A Structural Intervention to Improve Substance Abuse Diagnosis and Treatment Practices in HIV Clinic Settings
Trial Snapshot
- Phase
- Not Applicable
- Status
- Completed
- Enrollment
- 3,358
- Locations
- 1
- Primary Endpoint
- Substance Abuse Diagnosis
Study Overview
Brief Summary
Substance abuse and dependence is highly prevalent among people living with HIV and significantly exacerbates morbidity and mortality and accelerates HIV disease progression. Antiretroviral therapy (ART) has been the single most important treatment for slowing disease progression. ART adherence and HIV primary care are affected by a complex array of factors in the context of lives impacted by socioeconomic, psychological, and health challenges. Drugs and alcohol play a major role in non-adherence, engagement in care, and poor health outcomes among HIV-infected persons. While evidence is unequivocal that substance use treatment improves health outcomes, systems of care for the detection and treatment of substance abuse and dependence remain fragmented. Integrated approaches are key to the delivery of optimal care. Pragmatic or effectiveness trials can provide the best evidence about clinical practice to inform practitioners and policy makes about the most clinically and cost effective treatment to inform dissemination on a wider scale at the organizational and public health levels. The goal of this trial is to develop and test a comprehensive, integrated program to detect and reduce substance abuse and in turn, to improve ART adherence and HIV, substance use and associated health outcomes among HIV-infected patients. This trial will test the effectiveness of the intervention using a stepped wedge trial design to sequentially implement a screening tool and training of patient health navigators at HIV clinics in NYC.
Detailed Description
The goal of this research study is to develop an organizational-level intervention to enhance the adoption of screening for and treatment of substance use disorders among HIV-positive patients receiving care at the Institute for Advanced Medicine HIV primary care clinics. The primary research question is: What is the impact of a brief substance abuse screener and treatment referral process on substance use and HIV-related health outcomes among HIV-infected patients attending HIV care clinics?
The study team will achieve four specific aims:
Aim 1: Develop an intervention to integrate substance abuse treatment with HIV care in a consortium of HIV clinics in New York City. The principal investigator will conduct formative research and utilize the study team's findings about existing systems and approaches utilized at the Mount Sinai Health System to: 1) incorporate a brief screening tool to identify patients in need of further assessment or treatment for substance abuse; and 2) train patient health navigators (PHNs) in motivational interviewing (MI) to engage patients for substance abuse treatment.
Aim 2: Test the effectiveness of the intervention using a stepped wedge trial design to sequentially implement a screening tool and training of PHNs at the IAM HIV clinics. The primary goal is to test the effectiveness of intervention components versus treatment as usual (TAU) in identifying HIV infected persons with a substance use disorder and in linking them to substance abuse treatment. Secondary goals include examining the intersection among problematic substance use, HIV medication adherence, and HIV-related and other comorbid conditions.
Aim 3. Develop optimized technologies within the electronic health record (EHR) system used at the HIV clinics and integrate these with existing substance-use treatment mobile applications to retain patients in recovery and relapse prevention. This will specifically entail use of a MyChart mobile patient portal in an Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) certified EHRs (Epic, Epic Systems Corporation, Verona, WI). The Affordable Care Act (ACA) and the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act place strong emphasis on the widespread adoption and implementation of EHR systems.
Study Design
- Study Type
- Interventional
- Allocation
- Non Randomized
- Intervention Model
- Sequential
- Primary Purpose
- Treatment
- Masking
- None
Eligibility Criteria
- Ages
- 18 Years to — (Adult, Older Adult)
- Sex
- All
- Accepts Healthy Volunteers
- Yes
Inclusion Criteria
- •Registered as a patient at the Institute for Advanced Medicine at Mount Sinai
- •18 years of age or older
- •HIV-infected
- •Report alcohol use at hazardous levels or drug use in the past year
- •Ability to provide informed consent
Exclusion Criteria
- Not provided
Arms & Interventions
Patient-administered screening tool
Patients will complete a screener for alcohol and drug misuse.
Intervention: Patient-administered screening tool (Behavioral)
Patient health navigator-administered screening tool
Patient health navigators will administer a screener for alcohol and drug misuse to patients.
Intervention: Patient health navigator-administered screening tool (Behavioral)
Patient health navigator-assisted linkage to treatment
Patient health navigators will be trained in motivational interviewing to engage patients about linkage to substance abuse treatment.
Intervention: Patient health navigator-assisted linkage to treatment (Behavioral)
Treatment as usual
Patients will receive standard care.
Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
Substance Abuse Diagnosis
Time Frame: 6 months post intervention
Proportion of patients with an alcohol or drug use diagnosis at each HIV clinic compared to proportion of patients who enroll in substance use treatment
Linkage to Substance Abuse Treatment
Time Frame: 6 months post intervention
Proportion of patients at each HIV clinic who enroll in substance use treatment
Secondary Outcomes
- Comorbidities(6 months post intervention)
- HIV Viral Load(6 months post intervention)
- CD4 Cell Count(6 months post intervention)
Investigators
Ana Ventuneac
Assistant Professor
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai