HIV Treatment Outcomes in POP-UP: Drop-in HIV Primary Care Model for People Experiencing Homelessness.

BACKGROUND: People with HIV experiencing homelessness have low rates of viral suppression, driven by sociostructural barriers and traditional care system limitations. Informed by the capability-opportunity-motivation-behavior (COM-B) model and patient preference research, we developed POP-UP, an integrated drop-in (nonappointment-based) HIV clinic with wrap-around services for persons with housing instability and viral nonsuppression in San Francisco. METHODS: We report HIV viral suppression (VS; <200 copies/mL), care engagement, and mortality at 12 months postenrollment. We used logistic regression to determine participant characteristics associated with VS. RESULTS: We enrolled 112 patients with viral nonsuppression and housing instability: 52% experiencing street-homelessness, 100% with a substance use disorder, and 70% with mental health diagnoses. At 12 months postenrollment, 70% had ≥1 visit each 4-month period, although 59% had a 90-day care gap; 44% had VS, 24% had viral nonsuppression, 23% missing, and 9% died (6 overdose, 2 AIDS-associated, 2 other). No baseline characteristics were associated with VS. CONCLUSIONS: The POP-UP low-barrier HIV care model successfully reached and retained some of our clinic's highest-risk patients. It was associated with VS improvement from 0% at baseline to 44% at 12 months among people with housing instability. Care gaps and high mortality from overdose remain major challenges to achieving optimal HIV treatment outcomes in this population.

Improving Care Outcomes for PLWH Experiencing Homelessness and Unstable Housing: a Synthetic Review of Clinic-Based Strategies.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Singular interventions targeting vulnerable populations of people living with HIV (PLWH) are necessary for reducing new infections and optimizing individual-level outcomes, but extant literature for PLWH who experience homelessness and unstable housing (HUH) has not been compiled. To inform implementation of clinic-based programs that improve care outcomes in this population, we present a synthetic review of key studies examining clinic-based interventions, specifically case management, patient navigation, financial incentives, and the use of mobile technology. RECENT FINDINGS: Results from unimodal interventions are mixed or descriptive, are limited by inability to address related multi-modal barriers to care, and do not address major challenges to implementation. Multi-component interventions are needed, but gaps in our knowledge base may limit widespread uptake of such interventions before further data are compiled. Future research evaluating interventions for PLWH experiencing HUH should include implementation outcomes in order to facilitate adaptation across diverse clinical settings.

Housing Instability Results in Increased Acute Care Utilization in an Urban HIV Clinic Cohort.

BACKGROUND: People living with HIV (PLWH) who experience homelessness and unstable housing (HUH) often have fragmented health care. Research that incorporates granular assessments of housing status and primary care visit adherence to understand patterns of acute care utilization can help pinpoint areas for intervention. METHODS: We collected self-reported living situation, categorized as stable (rent/own, hotel/single room occupancy), unstable (treatment/transitional program, staying with friends), or homeless (homeless shelter, outdoors/in vehicle) at an urban safety-net HIV clinic between February and August 2017 and abstracted demographic and clinical information from the medical record. Regression models evaluated the association of housing status on the frequency of acute care visits-urgent care (UC) visits, emergency department (ED) visits, and hospitalizations-and whether suboptimal primary care visit adherence (<75%) interacted with housing status on acute care visits. RESULTS: Among 1198 patients, 25% experienced HUH. In adjusted models, unstable housing resulted in a statistically significant increase in the incidence rate ratio for UC visits (incidence rate ratio [IRR], 1.35; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.10 to 1.66; P < .001), ED visits (IRR, 2.12; 95% CI, 1.44 to 3.13; P < .001), and hospitalizations (IRR, 1.75; 95% CI, 1.10 to 2.77; P = 0.018). Homelessness led to even greater increases in UC visits (IRR, 1.75; 95% CI, 1.29 to 2.39; P < .001), ED visits (IRR, 4.18; 95% CI, 2.77 to 6.30; P < .001), and hospitalizations (IRR, 3.18; 95% CI, 2.03 to 4.97; P < .001). Suboptimal visit adherence differentially impacted UC and ED visits by housing status, suggesting interaction. CONCLUSIONS: Increased acute care visit frequency among HUH-PLWH suggests that interventions at these visits may create opportunities to improve care.