Video Information Provider for HIV-Associated Non-AIDS (VIP-HANA) Symptoms AIDS-related malignancies and death were hallmark features of the HIV epidemic until the mid-1990s. Today, a 20-year-old HIV-positive non-injection drug user in the US can expect to live to age 65. As a result, people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) face new challenges from HIV-Associated Non-AIDS (HANA) conditions such as cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, COPD, and diabetes. Since treatment does not fully restore immune health and multi-morbidity is high, PLWHA, especially those with HANA conditions, often experience re- occurring symptoms from both the disease and its treatment, making long-term management of symptoms critical for improved health outcomes. An individual's ability to self-manage the symptoms of his or her HIV illness has been shown to decrease symptom severity, improve quality of life, reduce disability, increase medication adherence, and promote health. The proposed research expands upon our innovative pilot work that developed and tested a web-based symptom reporting and self-management system, Video Information Provider (VIP) for PLWHA. The goal of the work in this proposed study is to develop and test an intervention, the VIP-HANA system, a web application that delivers self-care strategies tailored to symptom reporting, HANA condition(s) and gender. To address the needs of the growing population of PLWHA with HANA conditions, the aims of our study are to: (1a) Identify the most prevalent symptoms and self-care strategies of PLWHA with HANA conditions in order to modify the VIP system into the VIP-HANA system; (1b) Evaluate the VIP-HANA system for violations of usability principles; (2) Compare the efficacy of VIP-HANA to a control arm for ameliorating symptom frequency and intensity and secondary health outcomes in 100 PLWHA with HANA conditions over 6 months; and (3) Understand PLWHA's perceptions of the predisposing, enabling, and reinforcing factors for VIP-HANA use with theoretically-guided focus group sessions. Our study activities are focused on identifying the symptom experience and self-care strategies for PLWHA with HANA conditions and enhancing an existing web application for HIV symptom self-management. The proposed project focuses on the development and evaluation of VIP-HANA, an intervention aimed at improving symptom status, enhancing quality of life, increasing functional capacity, and reducing frailty in PLWHA. The proposed study is consistent with FOA: PA 13-210 development, adaptation, or testing interventions aimed at identifying and managing symptoms related to HIV-Associated Non-AIDS (HANA) conditions, specifically functional capacity and frailty and increasing self-care of HIV-infected persons with HANA conditions. Findings from this study will increase knowledge of HANA symptoms, self-care strategies used to manage these symptoms, and the usability and efficacy of the VIP-HANA system.
Our goal in this study is to improve the management of adverse symptoms related to HIV-Associated Non-Aids (HANA) conditions for people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) with these conditions. Our study activities are focused on identifying the symptom experience and self-care strategies for PLWHA with HANA conditions. Findings from this study will increase knowledge of the symptoms associated with HANA conditions, self-care strategies used to manage these symptoms and how to best deliver this information to PLWHA in their everyday settings.
