Information Visualizations to Facilitate HIV-related Patient-provider Communication in New York City (Info Viz: HIV-NYC)

Latinos are the largest and fastest growing minority group in the US, and they are disproportionately affected by HIV. In 2014, almost 25% of new cases of HIV infections were among Latinos although they only represent 17% of the US population. Additionally, Latinos have a faster rate of progression from HIV to AIDS, higher rates of HIV-related deaths, and marked delay in the diagnosis of infections. Approximately 42% of HIV diagnoses among Latinos in the US are in persons born abroad. In absolute numbers, new HIV diagnoses among foreign-born individuals in the US were the highest among Caribbean-born persons, which may partially be attributed to high rates of bidirectional travel. It is, therefore, critical that HIV prevention and treatment activities incorporate factors associated with Latino immigrant and transnational groups. In Washington Heights, New York City, understanding these factors related with bi-directional travel to the Dominican Republic (DR) is warranted, as the Latino population of Washington Heights is largely comprised of Dominicans.

Many factors contribute to the health disparities experienced by Latinos, of which low health literacy and literacy in general are potential contributors. Health literacy, or "the degree to which individuals have the capacity to obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions," is an established concern affecting vulnerable communities globally. Not surprisingly, Spanish-speaking, less educated, and/or foreign-born Latinos have lower health literacy than those born in the US. Low health literacy can lead to worse health outcomes, less use of services, and poorer knowledge of illness. Also, patients with limited health literacy are likely to have low numeracy which affects interpretations of medication quantities, time between doses, and time between appointments, among other quantitative knowledge relating to effective management of HIV.

Infographics are emerging technologies to help teach complex health concepts to patients with low health literacy. When effectively designed, infographics (information visualizations) contain a depth and breadth of information and lead to improved understanding of concepts. By carefully selecting the design and included content, simple images can convey large amounts of information in a visually appealing and comprehensible way. Methodically constructed infographics have been shown to improve communication about health behaviors and health risks and minimize comprehension differences between individuals with high and low health literacy. They can also help improve information exchange amidst culture and language differences by using images familiar to patients to explain complicated processes as well as augment attention span and recall of learned material. Furthermore, rigorously designed and evaluated infographics can help mitigate health disparities by helping clinicians provide the information that people need for effective health management in an understandable way.

During preliminary studies, the investigators developed a set of infographics designed to facilitate HIV-related clinician-patient communication during clinic visits. Initial infographics were designed by persons living with HIV (PLWH) in the Dominican Republic and are now being tested for feasibility and usability among a cohort in the DR. In this study, the investigators propose to assess the feasibility of using the infographic intervention in a clinic that specializes in HIV care in Washington Heights to improve clinical communication and subsequently, patient outcomes. Additionally, the investigators will collect information about acculturation and bi-directional travel to more thoroughly assess how these factors relate to HIV infection among Hispanic/Latino populations living in the US.