Background: Hospital readmissions among HIV positive patients are high, and reducing 30-day readmissions is a priority of health systems and payers. Improved communication in the hospital may help decrease readmissions. Our objective was to determine the association between satisfaction with provider communication and 30-day readmissions among HIV positive patients. Methods: We performed a cross-sectional analysis [...]

Case Presentation: A 15-year-old male with HIV and inconsistent antiretroviral therapy adherence presented to an HIV clinic in Lilongwe, Malawi with weight loss, night sweats, lower extremity rash, and diarrhea. The rash on his legs had been present for 4 months and then spread to his arms. On exam, his vital signs were unremarkable. He [...]

Background: As of 2016, there are approximately 36.7 million people living with HIV around the world. HIV infection is associated with tremendous psychological burden. Improvements in coping methods would be highly beneficial in this scenario. Crucial to this would be a high Coping Self-Efficacy (CSE). Defined as a “belief about one’s ability to perform specific [...]

Background: With the advent of COVID-19 vaccinations, disparities in vaccination rates across various demographic groups especially in vulnerable population such as HIV positive patients have become an area of concern. Understanding these disparities and their underlying factors can provide essential insights for designing targeted interventions and optimizing vaccine distribution strategies. This study sought to investigate [...]

Background: People living with HIV (PLWH) are now anticipated to have near-normal life expectancies. With increased longevity comes the higher burden of non-infectious comorbidities related to the chronic immune activation and premature telomere shortening in PLWH, ranging from dyslipidemia to osteoporosis [1]. Increased comorbidity burden can lead to polypharmacy, defined as the concurrent use of [...]

Background: There is an estimated 160,000 individuals that have been diagnosed with Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) in New Jersey. HCV is a well-known and widespread challenge to personal, societal, and governmental resources and ultimately, human life. Current guidelines from the USPSTF recommend offering a 1-time screening for HCV infection to adults born between 1945 and [...]

Background: Though the advent of highly active anti-retroviral medications has improved survival in HIV infection, mortality from non-infectious complications such as pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) has increased. Also, studies have shown that PAH is the leading cause of hospitalization and death in patients with HIV associated PAH (HIV-PAH). However, not much is known about the [...]

Background: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates over 1.2 million Americans are living with HIV (human immunodeficiency virus). Of those, approximately 14% are unaware of their HIV-positive status. In 2014, most hospitals adopted some form of Electronic Health Records (EHR) and one year later, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services extended [...]

Background: Despite multiple studies supporting the safety and efficacy of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for the prevention of HIV infection, many patients who are at high risk of HIV transmission are not treated with PrEP. HIV risk counseling and the initiation of PrEP have historically been limited to outpatient settings. Inpatient providers frequently encounter patients with [...]

Background: Patients evaluated after sexual assault may require non-occupational post-exposure prophylaxis (nPEP) to prevent infection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), depending on the assessed risk of HIV transmission in each case1-4. Access to nPEP medications, patient counseling, and follow-up care should be offered in a systematic, comprehensive, and compassionate setting. Unfortunately, multiple barriers may impede [...]