ViiV Healthcare initiates study with the University of South Carolina to evaluate the benefits of ride-sharing services on improving access to care for people living with HIV

London, 2 March 2020 – ViiV Healthcare, the global specialist HIV company majority owned by GSK, with Pfizer Inc. and Shionogi Limited as shareholders, today announced the initiation of a study in partnership with the University of South Carolina’s (USC) Ryan White Program in Columbia, South Carolina, to determine the effectiveness of ride-sharing services, including Lyft and Uber, in improving access to care for people living with HIV. Previous studies have indicated an estimated 3.6 million people in the US report that transportation is a barrier to healthcare access, opening the door for missed opportunities to evaluate their health, make changes to treatment, and escalate care when needed.[1] Using the rapidly-growing popularity of ride-sharing platforms, the study will explore innovative ways to increase patient mobility to reconnect them with life-saving health services and medicine.

Sharon Weissman M.D., Infectious Disease Specialist at USC Immunology Center, said: “As is the case in many other states across the US, lack of transportation in South Carolina is cited by people living with HIV as one of the main reasons they do not see a doctor. We aim to tackle this common challenge by utilizing the growing trend of on-demand ride-sharing services. If we can make it easier for people living with HIV to access a hospital, doctor’s office or clinic, we hope to increase the likelihood that they will start and stay on treatment.”

• Columbia, South Carolina: For some people living with HIV, public transportation can be limited, and personal vehicles are not affordable, making it difficult for them to access medical services. To address this, a transportation assistance study is now enrolling individuals to measure the impact that ride-sharing services (including Lyft and Uber) have on patients attending follow-up clinic visits and their management of HIV compared to those utilizing traditional transportation methods.
• Charleston, South Carolina: Because mobile telephones play an increasingly important role in personal and professional life, patients may be more comfortable and willing to access healthcare services if secure text messaging platforms are offered. This study will evaluate whether the use of secure text messages increases the likelihood a patient will return to the clinic, help them remain on treatment and keep their virus under control.
• Fayetteville, North Carolina: Many people encounter difficulty accessing HIV care in a clinic setting due to a variety of factors, including office hours, locations and stigma. The study is testing if home visits from an outreach nurse help people living with HIV who have not visited their clinic in the past year return to care and see improvements in their health.
• Charlotte, North Carolina: The city of Charlotte is a part of Mecklenburg County, which has the highest rate of HIV in North Carolina in the 13-65 age range.[2] In this study, clinics in Charlotte will send standardized message alerts to physicians and other designated clinic staff through the electronic medical record system that note patients who are at risk for missing a visit, to see if the alerts increase the number of people who return to the clinics for care.