discordance between the recognized severity of HCV and expected impacts on one's own health, and (5) patient-provider relationship. Substance use was not identified to be a barrier to care. CONCLUSIONS: Participants perceived individual and structural barriers to linking to care. A strong HCV knowledge base was not sufficient to motivate pursuit of care. Efforts to improve linkage to care must address barriers at multiple levels, and system-level changes are needed. As the majority of previously referred patients could not be contacted by phone, current approaches to patient engagement are not effective for reaching these populations. Expansion of HCV care to primary care settings with an established patient-provider relationship or co-located treatment within substance use treatment programs may serve to increase access to HCV treatment.

Secure Messaging Through PositiveLinks: Examination of Electronic Communication in a Clinic-Affiliated Smartphone App for Patients Living with HIV.

Purpose: Secure messaging between patients and their health care team can facilitate chronic care management. PositiveLinks® (PL) is a clinic-affiliated smartphone application designed for patients living with HIV that includes a secure messaging feature for patients, PL staff, and clinic providers to communicate. Our aim was to examine the content and function of messaging within PL. Methodology: We examined messages exchanged through PL from November 2017 through January 2018. Qualitative analysis included categorization of topics as: related to the app, medical care, or social needs. Messaging functions were categorized as information exchange or rapport building. Results: Of the 1,474 PL messages analyzed, 44% were sent by PL staff, 38% by patients, and 18% by providers, whereas 61% were received by patients, 22% by providers, and 17% by PL staff. Message topics included app-related (57.6%), medical care (34.3%), and social concerns (12.4%). App-related messages addressed technical difficulties, software updates, or coordinating phone payments. Medical messages included medical information, medications, appointments, outreach, and care coordination for physical and mental health. Social messages related to insurance, transportation, housing, food, utilities, disability, finances, and work absences. Message function coding showed that 87.3% of messages contained information exchange and 33.8% contained rapport building. Messages sent by providers were most likely to contain rapport building at 54.8%. Conclusion: PL messaging was used to handle medical and social needs with potential impact on patients' health and offers an opportunity to strengthen patient-provider relationships through responsiveness and rapport building. Secure messaging through a clinic-affiliated smartphone app could enhance patient-centered care between clinical visits.

Addressing Stigma Through a Virtual Community for People Living with HIV: A Mixed Methods Study of the PositiveLinks Mobile Health Intervention.

Stigma has negative consequences for quality of life and HIV care outcomes. PositiveLinks is a mobile health intervention that includes a secure anonymous community message board (CMB). We investigated discussion of stigma and changes in stigma scores. Of 77 participants in our pilot, 63% were male, 49% Black, and 72% had incomes below the federal poverty level. Twenty-one percent of CMB posts (394/1834) contained stigma-related content including negative (experiencing stigma) and positive (overcoming stigma) posts addressing intrapersonal and interpersonal stigma. Higher baseline stigma was positively correlated with stress and negatively correlated with HIV care self-efficacy. 12-month data showed a trend toward more improved stigma scores for posters on the CMB versus non-posters (- 4.5 vs - 0.63) and for posters of stigma-related content versus other content (- 5.1 vs - 3.3). Preliminary evidence suggests that a supportive virtual community, accessed through a clinic-affiliated smartphone app, can help people living with HIV to address stigma.

Social Support in a Virtual Community: Analysis of a Clinic-Affiliated Online Support Group for Persons Living with HIV/AIDS.

Social support can improve outcomes for people living with HIV (PLWH) and could be provided through online support groups. The Positive Links smartphone app is a multicomponent intervention that allows users to interact in a clinic-affiliated anonymous online support group. We investigated how social support was exchanged in a group of 55 participants over 8 months, using an adaptation of the Social Support Behavior Code. Participant interviews assessed their experiences and perceptions of the app. Of 840 posts analyzed, 115 (14 %) were coded as eliciting social support and 433 (52 %) as providing social support. Messages providing support were predominantly emotional (41 %), followed by network (27 %), esteem (24 %), informational (18 %), and instrumental (2 %) support. Participants perceived connection and support as key benefits of the app. Technical issues and interpersonal barriers limited some participants in fully using the app. Mobile technology offers a useful tool to reach populations with barriers to in-person support and may improve care for PLWH.

Content Analysis and User Characteristics of a Smartphone-Based Online Support Group for People Living with HIV.

