Ending the Epidemic: Building Health Care Capacity Through HIV and HCV Preceptorship Programs

Area of Science:

• Infectious Diseases
• Hepatology
• Public Health

Background:

• Mount Sinai HIV/HCV Center of Excellence has provided HIV and HCV preceptorships since 2015.
• These programs aim to enhance healthcare provider skills in HIV and HCV prevention and treatment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the impact of two-day HIV and HCV preceptorships on healthcare providers' knowledge and confidence.
• To evaluate the short-term and long-term effectiveness of these educational programs.

Main Methods:

• Participants' knowledge and confidence were measured using a 4-point Likert scale at baseline, exit, and follow-up evaluation.
• Wilcoxon signed rank sum tests were used to analyze changes in knowledge and confidence.

Main Results:

• Attendees showed significant increases in knowledge for 5 HIV and 3 HCV components from baseline to exit and evaluation.
• Confidence significantly increased for 2 HIV and 3 HCV tasks between baseline and follow-up.
• The preceptorship demonstrated a significant positive impact on both short-term and long-term clinical skills.

Conclusions:

• HIV and HCV preceptorships effectively enhance healthcare providers' knowledge and confidence.
• These programs hold potential to improve the efficacy of HIV and HCV treatment and prevention services, particularly in key populations.