In January 2013, the AIDS Education and Training Center National Resource Center (AETC NRC) hosted the training exchange Guidelines for Improving Entry Into and Retention in Care and ARV Adherence for Persons with HIV. This training exchange featured presentations on the latest evidence-based recommendations for improving entry into, retention in care, and medication adherence for persons living with HIV infection.
This activity inspired the AETC NRC to inititate the AETC Engagement in Care workgroup in March 2013. Workgroup members created an AETC Engagement in Care Toolkit with suggested flowcharts for how to use the tools, a clinic readiness assessment, an engagement in care intervention comparison chart, additional intervention-specific tools, evaluation tips, lessons learned in developing partnerships with clinics, and a multitude of resource recommendations.
All of this information is great, but, how do users begin to utilize these tools to review engagement in care strategies in their clinic, or organize trainings on engagement in care for a clinic? Please see below for some possible first steps.
1) Take a look at the flowcharts developed from both a trainer's perspective and from a clinician’s perspective.
Flowcharts were developed to suggest ways a trainer or a clinician could use the toolkit. Steps for using the toolkit will vary according to a clinic’s needs and patient population. Users can follow the steps independently with clinic staff and/or contact a regional AETC to request a trainer's help with the process.
2) Review, and complete if applicable, the Clinic Readiness Assessment.
This assessment is meant to help identify your clinic's strengths as well as potential barriers in relation to key elements of engaging patients in care, and is available in an online, interactive form as well as in print form. A tool called “Additional Resources” will point users toward other helpful engagement in care and capacity building resources.
3) Check out the Engagement in Care Strategies Comparison Chart.
This chart was created to help users compare the strengths and challenges of six evidence-based strategies (i.e. technology-based interventions, traditional case management, linkage case management, patient navigators, outreach workers, and clinic-wide messaging) for engagement in care. Please note that often more than one strategy should be implemented by a clinic to engage patients in care. Users should use this chart to decide which strategies could be the best fit given their population and needs. If users are interested in a particular strategy, check out the additional tools relating to that strategy in our toolkit.
There are many helpful engagement in care strategies; we hope that our toolkit will help clinics to identify their strengths and potential barriers for engaging patients in care, and decipher the best engagement in care strategies for their clinic staff and clients.
