Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #113966

Adan Cajina, MS, Department of Health & Human Services, Health Resources & Services Administration, HIV/AIDS Bureau, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rm 7C07, Rockville, MD 20857, (301) 443-3180, ACajina@hrsa.gov, Peter Messeri, PhD, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, 722 West 168th Street, Room 1121, New York, NY 10032, Beulah Perdue Sabundayo, PharmD, MPH, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, 1830 East Monument Street, Room 8020, Baltimore, MD 21287, Jane Herwehe, MPH, Health Sciences Center, Health Care Services Division, Louisiana State University, 8550 United Plaza Blvd, 4th floor, Baton Rouge, LA 70809, and Frank M. Lombard, LCSW, Health Inequalities Program, Duke University, 110 Swift Ave. Suite 2, Durham, NC 27705.

Background: HIV care providers are seeking innovative interventions to improve the quality of care delivered to HIV-infected individuals. Rapid advances in information technology (IT) have made it possible to bring information to both health care providers and clients, providing the potential for comprehensive, coordinated, timely, and cost-effective care delivery. In 2002, the Health Resources and Services Administration, HIV/AIDS Bureau, Division of Science and Policy funded six grantees as Special Projects of National Significance (SPNS) demonstration sites to evaluate the impact of information technology initiatives on HIV systems of care, patient outcomes and costs of delivery of care for persons living with HIV. Five grantees of the SPNS IT initiative will discuss their experience in instituting a range of IT interventions in different HIV care settings. Interventions vary from a computer-assisted self interview (CASI) to a web-based prescription decision support system to electronic health databases linked with HL7 technology.

Methods: Multiple evaluation strategies are employed by the six grantees, including randomized, controlled studies, epidemiologic, and qualitative methods to evaluate the utilization, acceptability and outcomes associated with information technology at the patient, provider and organizational levels.

Findings: Results will be presented from each of the five interventions represented in the panel. Findings include, but are not limited to, institutional barriers to integration of IT, provider and agency readiness to adapt IT, measurement of validity of electronic health data against a “gold standard”, and patient acceptability of audio computer-assisted self interview.

Conclusions: Since initial funding in 2002, the projects of the SPNS IT Initiative have collected data on the utilization and acceptability of health information technology. While these evaluations have been conducted in HIV care settings, many of the findings could be of relevance for other health projects embarking on IT initiatives. Given the complexity of instituting new information systems, providers must consider several challenges prior to instituting an IT intervention. Project findings, criteria for selecting an IT intervention, potential barriers to a system's use, and methods for making the system work in the HIV care setting will be presented. Panel presenters will discuss the implications of making the transition to new IT interventions in hospital and community-based settings.

Learning Objectives: Following this panel discussion, attendees will be able to

• identify four mechanisms by which IT interventions are expected to improve HIV-care delivery;
• discuss challenges to implemention of IT interventions in hospital and community-based settings; and
• identify at least four quesitons to ask prior to selecting an IT intervention.

Keywords: Information Technology, Quality Improvement

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.

Recorded presentation