BACKGROUND: Although there is growing interest in mobile applications and online support groups to enhance chronic disease self-management, little is known about their potential impact for people living with HIV (PLWH). INTRODUCTION: We developed an innovative online support group delivered through a community message board (CMB) within a clinic-affiliated smartphone application Positive Links (PL). We analyzed characteristics of posters and nonposters to the CMB and evaluated content posted to the CMB. MATERIALS AND METHODS: For this study, 38 HIV-infected patients received cell phones with the PL application that included the opportunity to interact with other users on a CMB. Logistic regressions investigated associations between participant characteristics and posting. CMB messages were downloaded and analyzed qualitatively. RESULTS: 24 participants posted to the CMB; 14 did not. Participants had lower odds of posting if they were white (p = 0.028) and had private insurance (p = 0.003). Participants had higher odds of posting if they had unsuppressed viral loads (p = 0.034). Of the 840 CMB messages over 8 months, 62% had psychosocial content, followed by community chat (29%), and biomedical content (10%). DISCUSSION: Psychosocial content was most prevalent on this CMB, in contrast to other online forums dominated by informational content. Participants who posted expressed support for each other, appreciation for the community, and a perception that the app played a positive role in their HIV self-management. CONCLUSIONS: This CMB on a clinic-affiliated mobile application may reach vulnerable populations, including racial/ethnic minorities and those of lower socioeconomic status, and provide psychosocial support to PLWH.

Social Media: Portrait of an Emerging Tool in Medical Education.

OBJECTIVE: The authors compare the prevalence of challenges and opportunities in commentaries and descriptive accounts versus evaluative studies of social media use in medical education. METHODS: A previously published report of social media use in medical education provided an in-depth discussion of 14 evaluative studies, a small subset of the total number of 99 articles on this topic. This study used the full set of articles identified by that review, including the 58 commentaries and 27 descriptive accounts which had not been previously reported, to provide a glimpse into how emerging tools in medical education are initially perceived. Each commentary, descriptive account, and evaluative study was identified and compared on various characteristics, including discussion themes regarding the challenges and opportunities of social media use in medical education. RESULTS: Themes related to the challenges of social media use in medical education were more prevalent in commentaries and descriptive accounts than in evaluative studies. The potential of social media to affect medical professionalism adversely was the most commonly discussed challenge in the commentaries (53%) and descriptive accounts (63%) in comparison to technical issues related to implementation in the evaluative studies (50%). CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest that the early body of literature on social media use in medical education-like that of previous innovative education tools-comprises primarily commentaries and descriptive accounts that focus more on the challenges of social media than on potential opportunities. These results place social media tools in historical context and lay the groundwork for expanding on this novel approach to medical education.

Optimizing usability of a mobile health intervention for Spanish-speaking Latinx people with HIV through user-centered design: a post-implementation study.

Objective: Latinx people comprise 30% of all new human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections in the United States and face many challenges to accessing and engaging with HIV care. To bridge these gaps in care, a Spanish-language mobile health (mHealth) intervention known as ConexionesPositivas (CP) was adapted from an established English-language platform called PositiveLinks (PL) to help improve engagement in care and reduce viral nonsuppression among its users. We aimed to determine how CP can address the challenges that Latinx people with HIV (PWH) in the United States face. Materials and methods: We conducted a post-implementation study of the CP mHealth platform, guided by principles of user-centered design. We enrolled 20 Spanish-speaking CP users in the study, who completed the previously validated System Usability Scale (SUS) and semistructured interviews. Interviews were transcribed and translated for analysis. We performed thematic coding of interview transcripts in Dedoose. Results: The SUS composite score was 75, which is within the range of good usability. Four categories of themes were identified in the interviews: client context, strengths of CP, barriers to use and dislikes, and suggestions to improve CP. Positive impacts included encouraging self-monitoring of medication adherence, mood and stress, connection to professional care, and development of a support system for PWH. Discussion: While CP is an effective and easy-to-use application, participants expressed a desire for improved personalization and interactivity, which will guide further iteration. Conclusion: This study highlights the importance of tailoring mHealth interventions to improve equity of access, especially for populations with limited English proficiency.

Patient Perspective of People with HIV Who Gained Medicaid Through Medicaid Expansion: A Cross-Sectional Qualitative Study.

