An intervention for the transition from pediatric or adolescent to adult-oriented hiv care: Protocol for the development and pilot implementation of iTransition

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Amanda E Tanner, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro; Nadia Dowshen, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia; Morgan M Philbin, Mailman School of Public Health; Kelly L Rulison, Pennsylvania State University; Andres Camacho-Gonzalez, Emory University; Susan Lee, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia; Shamia J Moore, Rollins School of Public Health; Dennis J Fortenberry, Emory University; Sophia Hussen, Emory University
• Language: English
• Date: 2021-04-01
• Publisher: JMIR Publications
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: ©Amanda E Tanner, Nadia Dowshen, Morgan M Philbin, Kelly L Rulison, Andres Camacho-Gonzalez, Susan Lee, Shamia J Moore, J Dennis Fortenberry, Sophia A Hussen. Originally published in JMIR Research Protocols (http://www.researchprotocols.org), 07.04.2021.
• License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.2196/24565
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: JMIR Research Protocols
• Volume: 10
• Issue: 4
• Start Page: e24565
• End Page: e24565
• Grant/Funding Information: This work was supported by the National Institutes of Mental Health (R34MH116805; principal investigators Hussen and Tanner). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.
• Keywords: mHealth; retention in care; transition to adult care; HIV; feasibility studies; telemedicine; mobile phone; control groups; young adult; United States; HIV infections
• Research Categories: Health Sciences, Human Development; Health Sciences, Public Health

Abstract

Background: In the United States, adolescents and young adults are disproportionately affected by HIV and have poorer HIV-related health outcomes than adults. Health care transition (HCT) from pediatric or adolescent to adult-oriented HIV care is associated with disruptions to youths' care retention, medication adherence, and viral suppression. However, no evidence-based interventions exist to improve HCT outcomes for youth living with HIV. Objective: There are 2 phases of this project. Phase 1 involves the iterative development and usability testing of a Social Cognitive Theory-based mobile health (mHealth) HIV HCT intervention (iTransition). In phase 2, we will conduct a pilot implementation trial to assess iTransition's feasibility and acceptability and to establish preliminary efficacy among youth and provider participants. Methods: The iterative phase 1 development process will involve in-person and virtual meetings and a design team comprising youth living with HIV and health care providers. The design team will both inform the content and provide feedback on the look, feel, and process of the iTransition intervention. In phase 2, we will recruit 100 transition-eligible youth across two clinical sites in Atlanta, Georgia, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to participate in the historical control group (n=50; data collection only) or the intervention group (n=50) in a pilot implementation trial. We will also recruit 28 provider participants across the pediatric or adolescent and adult clinics at the two sites. Data collection will include electronic medical chart abstraction for clinical outcomes as well as surveys and interviews related to demographic and behavioral characteristics; Social Cognitive Theory constructs; and intervention feasibility, acceptability, and use. Analyses will compare historical control and intervention groups in terms of HCT outcomes, including adult care linkage (primary), care retention, and viral suppression (secondary). Interview data will be analyzed using content analysis to understand the experience with use and acceptability. Results: Phase 1 (development) of iTransition research activities began in November 2019 and is ongoing. The data collection for the phase 2 pilot implementation trial is expected to be completed in January 2023. Final results are anticipated in summer 2023. Conclusions: The development and pilot implementation trial of the iTransition intervention will fill an important gap in understanding the role of mHealth interventions to support HCT outcomes for youth living with HIV.