“If I have to drive 100 miles, I’ll drive 100 miles to get it”

A qualitative exploration of HIV care travel behavior

Bibliographic Data

ID19440429
AuthorsEmma Sophia Kay (0000-0002-8425-9196, Magic City Research Institute, Birmingham AIDS Outreach, Birmingham, AL, USA, corresponding author), Yookyong Lee (0000-0002-7451-8908, University of Alabama at Birmingham), Mary Scheinert (Children's of Alabama, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA), Josh Sewell (University of Alabama at Birmingham), James L Raper (0000-0002-3242-4911, University of Alabama at Birmingham), James Raper (University of Alabama at Birmingham), James H Willig (0000-0001-7462-368X, University of Alabama at Birmingham), James Willig (University of Alabama at Birmingham), D Scott Batey (0000-0002-2422-5787, Magic City Research Institute, Birmingham AIDS Outreach, Birmingham, AL, USA)
Year2023
Volume35
Issue10
Pages1612-1618
Publication date2023-10-03
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueAIDS Care (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0954-0121 • E-ISSN: 1360-0451
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/09540121.2022.2162839
PMID36585943
OpenAlexW4313333507
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited13

Alabama depends heavily on Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program (RWHAP) funding, yet patient enrollment at one large, RWHAP-funded, academically-affiliated HIV clinic in Alabama has steadily increased each year, with approximately 20% bypassing more proximal RWHAP clinics. To understand reasons why patients travel long distances and bypass closer clinics to receive care, we conducted eight focus groups over Zoom, each containing between 2-3 participants (n = 18) and applied thematic analysis to code the data. Primary themes included: (1) Reasons for Traveling Long Distances to Receive HIV Medical Care, (2) Experiences with HIV Medical Care during the COVID-19 Pandemic, and (3) Travel Challenges. Some participants were attracted by the clinic's one-stop-shop model, while others eschewed local clinics to avoid status disclosure. An overarching travel challenge was lack of transportation, yet most participants favored in-person appointments over telehealth despite driving long distances. Future research should explore patient attitudes towards telehealth in greater depth

Qualitative research · Social science · Sociology · HIV, Drug Use, Sexual Risk · HIV/AIDS Impact and Responses · HIV/AIDS Research and Interventions · Medicine · Psychology · Virology

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