Each two minutes, an individual in the USA is sexually assaulted.
People who’ve skilled sexual assault deal with trauma, stigma and potential publicity to HIV and different sexually transmitted infections.
HIV is a virus that impacts the immune system. One solution to stop contracting it after a sexual encounter is postexposure prophylaxis, or PEP. HIV specialists advocate taking the mix of antiretroviral medicines – as directed – inside 72 hours of publicity. However that’s simpler mentioned than achieved.
Jessica Draughon Moret, an assistant professor on the Betty Irene Moore Faculty of Nursing at UC Davis, is co-investigator on a brand new Planning Grant Program R34 $750,000 planning grant from the Nationwide Institute of Psychological Well being geared toward creating a patient-provider resolution support for HIV PEP.
“Numerous resolution aids are paper based mostly. We all know HIV prevention strikes in a short time. We hope that HIV prevention within the context of sexual assault will transfer rapidly. We would like a nimble, digital platform to maintain us updated for customers to make present selections,” Draughon Moret mentioned.
We all know HIV prevention strikes in a short time. We would like a nimble platform to maintain us updated for customers to make present selections.— Jessica Draughon Moret, Faculty of Nursing Assistant Professor
Making selections within the digital age
Draughon-Moret says well being care suppliers decide whether or not a affected person is obtainable the remedy within the first place. As well as, the best way the danger of HIV is offered and mentioned with the affected person can doubtlessly affect who opts to take the remedy.
Through the use of a multimedia app to current the data, she hopes to attenuate the variations in how suppliers discuss PEP with sufferers as one step in giving sufferers again management over their well being.
On this new three-year undertaking, she examines the decision-making course of in hopes of making a scalable intervention via know-how to enhance adherence.
Taking again management
Destine Teves Borrego is a sexual assault nurse examiner and an HIV PEP coordinator in Los Angeles. She believes Draughon Moret’s app may present sturdy reinforcement and a easy means for sufferers to make powerful selections in a brief period of time.
“Our job as examiners is to present all of them the data they want in a means that’s comprehensible. We would like them to regain management and decide for themselves,” Torres Borrego defined. “An app can improve what a sexual assault forensic examiner has already mentioned with the affected person and will supply a snug means for them to undergo questions and issues.”
Sufferers may also enter their private priorities and get customized suggestions, together with steering round price, remedy unwanted side effects and find out how to handle them, and leveraging social helps they’ve in place. The objective of the choice support is to lower decisional battle.
Serving to to heal
Draughon Moret hopes this in the end prevents HIV and promotes therapeutic for survivors.
So does the principal investigator on the undertaking, Jocelyn Anderson, a forensic nurse and assistant professor on the Penn State Ross and Carol Nese School of Nursing.
“We need to make certain survivors have the data they want about PEP to make the suitable alternative for them, particularly within the context of trauma,” Draughon Moret mentioned. “That alternative may also help them heal.”
For extra info on assets for sexual assault and 24/7 counseling, go to the Rape, Abuse and Incest Nationwide Community web site.
