"She makes me feel that I'm not alone": linkage to Care Specialists provide social support to people living with HIV. AIDS Care 2015;27(9):1104-7
Date
04/10/2015Pubmed ID
25854534Pubmed Central ID
PMC4596723DOI
10.1080/09540121.2015.1028882Scopus ID
2-s2.0-84943454398 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 28 CitationsAbstract
Wisconsin's Linkage to Care intervention incorporates elements of individually tailored patient navigation and case management designed to increase linkage and retention in HIV-related medical care. It is delivered by Linkage to Care Specialists in HIV medical clinics and community-based agencies. Researchers interviewed a diverse sample of clients to conduct preliminary evaluation of the pilot phase of this intervention. The participants' relationships with their Specialists emerged as a major unifying theme of the data. Comfortable and close relationships with Specialists served as motivation to adhere to medical care, mitigated negative feelings associated with HIV-related stigma, and resulted in increased comfort with medical care and positive health outcomes including engagement in care and undetectable viral load. As a result of the Specialists' support, many participants were reluctant to transition out of the Linkage to Care program. The positive effects demonstrated by Specialists are balanced against the costs of small caseloads that are potentially not feasible within traditional case management models. Future interventions to increase medical care engagement, among HIV+ individuals at risk of lack of engagement, should develop strategies to "personalize" the patient experiences within health care and psychosocial services delivery systems, as well as screening tools to triage clients into different levels of personal service provision intensity based on need and desire.
Author List
Broaddus MR, Hanna CR, Schumann C, Meier AAuthor
Michelle R. Broaddus PhD Associate Professor in the Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine department at Medical College of WisconsinMESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
AdolescentAdult
Aged
Ambulatory Care Facilities
Case Management
Female
HIV Infections
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Nurse-Patient Relations
Social Stigma
Social Support
Wisconsin
Young Adult