Social media and mobile technology-based interventions represent potential means to facilitate HIV care continuum engagement, particularly among populations (e.g., youth) that make extensive use of mobile technology. Notable uses include broad social media education/awareness programs, messaging services to engage directly with clients, and mobile applications for providers and patients to communicate, track, and exchange information.
Best Practices
- Center for Innovation and EngagementCollection of implementation guides on evidence-informed best practices in HIV care delivery.
- IHIPProject to enhance the provision of HIV care for Latina transgender women in Los Angeles County.
- IHIPNinetyday theory-based, transgender-specific, automated text-messaging intervention designed to improve engagement, retention, and health outcomes along the HIV care continuum.
- IHIPMulti-level messaging intervention focused on linking Latinos with HIV to high quality HIV primary care in Dallas County, Texas. Individual-, group- and community-level strategies.
- University of Texas Health, San Antonio, SPNS HCV Cure among People of Color with HIVSlides with summaries of the SPNS initiative, Curing Hepatitis C among People of Color Living with HIV including: evaluation questions; dissemination activities; and site reports.
- SPNS Social Media Initiative
Social media tools developed by demonstration sites (e.g., text messaging, apps).
- Best Practices CompilationUniversity Health uses peers and patient navigators to provide support, reduce barriers, and improve linkage and retention to care for women and youth with HIV. Two peers with lived experience were hired as Outreach Specialists to spearhead the program, encourage medication adherence and use of services, and provide mentoring. The intervention was successful in moderately improving the numbers of clients linked to care, retained in care, and virally suppressed.
- Center for Innovation and EngagementTAVIE Red is a mobile application that utilizes gamification to increase health and psychological self-management and assists case managers with connecting with clients.
- Best Practices CompilationIn weCare, a cyber health educator sent personalized messages through text, web-based apps, and Facebook to enrolled youth who identified as gay, bisexual, or other men who have sex with men (MSM), or transgender women, and who either had a new diagnosis of HIV or were not in care at the time of enrollment. Messages were personalized to each participant’s needs and were designed to support them as they navigated complicated health care systems as well as other challenges that affect care engagement (e.g., transportation, disclosure). The cyber health educator also moderated and posted information about health and well-being on an optional secret Facebook page that some participants chose to join. Participants were less likely to miss medical appointments and more likely to be virally suppressed after 12 months of the intervention.
- Best Practices CompilationWellness Web 2.0 is a text message-based intervention that offers health education tools, appointment reminders, and navigation services to increase linkage to and retention in care for youth and young adults with HIV. Clients across 27 counties in South Texas enrolled in the Wellness Web 2.0 program had improvements in linkage to HIV medical care and viral suppression.
Resources
- In It Together
Health literacy training initiative to help health professionals incorporate health literacy approaches into their services.
- Technical Assistance Provider Innovation Network (TAP-in)
This toolkit provides guidance and best practices on the evaluation of social media/media (SMM) campaigns. The information is meant to serve as a starting point for EHE jurisdictions to help you decide how best to measure the success of your SMM campaigns.
- TargetHIVFor inspiration, adaptation, or replication, explore some recent outreach efforts from government and community agencies.
- HRSA HIV/AIDS Bureau (HAB)
Library of text messages for patients, developed by the UCARE4Life research study.
Training Modules
- IHIP
Tools to help health care providers adapt SPNS models within their existing operations in order to better engage hard-to-reach people with HIV into care.
Webinars
- HRSA HIV/AIDS Bureau (HAB)Tips on using social media to engage with people with HIV, specific to the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program's Part D Program.
- Technical Assistance Provider Innovation Network (TAP-in)Recordings of the TAP-in webinars on topics critical to the Ending the HIV Epidemic Initiative.