Who Starts the Conversation and Who Receives Preexposure Prophylaxis (PrEP)? A Brief Online Survey of Medical Providers’ PrEP Practices

Abstract

Uptake of preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) has been slow, but is increasing. Although PrEP is indicated for many patients, it has been concentrated among men who have sex with men (MSM). Awareness of PrEP is limited among non-MSM individuals, and among some MSM. As such, individuals at risk for HIV who are unaware of PrEP must rely on their medical providers to initiate conversations about PrEP. Members of a national professional organization of HIV specialists with prescribing privileges, including physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants, participated in an online survey ( n = 342) to characterize their PrEP prescribing behaviors and the demographic membership of their PrEP patients. Results indicated that when discussing PrEP with their patients, providers who more frequently initiated these conversations had a higher percentage of non-MSM patients in their PrEP caseload (e.g., women, people who inject drugs, transgender patients). Encouraging providers to initiate discussions about PrEP with their patients and helping them locate support to offset the cost may help increase uptake, particularly among at-risk patients who are underrepresented in PrEP adoption.