Limitations in knowledge of HIV transmission among HIV-positive patients accessing case management services in a resource-poor setting

Abstract

HIV has increasingly become an infection of poverty. Adequate HIV transmission knowledge among HIV-positive patients is necessary to reduce the risk of secondary infection and protect those who are uninfected from transmission. This study was conducted among individuals enrolled in a program that serves impoverished HIV patients in the Boston area. Although the mean HIV transmission knowledge score was 80% for this group, a significant proportion of patients demonstrated limitations in knowledge of HIV transmission. Highly vulnerable patients, such as those who reported not accessing HIV medications, a history of sexual abuse, or problems getting clothing, had lower levels of HIV knowledge. This paper hopes to alert providers that their most vulnerable patients may be at an increased risk of re-infection or transmission due to limited HIV knowledge. Programs that serve HIV-positive patients coping with poverty and other serious problems need to ensure adequate knowledge of HIV transmission to reduce the overall burden of HIV in resource-poor settings.

Keywords:

• HIV
• transmission knowledge
• case management
• resource-poor setting

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge the patients who participated in the study and staff at the Prevention and Access to Care and Treatment (PACT) program who contributed significantly to this study. Special thanks are offered to Dr. Lenore Azaroff and Alice Yang for editing this manuscript. This study was supported by a grant provided by the Office of Minority Health, DHHS (D53-MP98142; Principal Investigator: Dr. Jim Yong Kim, Associate Professor in the Department of Social Medicine, Harvard Medical School and Director, Department of HIV/AIDS, World Health Organization).