Given the large numbers of people with HIV (PWH) with Medicaid coverage, it is important to understand the patient experience with Medicaid. Understanding experiences with and attitudes around the program have important policy and clinical implications. The objective was to understand the patient perspective of PWH in Virginia, who transitioned to Medicaid in 2019 due to Medicaid expansion. English-speaking PWH who gained Medicaid due to Medicaid expansion in 2019 were recruited at one Virginia Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program clinic. The goal was to enroll >33% of those who newly were on Medicaid for 2019. Participants were surveyed about demographic characteristics, and semistructured interviews were performed. Descriptive analyses were performed for cohort characteristics. Using qualitative description and an open coding strategy, codebooks were generated for the interviews and themes were identified. The cohort (n = 28) met our recruitment goal. Most participants had positive feelings about Medicaid before enrollment (general: 68%; good for general health: 75%, and good for HIV care: 67%) and after enrollment (general: 93% and good for HIV care: 93%). All participants expressed incomplete understanding about Medicaid before enrollment. Seventy-nine percent needed outside help to complete enrollment. Approximately 40% described overlaps of Medicaid with other insurance/payers or gaps in insurance coverage when transitioning from one insurance/payer (such as AIDS Drug Assistance Program [ADAP] medication provision and ADAP-subsidized insurance) to Medicaid. Participants suggested more access or easier access to information about Medicaid and more explanation of Medicaid benefits would be helpful. Our findings indicate participants had mostly positive perceptions of Medicaid before and after enrollment. Even with enrollment help, participants voiced that dealing with insurance is hard. Medicaid and other programs should prioritize more access to information, smoother processes, and less burdensome enrollment/re-enrollment.

Mobile Sensing in the COVID-19 Era: A Review.

Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic, mobile sensing and data analytics techniques have demonstrated their capabilities in monitoring the trajectories of the pandemic, by collecting behavioral, physiological, and mobility data on individual, neighborhood, city, and national scales. Notably, mobile sensing has become a promising way to detect individuals' infectious status, track the change in long-term health, trace the epidemics in communities, and monitor the evolution of viruses and subspecies. Methods: We followed the PRISMA practice and reviewed 60 eligible papers on mobile sensing for monitoring COVID-19. We proposed a taxonomy system to summarize literature by the time duration and population scale under mobile sensing studies. Results: We found that existing literature can be naturally grouped in four clusters, including remote detection, long-term tracking, contact tracing, and epidemiological study. We summarized each group and analyzed representative works with regard to the system design, health outcomes, and limitations on techniques and societal factors. We further discussed the implications and future directions of mobile sensing in communicable diseases from the perspectives of technology and applications. Conclusion: Mobile sensing techniques are effective, efficient, and flexible to surveil COVID-19 in scales of time and populations. In the post-COVID era, technical and societal issues in mobile sensing are expected to be addressed to improve healthcare and social outcomes.

Use of a Mobile Health Intervention by Older Versus Younger People with HIV: Analysis of Usage, Social Support, and Network Interactions.

Background: People with HIV in the United States are aging, with risk for negative health outcomes from social isolation. PositiveLinks is a mobile health (mHealth) intervention that includes an anonymous Community Message Board (CMB) for peer-to-peer conversations. We investigated differences in CMB usage and social support between younger (<50 years) and older (≥50) members. Methods: We assessed the relationship between age groups and app use using chi-square tests. CMB posts were analyzed qualitatively to categorize forms of social support. To have a visual understanding of this relationship, we created a network diagram to display interactions among PL members. Results: Among 87 participants, 31 (42.5%) were in the older age group. Older members launched the app more often at 6 months (445.5 vs. 240.5 mean launches per participant, p ≤ 0.001) and 12 months (712.3 vs. 292.6 launches, p ≤ 0.001) compared with younger members. Older members also demonstrated more CMB posts at 6 months (47.4 vs. 7.6 mean posts per participant, p = 0.02) and 12 months (77.5 vs. 10.6 posts, p = 0.04). Of 1861 CMB posts, 7% sought support and 72% provided support. In addition, the network visualization showed that four participants, who were in the older age group, had more post generation than others and most of their posts provided support. Conclusions: Older PL members demonstrated significantly more app use than younger members, including CMB posts for social support. This durable app engagement indicates that mHealth can enable social connection among people living with chronic disease across the lifespan.

"Flourish in the Clerkship Year": a Curriculum to Promote Wellbeing in Medical Students.

The stresses of medical training can lead to burnout and other adverse outcomes. The Flourish curriculum was designed to mitigate negative effects of stress among clerkship students through debriefing and skills-building activities that foster practical wisdom: mindfulness, appreciative practice, story-telling/listening, and reflection. Students rated the curriculum highly, felt it addressed common concerns about clerkships, and were able to apply techniques from the curriculum to their clinical work. This framework can help students process their experiences and benefit from peer support, mentorship, and reflection. Fostering medical students' wisdom capacities for reflection and compassion may be protective against burnout during their training. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40670-022-01522-z.

