Designing an HIV prevention curriculum focused on Hispanics in Puerto Rico, the Caribbean and the U.S

Background: HIV seroprevalence among Hispanics in the Caribbean continues to rise. We present the creation of an HIV prevention curriculum for medical students focused on Hispanics, to be implemented at the University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine (UPR-SM). Study objectives are to design a specialized curriculum that will impart a more complex set of skills and competencies on HIV prevention. Study hypothesis is that a specialized HIV Prevention Curriculum will be significantly more effective. Methods: A Special HIV Prevention Curriculum Task-Force was created to design a coordinated multidisciplinary curriculum to be integrated across the four years at the UPR-SM. Novel didactic experiences with standardized patients, mobile handheld devices, instructional tools, and simulated patients scenarios and vignettes are incorporated to achieve sustainable behavior changes among the students. Results: Phase 1 accomplished the integration of the HIV prevention Core Committee. Briefly, curriculum implementation is being done in three curriculum modules. Module 1 focuses on the first year students' knowledge of the HIV pandemic, and its impact in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean. Module 2 focuses on eliminating attitudinal barriers, such as homophobia, stigma, fear, and ignorance of the impact of social determinants on individuals' health behavior. Module 3 improves HIV risk assessment and history-taking skills. Conclusions: This novel training curriculum tailored to Hispanic medical students will impact these future physicians during their early years of training. Similar models can be applied to other medical schools in the Caribbean and the U.S. states with substantial Hispanic populations.