Utilizing the Web to improve provider skills in cultural competence, clinical care and support for adolescents living with HIV/AIDS

Issues: In the United States, ethnic and sexual minority youth are disproportionately affected by HIV. Key informant interviews and a provider focus group were conducted to assess the training needs of providers caring for HIV+ racial and ethnic minority youth. In addition to cultural competence training, providers also identified several fundamental adolescent HIV care training needs including treatment initiation and adherence, transitioning management, and easy accessibility for rural and time-challenged providers. Description: Based on results from the needs assessment, an interactive Web-based training curriculum was developed into five online training modules (Fundamentals of Adolescent Care and Cultural Competence, Psychosocial Issues, Antiretroviral Treatment and Adherence, Transitioning Care, and Prevention with Positives) to assist primary health care providers in providing high quality, culturally competent services to multi-ethnic HIV-infected youth populations. The curriculum was produced in collaboration with a diverse group of adolescent HIV specialists, trainers, evaluators, and technologists led by the Adolescent AIDS Program at Montefiore Medical Center and the AETC National Resource Center. Lessons Learned: Evaluation results, immediately after training and at follow-up indicate high utilization and statistically significant increases in self-reported knowledge and skills among participants. This indicates the effectiveness of web-based curricula as learning tools to increase the capacity of healthcare professionals to provide culturally competent care and support to HIV-infected adolescents. Recommendations: It is recommended that additional Web-based trainings be developed to improve health care providers' delivery of culturally and clinically competent HIV and STI care to racial and ethnic minority adolescents.