Communication between patients, peers, and care providers through a mobile health intervention supporting medication-assisted treatment for opioid use disorder.

INTRODUCTION: Our team developed the HOPE app as a clinic-based platform to support patients receiving medication assisted treatment (MAT) for opioid use disorder. We investigated the app's two communication features: an anonymous community message board (CMB) and secure messaging between patients and their clinic team. METHODS: The HOPE (Heal Overcome Persist Endure) app was piloted with patients and MAT providers. Text from the CMB and messaging were downloaded and de-identified. Content analysis was performed using iteratively developed codebooks with team consensus. RESULTS: The pilot study enrolled 28 participants; 25 were "members" (patients) and 3 were providers (physician, nurse, social worker). Of member-generated CMB posts, 45% described the poster's state of mind, including positive and negative emotions, 47% conveyed support and 8% asked for support. Members' secure messages to the team included 52% medical, 45% app-related, and 8% social topics. Provider's messages contained information exchange (90%) and relationship-building (36%). DISCUSSION: Through the CMB, members shared emotions and social support with their peers. Through secure messaging, members addressed medical and social needs with their care team, used primarily for information exchange but also relationship-building. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: The HOPE app addresses communication needs for patients in MAT and can support them in recovery.

Adapting an m-Health Intervention for Spanish-Speaking Latinx People Living with HIV in the Nonurban Southern United States.

Background: Latinx people in the United States are disproportionately diagnosed with HIV and are more likely to experience worse HIV-related health outcomes. Although m-health has demonstrated success in improving HIV care, a gap remains in the development of m-health platforms tailored to Latinx populations. Methods: We conducted formative study to guide the adaptation of an evidence-based m-health intervention, PositiveLinks (PL), for Spanish-speaking Latinx people living with HIV (PLWH). Spanish-speaking Latinx PLWH in the nonurban Southern United States completed semistructured interviews and viewed a demo version of the m-health intervention. Qualitative analysis was performed using a grounded theory approach. Emerging themes were identified in four topic areas: (1) prior experiences with technology, (2) desired m-health features, (3) experiences with prototype app, and (4) iteration of prototype. Results: All PLWH who participated (n = 22) were born outside the continental United States. Participants included 10 men, 10 women, and 2 transgender participants. Mean age was 41.1 years (standard deviation 11.6 years). Participants expressed concerns about privacy, a need for reliable information, and interest in practical m-health features such as appointment and medication reminders. After trialing the Spanish-language PL prototype, participants reported that peer support and positive reinforcement were strong motivators to use the app. The ability to individualize the app to meet one's own needs was also considered important. Conclusion: This formative study provides baseline attitudes about m-health among Latinx PLWH as well as desired m-health features. m-Health interventions are acceptable to Spanish-speaking PLWH and involving the target population in a user-centered formative process led to improvements in app accessibility and usability.

An Implementation Strategy to Expand Mobile Health Use in HIV Care Settings: Rapid Evaluation Study Using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research.

BACKGROUND: Mobile health (mHealth) apps can provide support to people living with a chronic disease by offering resources for communication, self-management, and social support. PositiveLinks (PL) is a clinic-deployed mHealth app designed to improve the health of people with HIV. In a pilot study, PL users experienced considerable improvements in care engagement and viral load suppression. To promote its expansion to other HIV clinics, we developed an implementation strategy consisting of training resources and on-demand program support. OBJECTIVE: The objective of our study was to conduct an interim analysis of the barriers and facilitators to PL implementation at early adopting sites to guide optimization of our implementation strategy. METHODS: Semistructured interviews with stakeholders at PL expansion sites were conducted. Analysis of interviews identified facilitators and barriers that were mapped to 22 constructs of the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR). The purpose of the analysis was to identify the facilitators and barriers to PL implementation in order to adapt the PL implementation strategy. Four Ryan White HIV clinics were included. Interviews were conducted with one health care provider, two clinic managers, and five individuals who coordinated site PL activities. RESULTS: Ten common facilitators and eight common barriers were identified. Facilitators to PL implementation included PL's fit with patient and clinic needs, PL training resources, and sites' early engagement with their information technology personnel. Most barriers were specific to mHealth, including access to Wi-Fi networks, maintaining patient smartphone access, patient privacy concerns, and lack of clarity on how to obtain approvals for mHealth use. CONCLUSIONS: The CFIR is a useful framework for evaluating mHealth interventions. Although PL training resources were viewed favorably, we identified important barriers to PL implementation in a sample of Ryan White clinics. This enabled our team to expand guidance on identifying information technology stakeholders and procuring and managing mobile resources. Ongoing evaluation results continue to inform improvements to the PL implementation strategy, facilitating PL access for future expansion sites.

