scholarly journals Leveraging Expertise from Community Resources to Improve the Role of the Pharmacist in HIV Testing and Counseling

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 21
Author(s):  
Edgar S. Diaz-Cruz ◽  
Sara Thompson ◽  
Mary Hawkins ◽  
Riguin Zengotita Borges ◽  
Kathryn Jefferson
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Hiv Testing ◽  
Training Program ◽  
Depth Information ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Hiv Counseling And Testing ◽  
Hiv Counseling ◽  
The Public ◽  
Counseling And Testing ◽  
Community Based Organization

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) epidemic continues to be a major global public health issue. Moreover, disparities continue to persist in HIV among racial and ethnic minority populations, with the highest rates of new diagnoses in Black/African American and Hispanic/Latino men who have sex with men in the United States. Pharmacists are one of the most accessible and trusted health care professionals. Therefore, it is imperative that student pharmacists are educated on culturally-competent HIV testing and risk behaviors counseling. This study describes the development of a partnership between a pharmacy school and a community-based organization to offer an HIV counseling and testing training program to help develop skills in delivering HIV testing services. The HIV counseling and testing training program contains learning modules that provide a wide array of in-depth information about HIV patient care in the community. The partnership allows for the enjoyment of a myriad of benefits for students, the pharmacy program, the community-based organization, and the public health of the community-at-large. Students feel more prepared and comfortable working with patients in discussing HIV transmission risk factors and test results as a result of this training. Such partnerships support the pharmacist’s role in the public health arena. A successful and durable relationship between a community partner and a school of pharmacy is a feasible strategy for pharmacy progress in public health.

scholarly journals Health Department Collaboration with Emergency Departments as a Model for Public Health Programs among at-Risk Populations

2005 ◽  
Vol 120 (3) ◽  
pp. 259-265 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael S. Lyons ◽  
Christopher J. Lindsell ◽  
Holly K. Ledyard ◽  
Peter T. Frame ◽  
Alexander T. Trott
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
At Risk ◽  
Emergency Departments ◽  
Health Department ◽  
Health Programs ◽  
Publicly Funded ◽  
Hiv Counseling And Testing ◽  
Hiv Counseling ◽  
Public Health Programs ◽  
Counseling And Testing

Objectives. Accessing at-risk and underserved populations for intervention remains a major obstacle for public health programs. Emergency departments (EDs) care for patients not otherwise interacting with the health care system, and represent a venue for such programs. A variety of perceived and actual barriers inhibit widespread implementation of ED-based public health programs. Collaboration between local health departments and EDs may overcome such barriers. The goal of this study was to assess the effectiveness of a health department-funded, ED-based public health program in comparison with other similar community-based programs through analysis of data reported by health department-funded HIV counseling and testing centers in one Ohio county. Method. Data for HIV counseling and testing at publicly funded sites in southwestern Ohio from January 1999 through December 2002 were obtained from the Ohio Department of Health. Demographic and risk-factor profiles were compared between the counseling and testing program located in the ED of a large, urban teaching hospital and the other publicly funded centers in the same county. Results. A total of 26,382 patients were counseled and tested; 5,232 were ED patients, and 21,150 were from community sites. HIV positivity was 0.86% (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.64%, 1.15%) in the ED and 0.65% (95% CI 0.55%, 0.77%) elsewhere. The ED program accounted for 19.8% of all tests and 24.7% of all positive results. The ED notified 77.3% of individuals testing positive and 84.4% of individuals testing negative. At community program centers, 88.3% of patients testing positive and 63.8% of patients testing negative were notified of results. All ED patients notified of positive status were successfully referred to infectious disease specialists. Conclusions. Public health programs can operate effectively in the ED. EDs should have a rapidly expanding role in the national public health system.

scholarly journals Implementation of Rapid HIV Testing Programs in Community and Outreach Settings: Perspectives from Staff at Eight Community-Based Organizations in Seven U.S. Cities

2008 ◽  
Vol 123 (3_suppl) ◽  
pp. 86-93 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hollie A. Clark ◽  
Kristina E. Bowles ◽  
Binwei Song ◽  
James D. Heffelfinger
Keyword(s):  
High Risk ◽  
Hiv Testing ◽  
Confirmatory Test ◽  
Test Results ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Hiv Counseling ◽  
Community Based Organizations ◽  
Counseling And Testing ◽  
Hiv Test ◽  
Rapid Hiv Test

Objectives. The goals of this research were to evaluate perceptions of staff about the effectiveness of methods used by eight community-based organizations (CBOs) to implement human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) counseling and rapid testing in community and outreach settings in seven U.S. cities, and to identify operational challenges. Methods. A survey was administered to CBO staff to determine their perceptions about the effectiveness of methods used to select testing venues, promote their testing programs, recruit people for testing, provide test results, and link HIV-positive people to health care. Using a Likert scale, respondents rated the effectiveness of methods, their agreement with statements about using mobile testing units (MTUs) and rapid HIV test kits, and operational challenges. Results. Most respondents perceived the methods they used for selecting testing venues, and particularly using recommendations from people receiving testing, to be effective. Most respondents also thought their promotional activities were effective. Respondents believed that using MTUs improved their capacity to reach high-risk individuals, but that MTUs were associated with substantial challenges (e.g., costs to purchase and maintain them). Programmatic challenges included training staff to provide counseling and testing, locating and providing confirmatory test results to people with reactive rapid tests, and sustaining testing programs. Conclusions. CBO staff thought the methods used to select venues for HIV testing were effective and that using MTUs increased their ability to provide testing to high-risk individuals. However, using MTUs was expensive and posed logistical difficulties. CBOs planning to implement similar programs should take these findings into consideration and pay particular attention to training needs and program sustainability.

