Becker Nozipho, Kim Hyunjin C, Bright Darius J, Williams Iii Robert, Anguera Joaquin A, Arnold Emily A, Saberi Parya, Neilands Torsten B, Pollack Lance M, Tan Judy Y
Office for Inclusive Excellence, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, United States.
Center for AIDS Prevention Studies, Division of Prevention Science, Department of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States.
JMIR Form Res. 2023 Aug 25;7:e43676. doi: 10.2196/43676.
HIV disparities continue to be a significant challenge affecting Black sexual minority men in the United States. Inadequate engagement and retention of patients in HIV care has been associated with poor health outcomes. Interventions to improve sustained commitment to HIV care are needed. Mobile health interventions can help facilitate access to and use of HIV health services, particularly among individuals at risk for disengaging with care.
We designed the LetSync app wireframes for a mobile health intervention using a couple-centered design approach to improve HIV engagement and treatment among Black sexual minority men and their partners. The objective of this study was to gauge future app user interest and elicit feedback to improve the design, development, and usability of the LetSync app.
We conducted in-depth interviews with 24 Black sexual minority men to assess the acceptability of the LetSync app wireframes between May 2020 and January 2021. Participants reviewed the LetSync app wireframes and provided feedback regarding perceived usefulness and interest in future app use and suggestions for improvement.
Participants indicated interest in the future LetSync app and noted that the wireframes' features were acceptable and usable. In our study, the future LetSync app was frequently referred to as a potential resource that could help facilitate users' engagement in HIV care through the following mechanisms: enable scheduling of appointments and timely reminders for clinic visits; help improve HIV medication adherence; encourage and motivate participants to ask questions to their health care provider and stay engaged in conversations during clinic visits; facilitate effective communication by assisting couples with planning, coordination, and management of daily routines; help participants understand their partner's health needs, including access to and use of health care services; and facilitate participants' ability to improve their relationship skills, partner support, and self-efficacy in managing conflict. In addition to near-universal interest in potential daily app use, study participants indicted that they would recommend the LetSync app to other family members, friends, and people in their social networks who are living with HIV.
Our findings revealed considerable interest in future app use for HIV care management, which could possibly increase the chance of the LetSync app being successfully adopted by Black sexual minority men in couples. Owing to its interactive and couple-centered approach, the LetSync app could help improve communication between Black sexual minority men and their partners and health providers. In addition, the LetSync app could provide an acceptable modality for these men to receive support in accessing HIV care services.
在美国，艾滋病毒差异仍然是影响黑人性少数群体男性的一项重大挑战。艾滋病毒护理中患者参与度和留存率不足与不良健康结果相关。需要采取干预措施来提高对艾滋病毒护理的持续投入。移动健康干预措施有助于促进艾滋病毒健康服务的获取和使用，尤其是在那些有脱离护理风险的个体中。
我们采用以伴侣为中心的设计方法，为一项移动健康干预设计了LetSync应用程序线框图，以提高黑人性少数群体男性及其伴侣对艾滋病毒的参与度和治疗效果。本研究的目的是评估未来应用程序用户的兴趣，并征求反馈意见，以改进LetSync应用程序的设计、开发和可用性。
在2020年5月至2021年1月期间，我们对24名黑人性少数群体男性进行了深入访谈，以评估LetSync应用程序线框图的可接受性。参与者查看了LetSync应用程序线框图，并就其感知的有用性、对未来应用程序使用的兴趣以及改进建议提供了反馈。
参与者表示对未来的LetSync应用程序感兴趣，并指出线框图的功能是可接受且可用的。在我们的研究中，未来的LetSync应用程序经常被视为一种潜在资源，它可以通过以下机制帮助促进用户参与艾滋病毒护理：实现预约安排和诊所就诊的及时提醒；帮助提高艾滋病毒药物依从性；鼓励和激励参与者向他们的医疗保健提供者提问，并在诊所就诊期间保持对话参与度；通过协助伴侣规划、协调和管理日常生活来促进有效沟通；帮助参与者了解其伴侣 的健康需求，包括获取和使用医疗保健服务；促进参与者提高他们的关系技能、伴侣支持以及处理冲突的自我效能感。除了对潜在的日常应用程序使用几乎普遍感兴趣之外，研究参与者表示他们会向其他感染艾滋病毒的家庭成员、朋友和社交网络中的人推荐LetSync应用程序。
我们的研究结果显示，未来对用于艾滋病毒护理管理的应用程序使用有相当大的兴趣，这可能会增加LetSync应用程序被黑人性少数群体男性伴侣成功采用的机会。由于其互动性和以伴侣为中心的方法，LetSync应用程序可以帮助改善黑人性少数群体男性与其伴侣以及医疗保健提供者之间的沟通。此外，LetSync应用程序可以为这些男性提供一种可接受的方式，以在获取艾滋病毒护理服务方面获得支持。
