Transitioning Adolescents to Adult HIV Care in the United States: Implementation Lessons from the <i>iTransition</i> Intervention Pilot Trial

Although every youth in pediatric/adolescent HIV care will need to transition to adult-oriented care, there are no existing evidence-based interventions to optimize health through this process. Healthcare transition poses a persistent challenge to the health of youth living with HIV, which may resul...

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Main Authors: Amanda E. Tanner, Sulianie Mertus, Mohammed Sheikh Eldin Jibriel, Rakira Urquhart, Keenan Phillips, Nadia Dowshen, Srija Dutta, Madeleine H. Goldstein, Susan Lee, Kayla Knowles, Kaja Darien, Kelly L. Rulison, Julia Madden, Sophia A. Hussen
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024-12-01
Series:Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2414-6366/9/12/297
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Summary:Although every youth in pediatric/adolescent HIV care will need to transition to adult-oriented care, there are no existing evidence-based interventions to optimize health through this process. Healthcare transition poses a persistent challenge to the health of youth living with HIV, which may result in gaps in care engagement, medication adherence, and viral suppression. Our process evaluation of <i>iTransition</i>, a multilevel mobile health (mHealth) intervention, included iterative interviews with youth, providers, and Transition Champions. These data, along with team meeting notes, highlight the important role the intervention plays in addressing healthcare transition-related challenges, positioning it to fill a critical gap for both youth and providers. It also highlights important individual (e.g., competing priorities of youth and providers), clinical (e.g., electronic health record integration), and contextual (e.g., clinical policies during COVID-19 pandemic) challenges to intervention reach and implementation. More work is needed to refine interventions to support care continuity for youth living with HIV as they transition to adult-oriented care.
ISSN:2414-6366