Harm Reduction in HIV Primary Care for PLWH Who Use Drugs

NCT ID: NCT05404750

Last Updated: 2025-04-17

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

RECRUITING

Total Enrollment

768 participants

Study Classification

OBSERVATIONAL

Study Start Date

2022-04-20

Study Completion Date

2026-06-30

Brief Summary

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People living with HIV (PLWH) who use drugs experience significant health disparities including lower rates of retention in HIV care and higher rates of unsuppressed viral load, resulting in secondary infections and increased mortality. The proposed study will used mixed methods to explore (a) the relationship between healthcare providers' attitudes towards working with PLWH who use drugs and providers' acceptance and practice of structural and relational harm reduction; (b) the degree to which relational harm reduction moderates the effect of intersectional stigma experienced in healthcare settings on patients' perceptions of their relationship with providers; (c) the degree to which structural HR moderates the relationship between the patient-provider relationship and clinical outcomes, and (d) whether patient-perceived HR approaches to care are directly associated with HIV clinical outcomes. The study will also use these findings to inform the development and pre-testing of an intervention to operationalize harm reduction in HIV clinical settings, using stakeholder-engaged and human-centered design approaches, presenting a novel path to reducing HIV health inequities for PLWH who use drugs.

Detailed Description

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This observational study takes place across three study sites and will explore the extent to which harm reduction care mitigates stigma experienced in healthcare settings and contributes to improved clinical outcomes. This will be explored via the following aims.

Aim 1. Explore the relationship between healthcare providers' stigmatizing attitudes towards working with PLWH who use drugs and providers' acceptance and practice of structural and relational HR to elucidate the context for intervention development. Providers (n=125) working HIV clinics in Birmingham, AL and Pittsburgh, PA will be surveyed to understand subjective responses around preparedness for and delivery of HR care to PLWH who use drugs. A sequential explanatory mixed-methods approach will be utilized; surveys will be followed by semi-structured interviews (n=40) with multiple provider types in both regions to further explore HR perspectives and inform intervention development. It is hypothesized that providers with less stigmatizing attitudes toward serving people who use drugs are more likely to be accepting of relational and structural HR practices.

Aim 2. Explore the interplay between patient-perceived HR and stigma and clinical outcomes; specifically, the degree to which (a) relational HR moderates the effect of intersectional stigma experienced in healthcare settings (HIV- and substance use-related stigma and racial discrimination) on patients' perceptions of their relationship with providers, (b) structural HR moderates the relationship between the patient-provider relationship and clinical outcomes (ART adherence, retention in care, HIV and HCV viral suppression), and (c) patient-perceived HR care is directly associated with HIV clinical outcomes (see Figure 1). After qualitatively evaluating PAPHRS with HIV clinical and HR providers (n=20) and PLWH who use drugs (n=36), PLWH who use drugs (n=500) who receive care in the study sites will be surveyed to assess their perceptions of providers' relational HR care; experiences of intersectional stigma; and perceived quality of relationships with their providers. Other potential stigmatized identities (e.g., HCV) will be explored via patient focus groups (n=36). It is hypothesized that the effect of intersectional stigma on the patient-provider relationship is attenuated in higher degrees of relational HR care; structural HR attenuates the effect of poor patient-provider relationships on clinical outcomes; and higher degrees of HR care are associated with better clinical outcomes.

Aim 3. Using human-centered design approaches, develop and pre-test an intervention to operationalize HR care for PLWH who use drugs in HIV clinical settings. Results from Aims 1 and 2 will be shared with with stakeholders (n=20, PLWH who use drugs, clinical and HR providers) to develop an intervention. Acceptability and feasibility of the intervention design will be assessed with providers (n=12) in both regions.

Conditions

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Human Immunodeficiency Virus Substance Use Stigma, Social

Study Design

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Observational Model Type

OTHER

Study Time Perspective

CROSS_SECTIONAL

Study Groups

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Providers

Individuals providing service or care to PLWH or people who use drugs at high risk for HIV acquisition working at our study sites in one of the following positions: front desk/patient engagement, social worker, nurse, medical assistant, advanced practice provider, or physician.

