“We are looking at the future right now”: community acceptability of a home-based viral load test device in the context of HIV cure-related research with analytical treatment interruptions in the United States

Figures & data

Figure 1. a. Experimental home-based viral load test device under development by Tasso and Merck & Co, Inc., Kenilworth, NJ, USA. b. Tasso home-based viral load test device demonstration video.

Table 1. Interview guide and focus group questioning route for Home-Based viral load acceptability study in the context of HIV Cure-Related research with ATIs (United States, 2021).

Can you please tell us what you know about HIV cure clinical research? What do you think about interrupting HIV treatment? Can you discuss your experience going to the clinic and getting your viral load checked periodically? If proven effective, the home-based viral load test would allow people to measure their virus levels from home instead of going to the clinic. What would help you with getting your viral load checked? Do you think a home-based viral load test would be helpful? There is a device under development by a company called Tasso and Merck & Co, Inc., Kenilworth, NJ, USA. is sponsoring a study to understand acceptability of the home-based viral load test device that may eventually allow people living with HIV to test their viral load at home. This device is still being tested and is not yet available outside of research. [Show demonstration video] What are your thoughts about the video? What do you think of the experimental home-based viral load testing device? What were your first reactions when you learned about it? In your opinion, would this be helpful to participants in the context of HIV cure clinical trials involving interrupting your HIV medication? If so, how? Are you excited about this device? Do you have any concerns about this device? What would help participants in HIV cure clinical trials use the device at home? What would make it difficult for participants in HIV cure clinical trials to use the device at home? What are your thoughts about how good [or sensitive] you would like the test to be? How often should we ask participants to use the device at home in the context of an HIV treatment interruption? What are your thoughts about mailing in your samples? What are the benefits of mailing your samples? Do you have concerns over mailing your samples? Which method(s) would be most acceptable to you for mailing your samples? If this device gets approved and becomes available on the market, what would be the best way to share HIV viral load test results with people? Do you think there should be support offered to people who use the device? If so, what types of support should there be? Would you be interested in using this device? Would you be willing to use this device in the context of a clinical trial? Would you be willing to use this device outside of a clinical trial? Do you think there might be other uses for the device? If so, what are they? Do you think being able to test one’s viral load at home could help reduce stigma around HIV? If so, how? Do you have any final suggestions to improve the device? Do you have any other questions or comments about the device?

Table 2a. Demographic characteristics of interview participants (United States, 2021).

Participant Identification Number	Gender Identity/Sex Assigned at Birth	Age	Race/Ethnicity
CI-01	W/F	64	Black/African American
CI-02	M/M	57	White/Caucasian
CI-04	M/M	54	White/Caucasian
CI-05	W/F	61	Black/African American
CI-06	M/M	52	White/Caucasian
CI-07	M/M	61	Black/African American
CI-09	M/M	43	More Than One Race
CI-10	M/M	63	White/Caucasian
CI-11	M/M	58	White/Caucasian
CI-13	M/M	55	Black/African American
CI-14	M/M	33	Black/African American
CI-16	M/M	33	Black/African American
CI-17	M/M	43	Black/African American
CI-18	M/M	53	Other; Hispanic/Latino
CI-19	M/M	58	Black/African American

* W = Woman; F = Female; M = Man/Male.

* CI-03, CI-08, CI-12 and CI-15 did now show for interview.

Table 2b. Demographic characteristics of virtual focus group participants (United States, 2021).

Focus Group Number	Gender Identity/Sex Assigned at Birth	Age	Race/Ethnicity
FG-1	M/M	43	Black/African American
FG-1	W/F	59	Black/African American
FG-1	M/I	55	Black/African American
FG-1	M/M	61	Black/African American
FG-1	M/M	49	Hispanic/Latino
FG-2	TW/M	29	More Than One Race
FG-2	M/M	56	Black/African American
FG-2	W/F	50	White/Caucasian
FG-2	M/M	50	Black/African American
FG-2	W/F	59	Black/African American
FG-2	W/F	54	Black/African American
FG-2	W/F	57	Black/African American
FG-3	M/M	47	More Than One Race
FG-3	M/M	58	White/Caucasian
FG-3	M/M	61	More Than One Race
FG-3	M/M	41	More Than One Race
FG-3	M/M	62	Black/African American

* W = Woman; F = Female; M = Man/Male; I = Intersex; TW = Transgender Woman.

Figure 2. Preliminary conceptual framework for community acceptability of home-based viral load testing in the context of HIV cure-related research with ATIs.

Data availability statement

All data relevant to this study have been provided in the text and in the supplementary Appendices.