Linkage to Care - Part II

Summary

This is the second phase of a two-phase, cross-sectional study of linkage to medical care of HIV positive youth. Social, psychological and behavioral factors associated with receipt of care will be evaluated. This study will also compare three methods for recruitment of out-of-care youth using a randomized permuted block list of possible sequences.

Conditions

• HIV
• Care-seeking
• HIV Infections

Interventions

OTHER

Case Management

Clinical personnel at each AMTU site may work with other personnel from organizations authorized to have access to personal health information to identify clients identified as HIV positive within the past 6 - 18 months. Initial contact will be made by persons at source organizations who are authorized to have access to personal health information. Persons so authorized will explain the nature of the research study and request permission from the client for subsequent contact by research personnel from the AMTU site. If permission for contact is received, research personnel at each site will attempt calls as specified by the potential participant or at random times (before 12:00 pm; between 12:00 - 4:00 pm; and between 4:00 - 10:00 pm) for no more than 10 attempts.

OTHER

Snowball sampling

Snowball sampling assumes that social networks of HIV sero-positive persons in treatment may overlap with those of HIV sero-positive persons not in treatment. When a site is assigned to identify HIV positive adolescents not in care by snowball sampling, all HIV positive persons in care at the site will be invited to refer other adolescents known to them as HIV positive, but not in care, for possible participation in the study. Printed information containing a brief description of the research in English and in Spanish and contact information of site study personnel will be provided to in-care adolescents at the site for distribution to those known HIV positive adolescents who are not in care.

OTHER

Referral Lists

AMTU staff will develop lists of potential participants at their sites who have had an initial HIV-related health care visit but not received additional visits within the 12 mos prior the list (or before protocol screening) or have completed initial and follow up visits but dropped out of care for 12 or more mos. Back-up lists will be made of potential participants who have gone 9-12 mos and 6-9 mos without a visit. Clinical staff at each AMTU may work with staff from other organizations authorized to access personal health information to find potential participants. 1st contact will be made by persons at source organizations who are authorized to access personal health information. Authorized staff will explain the study and ask permission for contact by research staff at the AMTU site. If so, research staff will attempt calls as specified by the potential participant or at random (before 12 pm; between 12-4 pm; and between 4-10 pm) for no more than 10 attempts.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

  collaborator NIH

• National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

  collaborator NIH

• University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Dennis Fortenberry, MD · Adolescent Trials Network

Eligibility

Min Age

14 Years

Max Age

24 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2009-06-30

Primary Completion

2010-07-31

Completion

2010-07-31

Countries

• United States

Study Locations