The Significance of Taking Antiretroviral Medications for African-Born People Living with HIV and Residing in Minnesota.

Thanks to the development of antiretroviral (ART) medications, HIV is now a chronic and manageable disease. This study aimed to (1) capture the experiences of African-born persons living with HIV and taking antiretroviral treatment, and (2) explore the impact of social and cultural factors on their decisions to follow the prescribed treatment. For this study, a qualitative approach was used. The participants were recruited via fliers, then screened for inclusion and exclusion criteria. Recruitment of the participants continued until data saturation occurred. The interview guide was developed based on the extensive literature and recommendations from the clinical team. In-person narrative interviews were conducted with 14 participants-African-born persons living with HIV and residing in Minnesota. Thematic Analysis revealed three emergent themes: "To exist I have to take the medicine"; barriers and facilitators in taking ART medications; and the power of spirituality and prayers. The findings of this study paint a picture of African-born persons living with HIV, and their experiences with ART medications. This study not only presents the participants' medication experiences and their significance, but also tells their stories of how God and prayers play a significant role in helping them to get through the difficult moments of their lives.

"Stigma and HIV Are Like Brother and Sister!": The Experience of African-Born Persons Living with HIV in the US.

Minnesota has seen an increase in the number of immigrants from Africa, notably in the mid-1990s, making up around 2% of Minnesota's total population. This population also faces many impediments that cause important difficulties not only for HIV prevention but also for treatment and care options. The objectives of this study were to capture the experiences of Persons Living with HIV (PLWH) in Minnesota (US) and to elicit their stories about their diagnosis news and what management strategies they use for coping with the stigma associated with the disease. Participants were recruited via fliers in pharmacies, clinics, and HIV service centers located in Minnesota. Recruitment continued until thematic saturation was obtained. Fourteen subjects participated in audio-recorded, semi-structured interviews that were transcribed verbatim into written text. The transcriptions were analyzed using Thematic Analysis. Three themes emerged from the data. Theme 1: Cruel News: "HIV-Oooooo! I wish I was dead", Theme 2: This is My Secret! and Theme 3: "Stigma and HIV are brother and sister". The results demonstrate that stigma is an ever-present problem in African-born PLWH living in the US. Participants perceived the stigma associated with HIV status to affect their lives and culture at individual, familial, and societal levels.

Narrative experiences of interactions with pharmacists among African-born persons living with HIV: "It's mostly business."

BACKGROUND: African-born persons constitute 1% of the total Minnesota population, yet 24% of new HIV infections occurred in this population in 2016. Furthermore, 32% of the African born persons living with HIV [PLWH] did not check their CD4 counts or viral load in 2018. Little is known of the role of pharmacists in antiretroviral (ARV) management in the PLWH of African origin. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to describe the experiences of African-born PLWH in their interactions with pharmacists and perceptions of pharmacists' roles in fostering adherence to ARV therapy. METHODS: A qualitative approach was used for this study. Recruitment via fliers for in-person interviews with African-born PLWH in Minnesota continued until saturation was achieved. Narrative Interviews with 14 participants lasting up to 2 h were conducted over five months. All interviews were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim by a professional transcription service. Conventional Content Analysis was used to analyze the data. RESULTS: Three themes emerged from analyzed data "Interaction with the pharmacists," "Revealing the diagnosis to a pharmacist," and "Lack of disclosure of HIV status to a pharmacist." CONCLUSIONS: The participants referred to the interaction with pharmacists as a "business" or "transactional interaction." To better understand the interaction between pharmacists and PLWH of African-born, future studies could benefit from interviewing pharmacists from different practice settings.