SHAPE
The STOP HIV/AIDS® Program Evaluation (SHAPE) study was a longitudinal cohort study of people living with HIV across all health authorities in British Columbia. The SHAPE study first launched in 2016 in order to characterize healthcare experiences and outcomes among people living with HIV, as well as characterize retention across the cascade of care for HIV.
The ‘first phase’ of the SHAPE study wrapped in September 2021, which captured the experiences of 644 people living with HIV across BC (to read more about the first wave of SHAPE, please find more information here:https://www.bccfe.ca/research/SHAPE/posters-and-publications. We continue to share research findings from SHAPE, with both academic and community audiences, and have brought back our findings to partnering sites across the province. We also share our knowledge translation outputs on our website: https://www.bccfe.ca/research/SHAPE/posters-and-publications
In 2024 investigators at the BC CfE and all health authorities in BC are launching a new phase of the SHAPE study (SHAPE 2.0). Through community engagement and guidance from the SHAPE steering committee, we have heard that the priorities, concerns and realities of PLWH across BC has dramatically changed since the start of the provincial STOP HIV/AIDS® strategy more than a decade ago. While HIV treatment has had clear success in improving HIV-related morbidity and mortality, there is an ongoing need to understand the quality of healthcare, as well as the health priorities and experiences of PLWH in order to adapt and improve our health services. The changing landscape of HIV services, aging, mental health and substance use, and chronic comorbidities that are uniquely impacting PLWH is the focus of this new phase of the SHAPE study.
STUDIES MENU
SHAPE Participants
Are you eligible to participate?
You are eligible to participate in the SHAPE study if you are:
- Living with HIV
- 19 years of age or older
- A current resident of British Columbia
- Have had a HIV viral load test and/or received HIV medications in British Columbia
- Able to complete the survey in English
- Able to provide informed consent
What does my participation involve?
If you are eligible to participate in the study, you will be asked to complete one survey, which will take approximately 30 minutes to complete.
The survey will include questions about your medical history, personal support systems, use of health care services, HIV treatment, and your perspective on your health priorities and healthcare experiences.
You will receive $40 after completing the survey.
How do I participate?
You can complete the survey by yourself online.
If you prefer to complete the survey with the help of a Peer Research Associate*, you can do this either over the phone or in-person at St. Paul’s Hospital or the Hope to Health clinic in Vancouver or some locations across BC.
COMING SOON: Participants wanting to complete their survey in-person but are residing outside of Vancouver, please come back to see the list of locations that offer in-person interviews.
If you would prefer to do the survey either in-person or over the phone with a peer research associate* during our hours of operation
*A peer research associate is a member of the research team who is living with HIV. They are able to determine your eligibility, register you for the study, and take you through the survey.
Why should I participate?
While there may be no direct benefits from participating in this study, you will indirectly be helping us understand more about people living with HIV, what services are available, barriers to accessing care and how to best provide support.
If you want to do the survey online by yourself, your next steps are:
- Click the “Start the Survey” button below to read the study consent form and start the registration process to complete the survey online or, if you prefer to do the survey in-person or over the phone, contact the study team through the following link: https://www.bccfe.ca/research/SHAPE
- The “Start the Survey” button will take you to the study consent page. After reading through the consent form, if you do not have any questions and agree to participating in the study, click the ‘Continue’ button to begin the study registration questions.
- Your answers to the registration questions will determine if you are eligible to participate in the and complete the survey.
- If you have already started the survey but haven’t completed it, click on the “Continue the Survey” button to continue the survey where you left off after entering your eligibility information.
*** The information you provide for this study will not be stored on the device you complete the survey on. Your responses will be encrypted before being sent to our secure server. Please ensure you are using a private internet network to reduce the risk of your information being seen by others. If you do not have a private internet network available to you, you can still participate in this study over the phone or in person by giving us a call at our toll-free number: 1-855-506-8615 or email us at shape@bccfe.ca
*** Note: if you are using a mobile phone, please read the full consent form by downloading it. You can download the consent form by clicking on the link provided at the bottom left corner of the consent page saying “Click here to download a copy of this consent form”.
Study Team
Principal Investigators:
Dr. David Moore
Dr. Kate Salters BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS
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Co-Investigators: | |
Dr. Julio Montaner | Dr. Robert Hogg |
Scott Emerson | Meaghan Thumath |
Robin Yates | Dr. Viviane Lima |
Dr. Surita Parashar | Junine Toy |
Dr. Rakel Kling | Dr. Malik Baxi |
Dr. Jonathan Malo | Dr. Mike Benusic |
Community Partners: | |
Cool Aid Community Health Centre | AVI Victoria |
Kilala Lelum | Pacific AIDS Network |
Insite | BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS Drug Treatment Programs |
McLaren Housing Society | Heath Initiative for Men (HIM) |
CAAN | |
Study Staff: | |
Farnaz Azarmju | Antonio Marante |
Tim Wesseling | Tatiana Pakhomova |