scholarly journals 1269. HIV Testing in a Large Community Health Center Serving a Multi-cultural Population: A Qualitative Study of Providers

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (suppl_1) ◽  
pp. S387-S387
Author(s):  
Anthony James ◽  
Danelle Marable ◽  
Caroline Cubbison ◽  
Andrew Tarbox ◽  
Sarah Oo ◽  
...  

Abstract Background In the United States, 15% of people with HIV (PWH) do not know their serostatus, leading to both individual morbidity and HIV transmission to others. While CDC guidelines recommend HIV screening for all individuals aged 13–64 years, racial and ethnic minorities in the United States continue to present to care with advanced HIV infection. Methods Our objective was to assess providers’ perspectives on barriers to and facilitators of HIV testing at an urban community health center serving a predominantly racial/ethnic minority population of low socio-economic status. Study staff conducted five focus groups from January 2017 to November 2017 with 74 health center staff: 20 adult medicine/primary care providers, 28 community health workers (CHWs), six urgent care physicians, six community health administrators, and 14 behavioral health providers. Each focus group ranged from six to 20 participants. In addition to exploring participants’ views on HIV testing in this setting, we also explored potential interventions to improve HIV testing. Interviews were digitally recorded. Data were analyzed using a grounded theory approach. We used open coding to develop themes and compared themes among provider groups. Results The main facilitators of routine HIV testing were clinical training in HIV/hepatitis care and CHWs engaging patients in topics that intersect with HIV risk factors. Providers’ perceptions of key barriers were patients’ cultural perceptions of HIV (e.g. HIV-related stigma), patients’ concerns about test confidentiality, competing medical and social issues, and provider lack of HIV knowledge. All groups agreed that HIV testing should occur through the primary care provider though acknowledged that patients may be seeking healthcare more frequently through mental health, urgent care, or social services than primary care. Primary care physicians wanted easier mechanisms to identify patients in need of HIV testing and assistance with offering the test to non-English language speaking patients. Conclusion Specific, focused efforts can lead to improved HIV testing in racial ethnic minorities in community health centers. Training to improve provider comfort, increasing CHW engagement, and a focus on patients’ cultural beliefs may all have an impact. Disclosures All authors: No reported disclosures.

PLoS Medicine ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. e1002074 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew J. O’Brien ◽  
Ji Young Lee ◽  
Mercedes R. Carnethon ◽  
Ronald T. Ackermann ◽  
Maria C. Vargas ◽  
...  

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie Loo ◽  
Chris Grasso ◽  
Jessica Glushkina ◽  
Justin McReynolds ◽  
William Lober ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND Electronic patient-reported outcome (ePRO) systems can improve health outcomes by detecting health issues or risk behaviors that may be missed when relying on provider elicitation. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to implement an ePRO system that administers key health questionnaires in an urban community health center in Boston, Massachusetts. METHODS An ePRO system that administers key health questionnaires was implemented in an urban community health center in Boston, Massachusetts. The system was integrated with the electronic health record so that medical providers could review and adjudicate patient responses in real-time during the course of the patient visit. This implementation project was accomplished through careful examination of clinical workflows and a graduated rollout process that was mindful of patient and clinical staff time and burden. Patients responded to questionnaires using a tablet at the beginning of their visit. RESULTS Our program demonstrates that implementation of an ePRO system in a primary care setting is feasible, allowing for facilitation of patient-provider communication and care. Other community health centers can learn from our model in terms of applying technological innovation to streamline clinical processes and improve patient care. CONCLUSIONS Our program demonstrates that implementation of an ePRO system in a primary care setting is feasible, allowing for facilitation of patient-provider communication and care. Other community health centers can learn from our model for application of technological innovation to streamline clinical processes and improve patient care.


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fang Fang Zhang ◽  
Frederick Cudhea ◽  
Zhilei Shan ◽  
Dominique S Michaud ◽  
Fumiaki Imamura ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Diet is an important risk factor for cancer that is amenable to intervention. Estimating the cancer burden associated with diet informs evidence-based priorities for nutrition policies to reduce cancer burden in the United States. Methods Using a comparative risk assessment model that incorporated nationally representative data on dietary intake, national cancer incidence, and estimated associations of diet with cancer risk from meta-analyses of prospective cohort studies, we estimated the annual number and proportion of new cancer cases attributable to suboptimal intakes of seven dietary factors among US adults ages 20 years or older, and by population subgroups. Results An estimated 80 110 (95% uncertainty interval [UI] = 76 316 to 83 657) new cancer cases were attributable to suboptimal diet, accounting for 5.2% (95% UI = 5.0% to 5.5%) of all new cancer cases in 2015. Of these, 67 488 (95% UI = 63 583 to 70 978) and 4.4% (95% UI = 4.2% to 4.6%) were attributable to direct associations and 12 589 (95% UI = 12 156 to 13 038) and 0.82% (95% UI = 0.79% to 0.85%) to obesity-mediated associations. By cancer type, colorectal cancer had the highest number and proportion of diet-related cases (n = 52 225, 38.3%). By diet, low consumption of whole grains (n = 27 763, 1.8%) and dairy products (n = 17 692, 1.2%) and high intake of processed meats (n = 14 524, 1.0%) contributed to the highest burden. Men, middle-aged (45–64 years) and racial/ethnic minorities (non-Hispanic blacks, Hispanics, and others) had the highest proportion of diet-associated cancer burden than other age, sex, and race/ethnicity groups. Conclusions More than 80 000 new cancer cases are estimated to be associated with suboptimal diet among US adults in 2015, with middle-aged men and racial/ethnic minorities experiencing the largest proportion of diet-associated cancer burden in the United States.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document