Psychiatric & Psychosocial Conditions of HIV/AIDS Patients: An e-Learning Course

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The rate of HIV/AIDS infection is higher in rural America than in urban areas. Unfortunately, the number of behavioral health providers who practice in rural communities is disproportionately small. Moreover, these rural health care providers are often not adequately trained to address the needs of their HIV/AIDS patients. The goal of the proposed research is to develop a distance education course titled Psychiatric & Psychosocial Conditions of HIV/AIDS Patients: An e-Learning Course for Rural Behavioral Health Providers that will provide rural practitioners with a convenient, online method to acquire basic education on the critical topic of HIV/AIDS. The course will include specific information on: a) the importance of prevention and treatment adherence, b) identification and treatment of co-occurring mental health and neurological disorders, c) unique challenges within rural communities, such as heightened stigmatization, d) addressing HIV/AIDS-related emotional issues, e) understanding ethical issues, and f) strategies for assisting HIV/AIDS patients and their families, partners, friends, and caregivers in coping with this distressing diagnosis. The proposed course directly addresses the priorities of the NIMH Division of AIDS and Health and Behavior Research by providing practitioner training that offers knowledge, tools, and strategies to help prevent further HIV/AIDS transmission, promote understanding of neuropsychiatric consequences related to HIV/AIDS infection, and reduce the burden of mental illness from medical co-morbidities, non- adherence to treatment, stigma, and health disparities. The Psychiatric & Psychosocial Conditions of HIV/AIDS Patients course will be delivered through the Terra Nova e-Learning Center, an existing, multifeatured, web-based training environment. The course will provide practitioners with CME/CEU credit opportunities, and will also be suitable for a secondary audience of masters- and graduate-level students of behavioral health disciplines. During Phase I, Terra Nova will research and outline the entire Psychiatric & Psychosocial Conditions of HIV/AIDS Patients course and develop a single web-based Prototype Module to establish proof-of- concept for the final Phase II end-product. Terra Nova will also produce a Sample Patient Brochure, one in an eventual series of informational, outreach materials for providers to disburse directly to patients. Both the Prototype Module and ultimate course will include rigorously researched and tested content, assessment instruments, compelling case examples, personal reflections from practitioners, and innovative multimedia components. Funding for this project is being sought through the NIH SBIR program. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE Rural behavioral health providers generally have insufficient knowledge about HIV/AIDS, and find it challenging not only to treat their HIV+ patients but also to acquire training to improve their understanding of this complicated disease. Psychiatric & Psychosocial Conditions of HIV/AIDS Patients: An e-Learning Course for Rural Behavioral Health Providers will provide psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, nurses, alternative/complementary medicine practitioners, and counselors with much-needed knowledge on a variety of critical HIV/AIDS topics in a convenient, distance learning format. The course will offer practical strategies and skills that mental health professionals can implement to: a) help prevent spread of HIV infection in their communities, b) assist in their identification and treatment of mental health-related conditions that co-exist with HIV/AIDS, c) help patients and their families deal with stigma and many emotional issues inherent with the HIV/AIDS diagnosis, and e) help address the unique health disparities that exist in rural environments.