606. HIV Homecare: Understanding its Impact for Lost-to-Follow-Up Populations

Abstract

Background: Maintaining people living with HIV (PLWH) in clinical care is a global priority. In the metro-Detroit area of Michigan, approximately 30% of PLWH are out of care. To re-engage lost-to-follow-up patients, the Wayne State University Physician Group - Infectious Disease clinic launched an innovative Homecare program in 2017. In addition to home healthcare delivery, the program included links to community resources and quarterly community meetings. In the first year of Homecare, 28 of 34 participants became virally suppressed at least once. We aimed to understand reasons why people who left clinic-based treatment were able to become virally suppressed in this program. We included data from PLWH and their healthcare workers. Methods: We used a mixed-methods design, including (1) semi-structured interviews with PLWH and healthcare workers, and (2) a validated Likert scale questionnaire rating illness perception before and after Homecare. Data were collected from 15 PLWH in metro-Detroit and two healthcare workers responsible for program delivery. Semi-structured interviews focused on obstacles to clinic-based care, support networks, and illness perceptions. Interview data were transcribed and analyzed using a grounded theory approach. A fully coded analysis was used to create a conceptual framework of factors contributing to Homecare's success. Means in eight categories of the brief illness perception questionnaire (BIPQ) were compared using paired T-tests. Results: The Homecare program offered (1) social support and stigma reduction through strong relationships with healthcare workers; (2) removal of physical and resource barriers such as transportation; and (3) positive changes in illness perceptions. PLWH worked towards functional coping strategies, including improvements in emotional regulation, acceptance of their diagnosis, and more positive perspectives of control. BIPQ showed significant changes in six domains before and after Homecare. Conclusion: Homecare offers an innovative system for successfully re-engaging and maintaining lost-to-follow-up PLWH in care. These findings have implications for HIV control efforts and could inform the development of future programs for difficult to reach populations (Table Presented).