1. Use of Social Media to Improve Engagement Retention and health outcomes along the hiv care continuum
Penn State University Milton S. Hershey Medical Center
Matthew Mahoney and Stephanie Fisher
June 15, 2017
(10 minute presentation, 10 minute discussion)

2. Implementation Enrollment of first patient was 1/26/2017
36 total enrolled (as of 5/31/17)
Target: 5 enrollments per month, target retention rate: 80%
Implementation process current status
Disseminating the app at the end of the enrollment ACASI
Create social media care plans within hours of the patient receiving the app (created by the Social Media Case Managers (SMCM), who are the main communicators through the app)
Conducted during enrollment at PinnacleHealth site.
Reaching out to patients with updated lab results, and appointment reminders through the app’s communication

3. Current Demographics Recruitment target: N=100, 5-6/months
Current status: N=36
Patients’ characteristics:

4. Monthly OPT-In App Usage Stats

5. Current Data Summary
Unmet need #1: low usage of OPT-IN For Life social media platforms
Next steps: mass media and marketing campaign, monthly review of engagement statistics
Unmet need #2: high variations in app usage across patients
Next steps:
SMCW-initiated communication
Provider-patient communication
Regular updates/more appealing contents
Users’ survey to improve the app design

6. Implementation Successes and Challenges
Core functionality of the app is working. Our most at risk patients are the most engaged users of the app.
Challenges include:
Responding to the evolving needs of the patients.
Making the app relevant beyond visits and labs.
Budgeting for continued support of the app. (Servers & updates)
Finding ongoing bugs with the app, particularly messaging.
Engagement seems to fall off, but no idea if medical adherence has improved.
Steps to overcome challenges:
Be very fluid in terms of content creation, app tool development, and overall individualized communication tone.

7. Outreach and Recruitment
Current recruitment is on track and on schedule. First filtered by exclusion criteria, then age and upcoming appt.
The screening process is on-going. Patients are rescreened when they fall out of care, or if their viral load becomes detectable.
Initially fliers were handed out during visits, but there was little success.
Members of the patients care team now directly contact patients to let them know of the study. Once interest is confirmed, an appt. is scheduled.
Meeting F2F with eligible patients, during their regularly scheduled medical visit, has proven very successful. They are able to see the App, how it works, and know who they are communicating with.
Very few turn down the offer when directly from the care team.

8. Recruitment Successes and Challenges
Success: Overall patient feedback on the app is positive. Even when pt doesn’t reply to a message they appreciate getting it.
Challenges: Users who are enrolled and take the survey but do not log into or use the app at all. Also, those patients that are excited about the App, and agree to schedule enrollment, but then do not show up.
Current plan to address challenges: Outreach via traditional methods (phone or letter) reminding pt of app. Those comms logged in REDCAP.

9. Additional Updates OPT-In Social Media campaign:
Growth of the social media presence has been slow overall.
Challenges to the social media branded presence include lack of physical presence, no goods or services offered, and HIV related stigma.
We will be doing a more traditional ad-buy campaign of bus and bus station posters, ads on social media platforms, and live television appearances.
The end goal is to connect to potential patients in the community that are not linked to care, while making the Harrisburg area more consciously aware of HIV and overall sexual health.

10. Discussion Stephanie Fisher – sfisher@pinnaclehealth.org
Rebecca Geiser –
Matthew Mahoney –