402P
HIV AND HEPATITIS C TREATMENT KNOWLEDGE: DEVELOPING NEW CLINICAL TEACHING TOOLS
L Balfour, J Kowal, A Silverman, GA Tasca, C Cooper, G Garber, JB Angel, PA MacPherson, W Cameron
Ottawa Hospital - General Campus, Ottawa, Ontario
Objectives: Patients who are more knowledgeable about their illness achieve better treatment adherence. Although several HIV knowledge scales currently exist, these knowledge scales focus mainly on HIV transmission and risk factors. Currently, no scales measure patients' understanding of more complex and specific HIV treatment issues (eg, optimal adherence, viral load suppression, drug resistance). The present study aims to develop and validate a new HIV treatment knowledge scale. This study also aims to develop and validate a new hepatitis C virus (HCV) treatment knowledge scale because many patients are HIV/HCV co-infected and need to be knowledgeable about both of these illnesses.
Methods: HIV and HCV Knowledge items were generated from extensive literature reviews and consultations with experts in HIV and HCV care. Twenty-four items were generated for the HIV treatment knowledge scale (eg, "HIV is cured when the HIV viral load test results becomes 'undetectable'"). Twenty-five items were generated for the hepatitis C knowledge scale (eg "All people with HCV need to start medications"). Eligible HIV, HCV, and HIV/HCV co-infected patients are being recruited to complete both the HIV and HCV treatment knowledge measures during regular HIV and HCV clinic visits. Newly diagnosed and treatment naïve patients are expected to have lower treatment knowledge than more experienced HIV and HCV patients. Socio-demographic information (eg education level) will also be correlated with HIV and HCV knowledge scores.
Results: The psychometric properties of internal reliability and construct validity will be tested on both knowledge measures in a clinic sample of 50 HIV, 50 HCV, and 25 co-infected patients. Data will be collected by February 2005 and analyzed for CAHR.
Conclusions: These HIV and HCV treatment Knowledge Scales are novel measures that address important new HIV and HCV treatment-related issues. Clinical use of these knowledge scales as educational tools will be discussed.