Measuring Unmet Needs among Persons Living with HIV at Different Stages of the Care Continuum

• Authors: Thurka Sangaramoorthy, University of Maryland, College Park; Meredith Haddix, The George Washington University; Anya Agopian, The George Washington University; Hannah Yellin, The George Washington University; Farah Mouhanna, Emory University; Hibo Abdi, The George Washington University; Kerri Dorsey, The George Washington University; James Peterson, The George Washington University; Michael Kharfen, District of Columbia Department of Health HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis, STD, and TB Administration, Washington; Amanda D Castel, The George Washington University
• Journal Title: AIDS AND BEHAVIOR
• Volume: Volume 25, Number 6
• Publisher: Springer (part of Springer Nature) | 2021-06-01, Pages 1954-1967
• Type of Work: Article | Post-print: After Peer Review
• Publisher DOI: http://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-020-03125-4
• Subjects: Health Sciences, Public Health
• Keywords: HIV; Engagement in care; Unmet needs; Continuum of care

Abstract

Unmet needs can impede optimal care engagement, impacting the health and well-being of people living with HIV (PLWH); yet, whether unmet needs differ by care engagement status is not well understood. Using surveys and qualitative interviews, we examined and compared unmet needs for PLWH (n = 172) at different levels of care engagement. Unmet needs varied only slightly by care status. Survey findings revealed that provision of housing, emergency financial assistance, employment assistance, and food security were the greatest unmet need; for those in care, housing was the greatest unmet need, whereas for those sporadically in care or out of care, employment assistance was the greatest unmet needs. Qualitative interviews likewise illustrated that a lack of financial resources including insurance, housing, employment, and transportation presented barriers to care engagement across all care groups. Our findings indicate that unmet needs among PLWH are complex and multi-faceted across care engagement status.