Perseverance Pays Off: Health Care Providers' Impact on HIV Testing Decisions by Adolescent Females

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1994 ◽  
Vol 94 (6) ◽  
pp. 878-882 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Goodman ◽  
Ann C. Tipton ◽  
Liza Hecht ◽  
Margaret A. Chesney
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Hiv Testing ◽  
Adolescent Girls ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Hiv Counseling And Testing ◽  
Hiv Counseling ◽  
Counseling And Testing ◽  
Hiv Test ◽  
Hiv Testing Services

Background and objective. Although HIV counseling and testing of adolescents has increased rapidly in recent years due to increasing HIV seroprevalence rates, little is known about adolescents' use of HIV testing services. The aims of this study were to determine what proportion of high risk adolescent girls would use confidential HIV testing services linked to primary care and to explore the characteristics, beliefs, and experiences that distinguish those teenage girls who obtain HIV testing in this setting from those who do not. Design. Prospective cohort study. Setting. General pediatrics clinic with adolescent-specific appointments at a large urban HMO. Participants. Convenience sample of 124 adolescent girls engaging in risky behaviors identified by chart review before regularly scheduled clinic appointments. Intervention. Subjects completed a self-report questionnaire assessing HIV-related knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors before the medical visit. During their provider visit, teens were counseled about their risk behaviors and the availability of HIV testing services at the clinic. Subjects were also given the opportunity to view an educational video about HIV testing designed for adolescents. Main outcome measures. Use of HIV counseling and testing services at the clinic and HIV test results. Results. Forty-one percent of these adolescent girls obtained HIV testing at the clinic on the day of their scheduled appointment. Univariate analysis revealed that adolescents who obtained testing had initiated sexual intercourse at a younger age (mean age 13.8 vs 14.4 years, P = .02) and were more likely to have had a prior discussion about HIV testing with a health care provider [RR = 2.02, 95% CIs (1.22, 3.36)]. Those who did not view the video were less likely to test [RR = 0.20, 95% CIs (0.07, 0.58)]. Multiple logistic regression modeling revealed that a prior discussion with a health care provider was the only independent predictor of obtaining an HIV test [OR = 3.47 95% CIs (1.26, 9.52)]. Conclusions. A significant proportion of adolescent girls engaging in risky behaviors will use confidential HIV counseling and testing services that are linked to primary care. Health care providers play an important role in helping teens address their risk for and concerns about HIV infection by engaging adolescents in repeated discussions about HIV testing.

Uptake of HIV testing during antenatal care in Honduras

2017 ◽  
Vol 29 (6) ◽  
pp. 526-530
Author(s):  
Anne Sebert Kuhlmann ◽  
Eleanor P Bergquist ◽  
Qiang Fu ◽  
Enbal Shacham ◽  
Janine Foggia ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Antenatal Care ◽  
Hiv Testing ◽  
Standard Of Care ◽  
Married Women ◽  
Hiv Counseling And Testing ◽  
Hiv Counseling ◽  
Counseling And Testing ◽  
Vertical Transmission Of Hiv ◽  
Testing Practices ◽  
Mother To Child

In order to interrupt vertical transmission of HIV, the WHO recommends universal HIV testing during antenatal care (ANC), a policy that has been adopted by the Ministry of Health in Honduras. We examined HIV counseling and testing practices during ANC in the Honduras Demographic and Health Survey to understand compliance with this established standard of care. Among currently married women with a child aged five years or younger who attended ANC, only 66% recalled being offered HIV testing during ANC, yet 95% of those got tested. Older, less literate women who lived in a rural area, a small household, or had an older husband were significantly less likely to recall being offered HIV testing. These findings highlight necessary revisions to ANC protocols to ensure that all women in Honduras get HIV testing to interrupt mother-to-child transmission.

scholarly journals Predictors of Linkage to Care Following Community-Based HIV Counseling and Testing in Rural Kenya

2011 ◽  
Vol 16 (5) ◽  
pp. 1295-1307 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abigail M. Hatcher ◽  
Janet M. Turan ◽  
Hannah H. Leslie ◽  
Lucy W. Kanya ◽  
Zachary Kwena ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Linkage To Care ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Hiv Counseling And Testing ◽  
Hiv Counseling ◽  
Counseling And Testing ◽  
Rural Kenya
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