Department of Biomedical Informatics, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH, USA.
The Ohio State University College of Public Health, Columbus, OH, USA.
Curr Med Res Opin. 2024 Nov;40(11):1873-1883. doi: 10.1080/03007995.2024.2388840. Epub 2024 Sep 9.
HIV molecular epidemiology (HIV ME) is a tool that aims to improve HIV research, surveillance, and cluster detection and response. HIV ME is a core pillar of the U.S. initiative to End the HIV Epidemic but faces some challenges and criticisms from stakeholders. We sought to assess user experience to identify the current needs for HIV ME.
Users of HIV ME, including researchers and public health practitioners, were engaged via a structured survey. Needs were assessed via open-ended questions about HIV ME. Data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis; the concordance of results was assessed semi-quantitatively.
Of 90 possible HIV-ME end-users, 57 completed the survey (response rate = 63%), which included users engaged in research ( = 29) and public health ( = 28). Respondents identified current imperatives, challenges, and strategies to improve HIV ME. Imperatives included characterization of the virus, identification of HIV hotspots, and tailoring of HIV interventions. Challenges encompassed technological issues, ethical concerns, and implementation difficulties. Strategies to improve HIV ME involved improving data access and analysis, enhancing implementation guidance and resources, and fostering community engagement and support. Researchers and public health practitioners prioritized different imperatives, but similarly emphasized the ethical concerns with HIV ME.
The imperatives identified by users underscore the necessity of HIV ME, while the challenges highlight the hurdles to be overcome, including ethical concerns which emerged as a shared emphasis across user groups. The strategies outlined offer a roadmap for overcoming these challenges. These insights, drawn from user experience, present a valuable opportunity to inform the development of guidelines for the ethical application of HIV ME in research, surveillance, and cluster detection and response.
HIV 分子流行病学（HIV ME）是一种旨在改进 HIV 研究、监测以及集群检测和应对的工具。HIV ME 是美国终结艾滋病流行倡议的核心支柱之一，但面临着来自利益相关者的一些挑战和批评。我们试图评估用户体验，以确定 HIV ME 的当前需求。
通过结构化调查，让 HIV ME 的使用者，包括研究人员和公共卫生从业者参与进来。通过关于 HIV ME 的开放性问题来评估需求。使用反思性主题分析对数据进行分析；半定量评估结果的一致性。
在 90 名可能的 HIV-ME 最终用户中，有 57 名完成了调查（回应率=63%），其中包括从事研究（ = 29 名）和公共卫生（ = 28 名）的用户。受访者确定了 HIV ME 当前的必要性、挑战和改进策略。必要性包括病毒特征描述、识别 HIV 热点以及定制 HIV 干预措施。挑战包括技术问题、伦理问题和实施困难。改进 HIV ME 的策略包括改善数据访问和分析、加强实施指导和资源以及促进社区参与和支持。研究人员和公共卫生从业者优先考虑不同的必要性，但同样强调了 HIV ME 的伦理问题。
用户确定的必要性强调了 HIV ME 的必要性，而挑战则突出了需要克服的障碍，包括伦理问题，这是用户群体共同强调的问题。概述的策略为克服这些挑战提供了路线图。这些来自用户体验的见解为制定 HIV ME 在研究、监测以及集群检测和应对中的伦理应用指南提供了有价值的机会。
