The Start Talking About Risks Program

As people with HIV live longer, healthier lives, interventions to help them practice safer sex are critically needed. Recent guidelines recommend that all HIV care providers make HIV risk prevention counseling part of routine clinical care.

STAR (Start Talking about Risks) is a computer-based tool that enhances provider-delivered prevention counseling for people living with HIV. STAR has four main goals:

To screen patients regarding HIV transmission risk behaviors and store these data in an electronic data base from which a report and prompt for providers is printed;

To provide patients with basic information, from videotaped providers, about HIV prevention;

To coach patients to talk with their provider about HIV risk behaviors; and

To provide detailed supplemental information on a range of specific topics related to HIV prevention for people living with HIV.

An introductory section of the tool introduces the STAR prevention program, explains how to use the webtool and administers 9 brief questions about risky behavior. The rest of the educational and coaching segments automatically follow. The web tool incorporates multiple linear web pages that utilize photographs, video, and audio files of actual providers and actual patients from the clinic site to coach patients to discuss with their medical provider issues related to sexual transmission of HIV and to educate them about ways to practice safer sex.