No interventions assigned to this group

Patients

PWLH with current or lifetime substance use who receive care at one of our study sites.

Harm Reduction

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Harm reduction aims to reduce negative effects of risky health behaviors without necessarily terminating the behaviors completely.Though often thought of as structural approaches (e.g., policy or syringe services), Harm reduction is also a relational approach to care focusing on non-punitive patient-provider interactions to promote autonomy. The degree to which harm reduction care is offered in study settings and is associated with clinical outcomes is the focus of this study.

Interventions

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Harm Reduction

Harm reduction aims to reduce negative effects of risky health behaviors without necessarily terminating the behaviors completely.Though often thought of as structural approaches (e.g., policy or syringe services), Harm reduction is also a relational approach to care focusing on non-punitive patient-provider interactions to promote autonomy. The degree to which harm reduction care is offered in study settings and is associated with clinical outcomes is the focus of this study.

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* Working at one of our 3 study sites (UPMC HIV/AIDS Program, Positive Health Clinic, or 1917 Clinic) or one of their partner sites offering substance use treatment (Internal Medicine Recovery Engagement Program, Center for Inclusion Health, or UAB's Outpatient-Based Opioid Treatment Clinic) for at least one year
* Providing service or care to PLWH or people who use drugs at high risk for HIV acquisition
* Working in one of the following positions: front desk/patient engagement, social worker, nurse, medical assistant, advanced practice provider, or physician
* Able to verbally consent, read, and speak English

* Living with HIV
* Age 18 or older
* Able to verbally consent, read, and speak English
* Receiving HIV medical care from one of the study sites for at least one year
* Lifetime or recent use (past 3 months) of illicit substances (excluding marijuana) or prescription drugs for non-medical reasons in accordance with the NIDA-Modified ASSIST 2.0.

Exclusion Criteria

\-
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sponsors

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Allegheny Health Network

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

University of Alabama at Birmingham

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

NIH

Sponsor Role collaborator

National Institutes of Health (NIH)

NIH

Sponsor Role collaborator

University of Pittsburgh

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Mary Hawk

Professor

Responsibility Role PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

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Mary Hawk, DrPH

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

University of Pittsburgh

Emma Kay, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

University of Alabama at Birmingham

Locations

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University of Alabama at Birmingham

Birmingham, Alabama, United States

Site Status RECRUITING

Allegheny Health Network Research Institute

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States

Site Status RECRUITING

University of Pittsburgh Medical Center

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States

Site Status RECRUITING

Countries

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United States

Central Contacts

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Mary Hawk, DrPH

Role: CONTACT

412-648-2342

Stephanie Creasy, MPH

Role: CONTACT

412-624-7000

Facility Contacts

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Emma Kay, PhD

Role: primary

205-934-5428

Kristi [email protected], MA

Role: primary

412-337-6370

Deborah McMahon, MD

Role: primary

412-647-0996

Sherri Karas, MEd

Role: backup

412-383-1313

References

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Creasy SL, Egan JE, Krier S, Townsend J, Ward J, Hawk M, Kay ES. "Let me hear what you're needing": exploring how HIV providers conceptualize patient-provider interactions with people with HIV who use drugs using a harm reduction framework. Ther Adv Infect Dis. 2025 Feb 27;12:20499361251323721. doi: 10.1177/20499361251323721. eCollection 2025 Jan-Dec.

Reference Type DERIVED
PMID: 40017794 (View on PubMed)

Kay ES, Creasy S, Batey DS, Coulter R, Egan JE, Fisk S, Friedman MR, Kinsky S, Krier S, Noble V, Turan B, Turan JM, Yu L, Hawk M. Impact of harm reduction care in HIV clinical settings on stigma and health outcomes for people with HIV who use drugs: study protocol for a mixed-methods, multisite, observational study. BMJ Open. 2022 Sep 16;12(9):e067219. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2022-067219.

Reference Type DERIVED
PMID: 36113946 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

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R01DA054832

Identifier Type: NIH

Identifier Source: secondary_id

View Link

STUDY21090002

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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