Name
Integrating Behavioral Health into HIV Primary Care to Reduce Depression and Improve ART Adherence: A Pragmatic Implementation Evaluation
Description

This session presents a pragmatic evaluation of integrating behavioral health into HIV primary care, routine PHQ-9 depression screening, same-day warm handoffs to an embedded Behavioral Health Consultant and stepped-care follow-up supported by EHR documentation. The presentation highlights why addressing depression at the point of HIV care is essential for improving ART adherence, retention in care, and overall health outcomes. Attendees will learn how implementation strategies (workflow mapping, role-based training, and audit-and-feedback) strengthen reliable screening and follow-up in busy clinical settings. The session will share an applied evaluation approach using feasible clinic metrics (screening completion, warm handoff rates, documentation fidelity, PHQ-9 change, and adherence indicators) to demonstrate impact. Participants will leave with practical ideas, for adopting integrated behavioral health workflows and monitoring outcomes in their own primary care settings.

Speakers
Alexius Carter, LCSW
Co-Authors
Dr. Stephany Thompson
Content Level
All Audience
Tags
Behavioral Medicine Topics such as insomnia or medication adherence, Population and public health, Quality improvement programs
Session Type
Concurrent
Objective 1
Explain why integrating behavioral health into HIV primary care is critical for reducing depression and supporting ART adherence.
Objective 2
Describe a practical integrated workflow (PHQ-9 screening, same-day warm handoff, brief intervention, stepped-care follow-up, and EHR documentation).
Objective 3
Identify key implementation strategies (role-based training, workflow mapping, and audit-and-feedback) to improve reliability and sustainability.Select feasible evaluation measures and methods (process metrics, PHQ-9 change, adherence indicators, and run charts) to monitor outcomes in their setting.
Content Reference 1

Damschroder, L. J., Aron, D. C., Keith, R. E., Kirsh, S. R., Alexander, J. A., & Lowery, J. C. (2009). Fostering implementation of health services research findings into practice: A consolidated framework for advancing implementation science. Implementation Science, 4, Article 50. https://doi.org/10.1186/1748-5908-4-50

Content Reference 2

Pence, B. W., Gaynes, B. N., Atashili, J., O’Donnell, J. K., Kats, D., Ndumbe, P. M., & Whetten, K. (2015). Depression and HIV: A systematic review of the evidence on the impact of depression on HIV treatment outcomes. AIDS, 29(14), 1735–1745. https://doi.org/10.1097/QAD.0000000000000802

Content Reference 3

Uthman, O. A., Magidson, J. F., Safren, S. A., & Nachega, J. B. (2014). Depression and adherence to antiretroviral therapy in low-, middle- and high-income countries: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Current HIV/AIDS Reports, 11(3), 291–307. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11904-014-0220-1