Publications by authors named "Sergio Ozoria Ramirez"

There is evidence to support the use of mHealth tools for improving medication adherence. Building on this evidence, our study team culturally adapted and translated the WiseApp for improving antiretroviral medication adherence in Spanish-speaking persons with HIV. We are currently conducting a multi-site randomized controlled trial (RCT) to test the effectiveness and sustainability of the WiseApp for Spanish speakers in New York City and the Dominican Republic.

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Article Synopsis
  • Effective recruitment strategies are crucial for the success of informatics-based intervention trials aimed at people living with HIV, as engaging this population can be difficult.
  • Using a social marketing framework, researchers conducted interviews with 90 participants from four trials to explore their experiences, revealing six subthemes related to motivation, perceptions, and trust.
  • The study highlights that while trust in the research process is vital, recruitment methods and communication preferences vary between age groups, suggesting the need for tailored strategies to enhance participant engagement.
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Article Synopsis
  • Alzheimer's disease and related dementias impact over 55 million people worldwide, and low recruitment rates in clinical trials pose a significant challenge that could potentially be improved through natural language processing (NLP) technologies for identifying eligible participants.
  • A study assessed the usability of three NLP-driven prescreening tools among 60 clinical research staff, finding that usability varied, with Leaf scoring highest, and cognitive complexity influenced by factors like age and computer literacy but not usability.
  • The findings underscore the need for careful task management, effective training, and clear eligibility criteria when implementing NLP tools in ADRD research to enhance usability and support increased participant recruitment.
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Objective: Mobile health (mHealth) technology is now widely used across health conditions and populations. The rigorous development of these tools has yielded improved health outcomes, yet the ideal approach for developing mHealth tools continues to evolve, indicating the need for rigorous usability evaluation methods. This study compares two usability evaluation methods - cognitive interviews and usability assessments employing a think-aloud approach - for adapting an evidence-based mHealth tool from English into Spanish.

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Cisgender men are diagnosed with HIV at a rate four times greater than cisgender women, with 71% of infections attributed to male-male sexual contact. Despite expanding accessibility, pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV prevention is initiated by only 30% of people with PrEP indications. Five focus groups with 42 young men who have sex with men from New York and Alabama were conducted to identify key factors to PrEP initiation and persistence.

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Background: While there is no cure for HIV, adherence to antiretroviral therapy can extend the lifespan and improve the quality of life of people with HIV. Despite the global reduction of HIV infection rates in recent years, New York City and La Romana, Dominican Republic, continue to report high infection rates among Latino populations. Many people with HIV remain virally unsuppressed in these geographic hotspots, suggesting a need for additional interventions to overcome medication adherence barriers.

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HIV-related disparities also exist in developing countries, such as the Dominican Republic, where minority groups and/or those with low socioeconomic status experience higher disease burdens and worse health outcomes than those with higher socioeconomic status. We used a community-based approach to ensure the WiseApp intervention is culturally relevant and addresses the needs of our target population. Expert panelists made recommendations on how to simplify the language and features of the WiseApp to accommodate Spanish-speaking users who may have lower levels of education, or color or vision deficiencies.

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