AI Article Synopsis

  • One-quarter of gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (GBMSM) diagnosed with HIV are not engaged in care, highlighting a significant gap in health management.
  • Interviews with 50 GBMSM revealed key themes affecting their engagement in HIV care, including reasons for testing, barriers like financial issues and stigma, and facilitators such as social support and health resources.
  • Improving HIV care engagement requires addressing various barriers at individual, social, and policy levels, while enhancing partnerships and relationships between GBMSM and healthcare providers.

Article Abstract

One-quarter of gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (GBMSM) with diagnosed HIV are not engaged in HIV care. Between 2018 and 2019, 50 GBMSM completed qualitative interviews 3 months after receiving an HIV-positive result. Interviews explored barriers to and facilitators of engagement and retention in HIV testing and care. Thematic analysis revealed five major themes: (1) reason for HIV testing (e.g., self-testing), (2) linkage to care (e.g., appointment/logistic issues and social support as encouragement), (3) barriers to engagement in care (e.g., financial burden, competing priorities, and fear/stigma), (4) facilitators of engagement (e.g., financial assistance, patient-provider relationships, auxiliary support services, and health agency), and (5) PrEP as a missed prevention opportunity. Addressing individual-, social-, and policy-level barriers could improve GBMSM's engagement in HIV care. Further, capitalizing on GBMSM's health agency through partnerships with local agencies and fostering better patient-provider relationships could optimize HIV care continuity.

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Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9619412PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.1521/aeap.2022.34.5.349DOI Listing

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