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

Abstract

Since 2015, Mount Sinai HIV/HCV Center of Excellence has implemented two-day HIV and HCV preceptorships for New York State health care. Participants assessed their knowledge of and confidence to perform 13 HIV or 10 HCV prevention- and treatment-related skills, measured on a 4-point Likert scale from “not at all” to “very” knowledgeable/confident at baseline, exit survey, and a recent evaluation. Wilcoxon signed rank sum tests determined mean differences at all three time points. Between baseline to exit assessment and baseline to evaluation assessment, HIV and HCV preceptorship attendees reported significant increases in knowledge for five HIV and three HCV components and confidence for two HIV and three HCV tasks (p < .05), respectively. The preceptorship significantly and positively impacted short-term and long-term knowledge and confidence around HCV and HIV clinical skills. The implementation of HIV and HCV preceptorship programs may increase HIV and HCV treatment and prevention service efficacy within key population areas.