HIV PrEP is more than ART-lite: Longitudinal study of real-world PrEP services data identifies missing measures meaningful to HIV prevention programming

CONCLUSIONS: PrEP users frequently cycle on and off PrEP. Early discontinuation and delays in obtaining additional prescriptions were common, with broad predictive variability noted. Time off PrEP decreased with cycle number in all countries, suggesting normalization of use with experience. More nuanced measures of use are needed than exist for HIV treatment if effective use of PrEP is to be meaningfully measured. Providers should be equipped with measures and counselling messages that recognize non-continuous and cyclical use patterns so that clients are supported to align fluctuating risk and use, and can readily restart PrEP after stopping, in effect empowering them further to make their own prevention choices.PMID:34648678 | DOI:10.1002/jia2.25827

Source: Journal of the International AIDS Society - October 14, 2021 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Jason Bailey Reed Prakriti Shrestha Daniel Were Tafadzwa Chakare Jane Mutegi Brian Wakhutu Abednego Musau Nyane Matebello Nonyana Alice Christensen Rupa Patel Jessica Rodrigues Robyn Eakle Kelly Curran Diwakar Mohan Source Type: research