App Developed at UVA Improving HIV Care, Finds Study Supported By The MAC AIDS Fund
A smartphone app designed to improve care for people living with HIV has increased users’ consistency in doctor visits and improved their health outcomes, a new study has found.
Users of the PositiveLinks intervention developed at the University of Virginia School of Medicine showed marked improvement in sticking to their treatment programs. Users had improved consistency in doctor visits at both six and 12 months, and the percentage of people with “undetectable HIV viral loads” – a key outcome for individuals living with HIV – increased significantly.
“PositiveLinks was developed with significant input from our patients for the entire duration of the project,” said Rebecca Dillingham, MD, MPH, of UVA’s Ryan White Clinic, a major provider of HIV care in Virginia. “We believe that this collaborative approach to creating and testing a clinical intervention made it more appealing to our patients and contributed to the terrific outcomes.”
Managing HIV
The PostiveLinks app offers a powerful mix of engagement, social interaction and access to care providers. It provides appointment reminders, important health information and daily questions about stress, mood and medication adherence. In addition, it features a virtual support group where users can interact anonymously to ask questions, share their stories and find strength in the journeys of others...