Reaching underserved HIV-positive individuals by using patient-centered psychological consultation

HIV disease is spreading most rapidly among populations for which psychotherapy is not routinely utilized, such as individuals from African American, Hispanic, rural, and low socioeconomic backgrounds. To more effectively address barriers to care, the authors propose and implement an innovative model of consultation that allows patients to request and receive a psychological consultation concurrent with their HIV medical care. Psychological consultations from a 2-year period before and after model implementation are compared. Results indicate that this model increases consult utilization and holds much promise for reaching underserved individuals in HIV clinics. Implications for usage in other medical settings are discussed.