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. 2022 Oct;34(5):349-364.
doi: 10.1521/aeap.2022.34.5.349.

Engagement in Care Among Newly Diagnosed HIV-Positive Gay, Bisexual, and Other Men Who Have Sex With Men in the United States: Results From the Together 5,000 Study

Javier López Rios  1 , Cody Lentz  2 , Iván C Balán  3 , Nicholas Grosskopf  4   5 , Alexa D'Angelo  5 , Matthew Stief  5 , Christian Grov  5
Affiliations

Engagement in Care Among Newly Diagnosed HIV-Positive Gay, Bisexual, and Other Men Who Have Sex With Men in the United States: Results From the Together 5,000 Study

Javier López Rios et al. AIDS Educ Prev. 2022 Oct.

Abstract

One-quarter of gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (GBMSM) with diagnosed HIV are not engaged in HIV care. Between 2018 and 2019, 50 GBMSM completed qualitative interviews 3 months after receiving an HIV-positive result. Interviews explored barriers to and facilitators of engagement and retention in HIV testing and care. Thematic analysis revealed five major themes: (1) reason for HIV testing (e.g., self-testing), (2) linkage to care (e.g., appointment/logistic issues and social support as encouragement), (3) barriers to engagement in care (e.g., financial burden, competing priorities, and fear/stigma), (4) facilitators of engagement (e.g., financial assistance, patient-provider relationships, auxiliary support services, and health agency), and (5) PrEP as a missed prevention opportunity. Addressing individual-, social-, and policy-level barriers could improve GBMSM's engagement in HIV care. Further, capitalizing on GBMSM's health agency through partnerships with local agencies and fostering better patient-provider relationships could optimize HIV care continuity.

Keywords: HIV linkage to care; HIV retention; HIV treatment.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest

The authors have no conflicts to report

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