Study design
SECONDARY
Our study population is comprised of HIV‐diagnosed men (index participants) receiving health services through HIV subspecialty clinics located within each jail and prison facility. A two‐group randomized trial was used to evaluate the effects of the prison‐based Impart APN model on partner notification and HIV testing outcomes. Index participants were allocated randomly to either to a self‐tell notification only standard of care condition or to Impart APN choice (active intervention) condition that allowed index participants to choose per partner between self‐tell or having an Impart team (consisting of an HIV‐trained nurse and outreach healthcare provider) notify the partner without revealing the identity of the index participant who named them. Approximately equal numbers of index participants were allocated to the intervention and control conditions per site, using block randomization to ensure balance in the two groups over time.Our primary outcome was partner notification within 6 weeks as reported by the index participant or APN notifier. As secondary outcomes, we compared the number of partners in either group who by the end of this period had completed HIV testing including those who subsequently were HIV diagnosed. With permission from index participants, “self‐tell partners” in both study arms were contacted at the end of 6 weeks to verify if they had been notified and to obtain their HIV testing results. Those who had yet to be notified were informed of possible HIV exposure and offered HIV testing.