Toward understanding the impact of mHealth features for people with HIV: a latent class analysis of PositiveLinks usage.

PositiveLinks (PL) is a multi-feature smartphone-based platform to improve engagement-in-care and viral suppression (VS) among clinic patients living with HIV. Features include medication reminders, mood/stress check-ins, a community board, and secure provider messaging. Our goal was to examine how PL users interact with the app and determine whether usage patterns correlate with clinical outcomes. Patients (N = 83) at a university-based Ryan White clinic enrolled in PL from June 2016 to March 2017 and were followed for up to 12 months. A subset (N = 49) completed interviews after 3 weeks of enrollment to explore their experiences with and opinions of PL. We differentiated PL members based on 6-month usage of app features using latent class analysis. We explored characteristics associated with class membership, compared reported needs and preferences by class, and examined association between class and VS. The sample of 83 PL members fell into four classes. "Maximizers" used all app features frequently (27%); "Check-in Users" tended to interact only with daily queries (22%); "Moderate All-Feature Users" used all features occasionally (33%); and "As-Needed Communicators" interacted with the app minimally (19%). VS improved or remained high among all classes after 6 months. VS remained high at 12 months among Maximizers (baseline and 12-month VS: 100%, 94%), Check-in Users (82%, 100%), and Moderate All-Feature Users (73%, 94%) but not among As-Needed Communicators (69%, 60%). This mixed-methods study identified four classes based on PL usage patterns that were distinct in characteristics and clinical outcomes. Identifying and characterizing mHealth user classes offers opportunities to tailor interventions appropriately based on patient needs and preferences as well as to provide targeted alternative support to achieve clinical goals.

Long term impact of PositiveLinks: Clinic-deployed mobile technology to improve engagement with HIV care.

BACKGROUND: PositiveLinks (PL) is a smartphone-based platform designed in partnership with people living with HIV (PLWH) to improve engagement in care. PL provides daily medication reminders, check-ins about mood and stress, educational resources, a community message board, and an ability to message providers. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of up to 24 months of PL use on HIV viral suppression and engagement in care and to examine whether greater PL use was associated with improved outcomes. SETTING: This study occurred between September 2013 and March 2017 at a university-based Ryan White HIV clinic. METHODS: We assessed engagement in care and viral suppression from study baseline to the 6-, 12-, 18- and 24-month follow-up time periods and compared trends among high vs. low PL users. We compared time to viral suppression, proportion of days virally suppressed, and time to engagement in care in patients with high vs. low PL use. RESULTS: 127 patients enrolled in PL. Engagement in care and viral suppression improved significantly after 6 months of PL use and remained significantly improved after 24 months. Patients with high PL use were 2.09 (95% CI 0.64-6.88) times more likely to achieve viral suppression and 1.52 (95% CI 0.89-2.57) times more likely to become engaged in care compared to those with low PL use. CONCLUSION: Mobile technology, such as PL, can improve engagement in care and clinical outcomes for PLWH. This study demonstrates long-term acceptability of PL over two years and provides evidence for long-term improvement in engagement in care and viral suppression associated with PL use.

Development of PositiveLinks: A Mobile Phone App to Promote Linkage and Retention in Care for People With HIV.

BACKGROUND: Linkage to and retention in HIV care are challenging, especially in the Southeastern United States. The rise in mobile phone app use and the potential for an app to deliver just in time messaging provides a new opportunity to improve linkage and retention among people living with HIV (PLWH). OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to develop an app to engage, link, and retain people in care. We evaluated the acceptability, feasibility, and impact of the app among users. METHODS: App development was informed by principles of chronic disease self-management and formative interviews with PLWH. Once developed, the app was distributed among participants, and usability feedback was incorporated in subsequent iterations. We interviewed app users after 3 weeks to identify usability issues, need for training on the phone or app, and to assess acceptability. We tracked and analyzed usage of app features for the cohort over 2 years. RESULTS: A total of 77 participants used the app during the pilot study. The query response rate for the first 2 years was 47.7%. Query response declined at a rate of 0.67% per month. The community message board was the most popular feature, and 77.9% (60/77) of users posted on the board at least once during the 2 years. CONCLUSIONS: The PositiveLinks app was feasible and acceptable among nonurban PLWH. High participation on the community message board suggests that social support from peers is important for people recently diagnosed with or returning to care for HIV.