Table 5 Readiness to Adopt Digital Health Interventions (RADHI) and relative advantage of KIU!

High

Staff discussed the benefits of the open/self-learning format of KIU!. While many of the benefits discussed were in comparison to in-person/traditional prevention care, the specific advantages to KIU! were how the user/participant determined their own schedule and “path”.

“I would say advantages is that it's online. Like people can do it whenever, wherever they want to, need to; can kind of access it when they want; like when it's convenient for them. Like our in-person test sites are like only--we have certain specific times during the week so it's accessibility is definitely like a really big advantage.” (HIV Prevention Coordinator at a Large Sized CBO)

Middle

Many stated that KIU! allowed clients to ask more sensitive questions and engage with information that was more relevant to their specific needs. As opposed to other virtual/online prevention programs, clients were able to complete modules on their own time. One staff member noted KIU! allows participants to have more control of their health and information that is tailored to their experiences rather than general information.

A few stated that KIU! presented more realistic information with “real” people that then allowed clients to feel more connected and engaged with the information. Another staff member felt that an advantage to KIU! was how it allows participants to interact with experts/professionals that looked like them and had similar experiences to them. Finally, many noted the relative advantage of KIU!’s ability to be completed from their computer, tablet, or cellphone. One noted the strength in not having to see someone in person, as this is usually the first or second time clients have ever been discussed such sensitive information. These responses were recorded across each group but were especially highlighted here.   

“Yeah. I would say it would relate to what I said earlier, the biggest advantage of keep it up is that keep it up has a way of maintaining itself or running itself and the way that a lot of the engagement, on behalf of the, keep it up is automated, which is really great because it's sort of like with all that we do have to center is sort of keep us abreast that things are running on a schedule.” (Director of Programming at a Medium Sized CBO)

“I would say some of the advantages are going to be like accessibility, obviously, because it's on an Internet platform, people are going to be able to access it at a lot faster rates, which is great. Um I think one of the, and then that it's tailored specifically to a group of people that aren't normally talked about in STI and HIV world in general, so I think those are two really big advantages that it has is that we've just never seen this information launched on this scale. I also really like that they have um kind of like that real life appeal to it, so these are like real folks or actors or whatever, but they're, they're real, tangible people telling real stories, and so I think that's a big piece of, to, feeling connected to it as well.” (Outreach and Linkage Manager at a Medium Sized CBO)  

Low

As with staff in the middle and high group, staff in the low group discussed the benefits to open/self-learning in KIU!. Staff in the low group made more reference to the benefits of KIU! for underserved communities that may have less access to other platforms.

“Um, that it can be done. Um, that it is an online or web-based platform that, um, clients can do it on their own, in their own privacy, their own space, like, that they have control over how they interact with it. Um, aside from the fact that, like, logistically it's easier, um, administratively for our team. Like, it doesn't mean a staff person is going to have to, like, facilitate this program, like, all this stuff.” (Deputy Director of Prevention at a Small Sized CBO)