Evaluation of a telemedicine pilot program for the provision of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis in the Southeastern United States

Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is a daily regimen that reduces the risk of acquiring HIV by up to 97%. There is limited information on the use of telehealth to provide PrEP in a program aimed toward the primary prevention of HIV. This was a 6-month telePrEP feasibility study that assessed process m...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:AIDS care 2022-12, Vol.34 (12), p.1499-1505
Main Authors: Player, Marty S., Cooper, Nicole A., Perkins, Suzanne, Diaz, Vanessa A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Anti-HIV Agents - therapeutic use
Averages
Chi-square test
Cisgender
Clinical outcomes
College graduates
Disease prevention
Drugs
Evaluation
Feasibility
Feasibility studies
High risk
HIV
HIV Infections - drug therapy
HIV Infections - prevention & control
HIV prevention
Homosexuality, Male
Human immunodeficiency virus
Humans
Male
Males
Medication Adherence
Men
Patient satisfaction
Patients
Pilot Projects
pre-exposure prophylaxis
Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis - methods
PrEP
Preventive medicine
Prophylaxis
Risk
Southeastern United States
Statistical analysis
Telemedicine
Telemedicine - methods
telePrEP
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Summary:Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is a daily regimen that reduces the risk of acquiring HIV by up to 97%. There is limited information on the use of telehealth to provide PrEP in a program aimed toward the primary prevention of HIV. This was a 6-month telePrEP feasibility study that assessed process measures, clinical outcomes and patient satisfaction. Descriptive statistics and Chi-square analysis were used to evaluate measures and outcomes from the start to the end of the study. Twenty patients enrolled, and 80% completed the study. Participants were cisgender males (100%) with an average age of 35.6 years, white (95%), and were college graduates or higher (55%). The majority (75%) had very high comfort with video calls before the program. Self-reported adherence to PrEP medication remained high throughout the program (60%-70%). Without this program 31.2% of participants were unlikely to have received PrEP. For obtaining PrEP 56.3% preferred telemedicine only, and 31.2% preferred a combination of telemedicine and in-person office visits. PrEP is an effective method of preventing HIV infection for those at high risk. Our program shows that telemedicine can be useful to expand access to medication for patients at high risk.
ISSN:0954-0121
1360-0451
DOI:10.1080/09540121.2021.2018567