Current Perspectives on the Determinants of Acceptability of Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis and Nonoccupational Post-Exposure Prophylaxis among People at Risk for HIV: A Scoping Review

Abstract

Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and nonoccupational post-exposure prophylaxis (nPEP) were found to be effective HIV biomedical interventions. However, several barriers to acceptance of these interventions were discovered among populations at risk for HIV, and the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic may also exacerbate these. The current scoping review aims to update information in regards to facilitators and barriers for PrEP and nPEP acceptability among key populations collected in the past two years and to identify any existing knowledge gaps during the time of the COVID-19 pandemic. Of 1453 studies retrieved, 16 met the final inclusion criteria. The review synthesized a range of individual, PrEP-specific, psychosocial, and health system factors that may affect the acceptability of PrEP or nPEP. The conclusion from this scoping review is that more research is needed to enable a comprehensive understanding of the determinants of acceptability of PrEP and nPEP in the context of COVID-19, particularly among PWID and FSWs.