A longitudinal model of communication networks among HIV service providers in a Ryan White system during data integration

Abstract

The Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program (RWHAP), dedicated to HIV prevention and treatment, has funded initiatives to improve cross-sector collaboration between healthcare and housing—including data integration. This article models change in communication networks within a RWHAP Transitional Grant Area (TGA) during data integration. Medical case managers, housing providers, and administrators from a RWHAP TGA identified up to ten people important to them in their professional network at two timepoints between 2018 and 2019. Repeated measures linear modeling was used to analyze changes in personal networks while separable temporal exponential random graph modeling assessed changes in whole network. Participants (n = 35) were more likely to form ties with others from different employment sectors (PE = −1.19, SE = 0.42) and medical case managers were significantly more likely to form ties (PE = 1.79, SE = 0.42). Transitive communication ties were significantly more to form (PE = 0.72, SE = 0.08). Transitive and cross-sector collaboration formation indicates improved communication between providers. Data integration may be a mechanism to improve prevention and treatment efforts for HIV.