Prioritizing HIV Services for Transgender Women and Men Who Have Sex With Men in Manila, Philippines: An Opportunity for HIV Provider Interventions
Year: 2019
Type: article
Abstract: Transgender women (TW) and men who have sex with men (MSM) are highly affected by the rising HIV epidemic in the Philippines. HIV providers are essential to curbing the epidemic. Between July and August 2017, we conducted one-on-one qualitative interviews with 15 HIV providers in Manila, Philippines. Overall, providers reported tension between willingness to provide care versus actual competencies. Most discussed treating every patient equally regardless of gender or sexual identities. However, many expressed hesitancies in providing HIV services due to (a) not knowing the health needs of TW and MSM, (b) having little to no training in HIV, and (c) difficulty being sensitive to patient gender and sexuality. Although providers were unsure about how to prioritize HIV services for TW and MSM, some expressed interest in learning and engaging these populations in their practices. Our findings suggest the importance of provider-focused interventions to prioritize TW and MSM health needs.
Institutions: Brown University, Education University of Hong Kong
Language: English
Subfield: Infectious Diseases
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
Funders: Brown University, National Institutes of Health, Center for AIDS Research, University of Washington, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Fogarty International Center, National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities
Awards: G1276500078, Brown NIMHD Minority Health & Health Disparities International Research Training, Brown University and University of the Philippines Training Program for the Prevention of HIV in Vulnerable Populations, Characterizing the Philippines HIV Epidemic: A Community-Informed Approach to Examine Substance use, HIV RIsk, and HIV Prevention Services Uptake among Transgender Women and Men Who Have Sex with Men, Providence/Boston Center for AIDS Research (CFAR), Training for Scientists Conducting Research to Reduce HIV/AIDS Health Disparities
OpenAlex ID: W2980121543