Georgia MMP: Experiences and Needs of Georgians Living with HIV/AIDS
Abstract
Surveillance data from the Georgia MMP was used to describe demographic and clinical characteristics, experiences seeking human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) care, risk behaviors, and unmet needs among people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) in rural and urban counties in Georgia. This project combines clinical and behavioral data to identify disparities and opportunities for improved care for all PLWHA in Georgia.
Proposal Summary
Background: The Medical Monitoring Project (MMP) is a surveillance project designed to produce nationally representative data on PLWHA in the United States and locally representative data for each individual project area. Georgia MMP data describe the care-seeking experiences and unmet needs of PLWHA across the state. Objectives: This project uses data from the Georgia MMP to describe the demographic and clinical characteristics, linkage to and retention in care, and expressed unmet needs among PLWHA in both rural and urban counties. Methods: MMP uses a two-stage sampling design. In the first stage, Georgia was one of 23 states and cities selected proportionally according to the area’s burden of HIV to participate in MMP. At the second stage, a sample of 500 participants was selected randomly from the Enhanced HIV/AIDS reporting system (eHARS). Eligibility criteria for participation were defined as follows: (1) at least 18 years of age (2) diagnosed with HIV, and (3) resident of Georgia at the time of sampling. Data was collected from each consenting participant in two stages: (1) a personal interview, and (2) a medical record abstraction, conducted at the participant’s most recent usual place of HIV care. Results and Conclusions: Demographic characteristics and descriptions of health-related behavior, linkage to HIV care, receipt of HIV care, and clinical outcomes will be presented, as well as the proportion of participants with a rural residential address (15%). The potential for future use of MMP data compiled across multiple years to create a large enough sample size for rural-specific analyses will also be described. Our results are intended to inform efforts to improve the quality and accessibility of care for all PLWHA in Georgia and to highlight the potential utility of MMP data for improving care and outcomes in both rural and urban areas.
Relevance And Significance
This proposal addresses both the "Clinical Research" and "Prevention and Intervention" conference tracks. First, this project describes the access to and retention in care for a representative sample of PLWHA in both urban and rural counties in Georgia. The data for the project was collected through a state-wide HIV surveillance and monitoring system, contributing valuable information to the surveillance topic within the Clinical Research track. In addition, our results contribute to the Prevention and Intervention track through both describing the epidemiology of HIV in Georgia and characterizing the experiences of accessing care and barriers to such access for PLWHA across the state. Our presentation will also describe the potential for future analyses of MMP data that collapse data across years, allowing for more specific analyses of the rural portion of the participants. Finally, MMP data includes risk behaviors such as injection drug use and other substance abuse, informing related interventions. Georgia MMP’s rich combination of data from personal interviews and medical record abstractions provides a unique opportunity for the HIV care community to identify and address disparities in access to care and experiences living with HIV for Georgians across the state.
Session Format
Poster Session
Keywords
HIV/AIDS Surveillance, Linkage and retention to care, health behaviors
Publication Type and Release Option
Presentation (Open Access)
Recommended Citation
Lucas, Natalie and Stephens, Fay Katharine, "Georgia MMP: Experiences and Needs of Georgians Living with HIV/AIDS" (2017). 9th Annual Rural HIV Research and Training Conference (2014-2019). 5.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/ruralhiv/2017/2017/5
Georgia MMP: Experiences and Needs of Georgians Living with HIV/AIDS
Surveillance data from the Georgia MMP was used to describe demographic and clinical characteristics, experiences seeking human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) care, risk behaviors, and unmet needs among people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) in rural and urban counties in Georgia. This project combines clinical and behavioral data to identify disparities and opportunities for improved care for all PLWHA in Georgia.
