Student Education About Pre-exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) Varies Between Regions of the United States

Overview

Journal J Gen Intern Med

Publisher Springer

Specialty General Medicine

Date 2020 Feb 22

PMID 32080792

Citations 11

Authors

Samuel R Bunting

Sarah S Garber

Robert H Goldstein

Timothy D Ritchie

Tamzin J Batteson

Timothy J Keyes

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: Daily, oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is an effective and safe prevention strategy for people at risk for HIV. However, prescription of PrEP has been limited for patients at the highest risk. Disparities in PrEP prescription are pronounced among racial and gender minority patients. A significant body of literature indicates that practicing healthcare providers have little awareness and knowledge of PrEP. Very little work has investigated the education about PrEP among health professionals in training.

Objective: The objective of this study was to compare health professions students' awareness of PrEP and education about PrEP between regions of the US, and to determine if correlations between regional HIV incidence and PrEP use were present.

Design: Survey study.

Participants: A cross-sectional sample of health professions students (N = 1859) representing future prescribers (MD, DO, PA), pharmacists, and nurses in the US.

Key Results: Overall, 83.4% of students were aware of PrEP, but only 62.2% of fourth-year students indicated they had been taught about PrEP at any time during their training. Education about PrEP was most comprehensive in the Northeastern US, the area with the highest PrEP to need ratio (4.7). In all regions, transgender patients and heterosexual men and women were least likely to be presented in education as PrEP candidates, and men who have sex with men were the most frequently presented.

Conclusions: There are marked differences in education regarding PrEP both between academic programs and regions of the USA.

Citing Articles

PrEP Awareness and Coverage: Results from the 2022 South Africa Antenatal HIV Sentinel Survey.

Shangase N, Kufa T, Cheyip M, Puren A AIDS Behav. 2025; .

PMID: 39939480 DOI: 10.1007/s10461-024-04609-3.

Awareness and Uptake of HIV Preexposure Prophylaxis and Postexposure Prophylaxis Among College Students With Sexual Experiences: Institutional-Based Cross-Sectional Study.

Xu J, Xu K, Juma O, Zhang X, Lian Z JMIR Public Health Surveill. 2024; 10:e63211.

PMID: 39504545 PMC: 11560078. DOI: 10.2196/63211.

Awareness and willingness to use pre-exposure prophylaxis among the University of Zambia students: A cross-sectional study.

Kampamba M, Nelumbu N, Hikaambo C, Mudenda S, Hangoma J, Kunda M Health Sci Rep. 2024; 7(9):e70060.

PMID: 39257911 PMC: 11386235. DOI: 10.1002/hsr2.70060.

LGBTQ+ health education for medical students in the United States: a narrative literature review.

Jewell T, Petty E Med Educ Online. 2024; 29(1):2312716.

PMID: 38359164 PMC: 10877666. DOI: 10.1080/10872981.2024.2312716.

Effects of knowledge and implicit biases on pharmacy students' decision-making regarding pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV prevention: A vignette-based experimental study.

Bunting S, Feinstein B, Bertram C, Hazra A, Sheth N, Garber S Curr Pharm Teach Learn. 2023; 15(2):139-148.

PMID: 36898891 PMC: 10545445. DOI: 10.1016/j.cptl.2023.02.019.

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