This 18-month study, "Integration of peer health navigation into comprehensive re-entry services: improving PrEP implementation for justice-involved individuals," aims to increase PrEP awareness and uptake among people with a history of justice involvement in Dallas, primarily clients of Unlocking Doors.
This 18-month study, "Integration of peer health navigation into comprehensive re-entry services: improving PrEP implementation for justice-involved individuals," aims to increase PrEP awareness and uptake among people with a history of justice involvement in Dallas, primarily clients of Unlocking Doors. Guided by the EPIS (Exploration, Preparation, Implementation, Sustainment) framework, the study will: Conduct qualitative interviews with Unlocking Doors staff, clients, health coaches, and PrEP providers to identify barriers and facilitators to integrating a health coach focused on sexual health, HIV testing, and PrEP. Use rapid qualitative analysis to adapt the health coach intervention and workflows. Implement a health coach model embedded in Unlocking Doors to offer general and sexual health discussions, PrEP education, HIV/syphilis testing, and linkage to PrEP care and other services. Enroll up to 600 consented/screened individuals to achieve a target of 100 participants in the intervention. Assess feasibility, acceptability, and appropriateness of the model, as well as changes in PrEP knowledge, interest, referrals, and uptake over time. The study is led by PI: Ank Nijhawan in UTSW Infectious Diseases.
Study Type
OBSERVATIONAL
Enrollment
100
The intervention integrates a PrEP-focused health coach into Unlocking Doors' re-entry services. The health coach provides clients with general health guidance, sexual health education, HIV and syphilis testing, PrEP education, PrEP eligibility screening, and linkage to PrEP care. The coach also offers ongoing navigation and referrals to medical, behavioral health, and re-entry services as needed. The aim of the intervention is to increase PrEP awareness, interest, and uptake among justice-involved individuals while assessing feasibility, acceptability, and appropriateness of embedding a health coach within legal re-entry services.
UT Southwestern Medical Center
Dallas, Texas, United States
RECRUITINGFeasibility of Integrating a PrEP-Focused Health Coach
Feasibility will be assessed by the proportion of Unlocking Doors clients who engage with the health coach. This indicator reflects whether the health coach can be effectively integrated into existing re-entry workflows.
Time frame: 18 Months
Acceptability of the Health Coach Model
Acceptability will be assessed using custom questions developed by our team and modified question items from the Scales for Participant Alliance with Recovery Coach (SPARC) scale, and which will be asked of clients and staff. These questions will assess satisfaction, comfort, and perceived usefulness of health coach interactions. Response options will be rated on a Likert scale ranging from 1 - 5, with higher scores indicating better perceptions of acceptability. Qualitative feedback will supplement these ratings to capture overall acceptability.
Time frame: 18 Months
Appropriateness of the Health Coach Model
Appropriateness will be assessed using custom questions developed by our team and modified question items from the Scales for Participant Alliance with Recovery Coach (SPARC) scale. These questions assess perceived relevance, fit, and value of integrating a health coach into Unlocking Doors' services, as well as how well the model aligns with client needs. Response options will be rated on a Likert scale ranging from 1 - 5, with higher scores indicating better perceptions of appropriateness. Qualitative feedback will supplement these ratings to capture overall appropriateness.
Time frame: 18 Months
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